Use this Setup Guide to install and configure your SEA Modernization solution. At the end of this Setup guide you'll have a Production ready environment in which you can begin to load Student Information System data into your Ed-Fi Operational Data Store.
Summary
Table of Contents maxLevel 2 minLevel 2 include Step \d+.*
Solution Overview
In this section you'll get a general understanding of the components of your SEA Modernization solution to provide context for completing the remainder of the Setup Guide.
The diagram below depicts the general architecture of your SEA Modernization solution.
- LEA Student Information Systems connect and transmit data into the SEA ODS using the Ed-Fi ODS/API.
- Those connections are managed and secured via the ODS/API Admin App.
- With data unified in the ODS in Ed-Fi format, multiple avenues for surfacing actionable data become available including the use of BI reporting platforms and data warehousing.
Gliffy | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Once you complete this Setup Guide:
- Data specifications will be published
- Any necessary extensions to the Ed-Fi Model will be created.
- Ed-Fi Solution will be deployed on stage/production server.
- Credentials and connections between SIS systems and the ODS / API will be managed using the ODS / API Admin App.
- Agency (Seed) Data will be populated in your Operational Data Store (ODS).
- Data from your Student Information System will flow into your Operational Data Store (ODS) via the ODS / API.
- Validation reporting will be configured.
The core components involved in this solution are:
- Student Information Systems (SIS).
- The Ed-Fi ODS / API & Tools, which include Ed-Fi ODS / API, Ed-Fi Swagger Documentation, Ed-Fi Admin App and MetaEd.
- Validation Reports
- Membership Count and Special Education Student Count Reports
The rest of this guide will instruct you on:
- Developing data specifications.
- Developing necessary extensions.
- Installing the starter kit components.
- Connecting district SIS's to the Ed-Fi ODS via the ODS / API.
- Validating the data collected in the Ed-Fi ODS.
- Generating Membership Count and Special Education Student Count Reports.
Panel | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
Important data security notes:
|
Step 1: Develop Data Specifications
To use the Ed-Fi Data Standard, states must re-express, in Ed-Fi language, the data specifications they have provided to their technology providers and school districts.
The data specifications comprise elements that your state needs to collect in order to meet your reporting needs (using the Ed-Fi Operational Data Store (ODS)).
The elements needed in your specifications depend on your data collection need for reports you intend to service. Defining a data specification generally means mapping between the state elements and those elements in the Ed-Fi Data Model. This mapping exercise will identify where the elements are 1:1 aligned, where they are not 1:1 aligned, what elements need to be omitted, and what elements do not exist in Ed-Fi and need to be included as Ed-Fi Extensions, more on this below.
The data mapping exercise can be done using our published MappingEdu tool or an Excel spreadsheet. Many agencies are most comfortable with a spreadsheet and want to start there.
The MappingEdu tool has the advantage of allowing for greater collaboration, as data specifications are hosted online and it is a web-based application. Ed-Fi Licensees have access to download and to use the tool. However, to be productive, business analysts first need to learn to use the tool.
Panel | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
Reminder For a successful Ed-Fi implementation, we recommend states start small and move one or two collections online as a starting point. |
Step 2: Develop Model Extensions (If Required)
When considering the use cases your agency is pursuing with the Ed-Fi solution, some gaps between the data you need to realize your use case and the data elements that are in Ed-Fi may become apparent. To resolve this, the Ed-Fi Data Standard can be "extended" to accommodate these missing entities. The data elements are added to the Ed-Fi Operational Data Store by a business analyst or a developer using the MetaEd tool.
It can be very tempting to ask for aggregate data when extending the Ed-Fi APIs. As an example, if a state needs to know the number of days a student was in attendance for a grading period, why not just extend the model to ask for this aggregate number?
The Ed-Fi model is built on the notion that granular data is inherently more useful and informative, and also on the vision of establishing industry-wide data exchange models where all systems benefit from standardization. Aggregate data makes both more difficult. In the above example, different states may have different ways of counting absences; does a medical release or home-bound day constitute an absence? How about a student early release?
Aggregate fields often require specific business rules that result in complex, state-specific logic falling on the Student Information System providers, and this reduces the reusability of their application code across state boundaries. As a result, the ecosystem does not enjoy the benefits of standardized data exchange, and this means lower data quality for your agency.
If you think a missing element represents a common community need (as opposed to only or overly local conditions), please open a ticket on the Ed-Fi Tracker and provide detailed information.
titleBGColor | #ffffff |
---|---|
borderStyle | none |
When extending the APIs, ask for granular and not aggregate data.
Step 3: Install the Ed-Fi Solution
Install the Ed-Fi Solution
In this step you will install all of the components of the Ed-Fi solution using the recommended Binary Installation method. The basic list of Infrastructure items that you will need to be successful at this guide are provided below. It is always recommended to follow your institutions best practices for maintenance and backups.
At its most basic level, the Ed-Fi ODS / API platform consists of two logical servers: a database server (for the ODS and related databases) a web server (for the ODS / API and Admin App). Following diagram shows a typical configuration:
Gliffy | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hardware Recommendations
Server
Web Server
Database Server
CPU / RAM
4 Core / 16+ GB
4 Core / 16+ GB
Disk Configuration
SSD RAID 1 (2 disks)
SSD RAID 5 (3+ disks)
Note: Due to the disk-intensive nature of the Ed-Fi ODS, the ODS Database server is typically much more capable, in terms of memory, disk, and CPU than the ODS / API.
Software Requirements
Server
Web Server
Database Server
OS
Windows Server 2016-2019
Windows Server 2016-2019
Software
.NET Core 3.1 Hosting Bundle: required for running the API on IIS.
Internet Information Services: IIS is the web server that will run the ODS / API.
PowerShell 5.0.
.NET Core 3.1 Runtime.
Microsoft SQL Server 2016 or 2017 Standard (or higher)
For more details on setting up required components and software, refer to Ed-Fi ODS/API Installation Instructions.
Install the ODS/API and Admin App by following the instructions in the Year Specific Installation Steps. Most states choose YearSpecific database partitioning strategy. See Platform Dev Guide - Extensibility & Customization for more on database partitioning strategies.
Panel | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
Time to complete Installing the Ed-Fi Solution usually takes a few hours to a day, assuming you have access to the hardware and software prerequisites, and are comfortable working with Windows Server, IIS, and SQL Server. The time to configure and coordinate data flowing from a certified SIS system typically takes anywhere from a couple of hours to a week or two of calendar time, depending on the type of SIS. |
Step 4: Setup API Security
In this step you will configure the Admin App to create your first application and generate a Key and Secret for use in securely connecting to your Student Information System.