The SIF Association UK releases the latest open source standard for ‘simple’ data exchange

TUNBRIDGE WELLS, U.K. - Nov. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- The SIF UK Community is proud to announce the release of the SIF Implementation Specification (UK) 3.0.0 to the educational marketplace.  Continuing in its leadership role in developing open technical blueprints for data management, movement and usage for learning, this latest release offers institutions immediate opportunities to simplify interoperability from point to point data exchanges to entire enterprise data systems support.

The SIF Implementation Specification (UK) 3.0.0 is made up of a globally utilised reference infrastructure (3.0.1) and a United Kingdom specific data model, based on the Common Basic Data Set (CBDS), which is used predominantly throughout the education marketplace.  The REST-based SIF Infrastructure Implementation Specification 3.0.1 enables the transport of various data models, including the Information Standards Board (ISB) Business Data Architecture (BDA). In essence, education can now utilise a standardised “one wire with one plug”, not the never-ending proprietary API’s and “one off” connections!

Using the latest UK specification release, educational institutions now have the potential to configure simple, direct data exchanges using an open standard.  SIF 3 is now more flexible, robust and user friendly to ensure the most accurate, up-to-date information is in the hands of those who need it, when they need it.  End-users only have to ensure they enter the data once, and it can be used in multiple applications, many times.  The latest release also supports multiple authorisation types and restricts which application gets what data.

The SIF Association supports the fluid movement of data between applications, with the goal of improving the quality and efficiency of learning, teaching, and communication. Technology needs to bring along people; meet their concerns; be simple, understandable, accessible; and non-proprietary.  The Community is listening to these real world needs beyond SIF and has developed tools and approaches to let data custodians do their jobs.

The SIF Implementation Specification (UK) 3.0.0 can be found on the SIF website: sifassociation.org/Specification/Pages/United-Kingdom.aspx

If you are interested in joining the SIF Association UK Community to put education and learning first, then please visit our website: sifassociation.org

About the SIF Association

The SIF Association is a unique, non-profit collaboration composed of over 3,200 schools, districts, local authorities, states, International Ministries of Education, software vendors and consultants who collectively define the rules and regulations for educational software data interoperability. The SIF Implementation Specification enables diverse applications to interact and share data efficiently, reliably, and securely regardless of the platform hosting those applications. The SIF Association has united these education technology end users and providers in an unprecedented effort to give teachers more time to do what they do best: teach.  For further information, visit sifassociation.org.