NEWSLETTER | Issue 34 2
Global Community News
SIF Infrastructure Specification 3.2 ( global ) by John Lovell , Technology Director
SIF Infrastructure ( Global ) 3.2 continues to focus on getting data as easily as possible . Featured in this release is the introduction of : general support for Query by Example and Changes Since . Query by Example allows for finding resources that match a sample object . Changes Since allows for the retrieval of just the objects that have been added , changed , or deleted since the last time the consuming agent requested all the data in the collection . In order to initialize this process cleanly and allow it to run with maximum efficiency the HEAD HTTP action is leveraged for the first time . Also in this release is an overhaul of Functional Services , empowering data exchanges needing a beginning , middle , and end .
Our hope is that we can : empower the programmers to better understand what is being asked of them , give the integrator tools to more readily deliver working solutions , and give the end user the best possible start to communicate requirements .
Explore this exciting release starting here .
Certification News by John Lovell , Technology Director
It is amazing how easy it is to get a wrong idea . Two people can read the same thing and understand it very differently . A team of people can work on separate pieces of a larger whole , discovering only when they try to put everything together that they are either missing a key piece or have multiples of the same thing . Now take into account an integration must work with different products from different teams and the possibilities that misunderstandings can prevent interoperability is not just real but common . However the Access 4 Learning ( A4L ) Community has a way to help !
Access 4 Learning offers its members testing tools for their software products and upon successful completion the opportunity to certify that product , sharing the information about what data it shares and roles it plays in production . Allowing integrators to pick the right building blocks with confidence . Shortly , we expect important developments to grow this resource .
We have been asked by a few members with xPress Roster Providers to offer certification for their products . While the requests they service seem simple , every Provider must support more than one-way of conveying important information . The A4L Community is working to meet this request .
Look for more about xPress Roster Provider certification soon .
Investing in our Community by Penny Murray , Community Director
At the last North American Annual Meeting , in February 2016 , there were many discussions held about community tools , specifically around the current tools we use , what tools our members use , and how we could improve our community engagement moving into 2017 and beyond …
I am delighted to report that after many hours in conversation with Community members and AMS software providers , much online research , demo ’ s attended , and investigating integration solutions , A4L Staff have purchased a new set of tools to enhance the Community ... and we are really excited about them !
The new tools will provide a much greater engagement platform for members to benefit from others experiences and make connections with each other directly , as well as providing new forum discussion areas . The new tool will sit in parallel to our existing technical channels ( GitHub , spec gen tools etc ), providing a better virtual networking experience for all our Members .
Look for further updates late Jan / early Feb as we get closer to our ‘ go live ’ date at the end of February 2017 !