Automating the FE applications process

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Automating the FE applicationsprocess

• Carl Ebrey

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What is a Web Service?

• A Web Service is a programmatic interface
  allowing communication between applications via a
  network.

• They provide a platform and system independent
  way of distributing data and functionality.

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What is a Web Service?

• Web pages are HTML over HTTP

• Your web browser parses the HTML to render the
  page

• Web Services are XML over HTTP

• The calling application parses the XML and uses
  the result

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A Web Service Example
XML SOAP RESPONSE
XML SOAP REQUEST

• Royal Mail

MBNA
My Computer
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What is UKLeaP?

• UKLeaP is a relational XML format

• Its designed to allow the markup of learner
  information

• Its British Standard BS8788

• Using UKLeaP and Web Services, we can transfer
  learner information between schools and colleges

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Relational XML

• UKLeaP uses relationships to provide a logical
  structure to its elements

• These relationships, and their types, are key to
  making UKLeaP work

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The Applications Process

• A learner maintains her ePortfolio throughout
  her education

• At the end of her time at school, she enters the
  applications area of the PDP system

• She is presented with an application form, which
  is already partly completed for her

• She completes the application and clicks the
  send button

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The Applications Process

• The application form is marked up as UKLeaP

• The local PDP system connects to the Web Service
  on the destination system

• The data is transferred

• The destination system parses and stores the data

• What happens then is down to business logic

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Making it Happen Practical Steps

• Design and implement a security model
• Shibboleth could be used in the long term

• Identify the areas of the common application
  form in which you are interested
• This is your application profile

• Either
• create a mapping from UKLeaP to your MISs XML
  format, or
• parse the data directly as it arrives

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Taming the Beast UKLeaP in More Detail
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Schemas and Vocabularies

• XML standard is defined by schemas

• Values representing types are held in
  vocabularies

• Vocabularies are currently held as Excel files
  plans are to change to VDEX files

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Looking at a UKLeaP Document
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Whats in a Name?

• ltformnamegt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tysour
  cegt
• lttyvaluegtPreferredlt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• lttextgtBob Carolgeeslt/textgt
• lt/formnamegt

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Whats in a Name?

• ltnamegt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tysour
  cegt
• lttyvaluegtFulllt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• ltpartnamegt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tyso
  urcegt
• lttyvaluegtGivenlt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• lttextgtBob Davelt/textgt
• lt/partnamegt
• ltpartnamegt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tyso
  urcegt
• lttyvaluegtSurnamelt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• lttextgtCarolgeeslt/textgt
• lt/partnamegt

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Addressing the Issue

• ltaddressgt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tysour
  cegt
• lttyvaluegtPrivatelt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• ltstreetgt
• ltstreetnumbergt50lt/streetnumbergt
• ltstreetnamegtSomewhere Stlt/streetnamegt
• lt/streetgt
• ltcitygtSomewherelt/citygt
• ltregiongtSomewhereshirelt/regiongt
• ltpostcodegtSO12 3MElt/postcodegt
• lt/addressgt

• This is an ideal example!

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Telephone Numbers

• ltcontactinfogt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tysour
  cegt
• lttyvaluegtPrivatelt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• lttelephonegt
• ltareacodegt01234lt/areacodegt
• ltindnumbergt567890lt/indnumbergt
• lt/telephonegt
• lt/contactinfogt

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Email Addresses

• ltcontactinfogt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tysour
  cegt
• lttyvaluegtPrivatelt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• ltemailgttest_at_test.comlt/emailgt
• lt/contactinfogt

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Date of Birth

• ltdemographicsgt
• ltdategt
• lttypenamegt
• lttysource sourcetype"standard"gtUKLeaPlt/tyso
  urcegt
• lttyvaluegtBirthlt/tyvaluegt
• lt/typenamegt
• ltdatetimegt1977-10-03T000000lt/datetimegt
• lt/dategt
• lt/demographicsgt

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Relationships

• A student at KS4-

• A QCL node representing one of her GCSEs

• An affiliation node, representing her
  affiliation with the school

• An activity node, representing the activity of
  doing the GCSE itself

• A relationship node of type Supplements
  connecting the activity with the QCL

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Importing Data at UoN

• Input data is transformed into UoN UKLeaP

• UoN UKLeaP is transformed into DBXML

• DBXML is parsed and the data inserted into the
  DB

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Importing Data at UoN

• Example DBXML document

lt?xml version"1.0" encoding"utf-8"?gt ltdbdatagt
lttable name"std_PGCE_CEP_details"gt ltlinegt
ltitem field"forename"gtBananalt/itemgt
ltitem field"surname"gtManlt/itemgt ltitem
field"birth_date"gt1977-03-30T000000lt/itemgt
lt/linegt lt/tablegt lt/dbdatagt
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References

• http//www.imsglobal.org/profiles/index.html
• http//www.imsglobal.org/vdex/
• http//www.cetis.ac.uk/profiles/uklip/
• http//www.samaritans.org.uk/

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Your Turn

• Any Questions?