Q. What is SQL LRS?

A. It’s an open source xAPI Learning Record Store, distributed under the Apache 2.0 license.

Q. What’s a Learning Record Store?

A. An LRS validates xAPI data. And xAPI data powers interoperability in modern learning and training tech ecosystems. If you want to ensure the integrity of the xAPI data in your system, you must have an LRS. Advanced federated systems following the model of ADL’s Total Learning Architecture feature a variety of LRSs, some of which capture data at the edge of the system while others act as transactional or authoritative data stores. SQL LRS can be deployed to cover any LRS function.

Q. What’s xAPI?

A. It’s a data specification and open standard for collecting activity data in an interoperable format. Learning technologies such as intelligent tutors, adaptive instructional systems, and competency assertion systems use xAPI data to do their job. Modern LMS use the cmi5 xAPI Profile to govern the flow of xAPI data and LXPs and other sources of learning experiences can emit data according to their own xAPI Profiles. All in all, the value proposition is all about clean data, interoperability, and transparency into the data that underlies a given learning or training experience. Because it is a data specification with global ramifications, xAPI is standardized as IEEE P9274.1.1. Additionally, for US federal government stakeholders, xAPI is the standard for activity data as recommended by DODI 1322.26 for Distributed Learning.

Q. Does Yet host SQL LRS?

A. SQL LRS is designed for deployment to any environment, including both cloud and on-premise. Yet Analytics does not host LRSs, but we can help stakeholders to set up SQL LRS in their own environment and can provide ongoing support to those installations.

Q. Can xAPI deliver competency assertion, credentialing, and badging?

A. SQL LRS works with other open source projects such as CaSS — the competency assertion system — and can provide the data assets and evidence needed by that system and others to support competencies, credentials, and open badges.

Q. Why is xAPI important and who uses it?

A. xAPI helps cut costs for enterprise learning organizations because as an open standard it can protect against vendor lock-in. And because it enforces the use of highly structured data, it can help increase the efficiency both of learning and training technology systems and of data science efforts. The data standard is in use across systems supporting stakeholders in government, industry, and education.

Q. And SQL LRS is free?

A. Yes. It’s free and open source. It can be deployed to Windows, Linux, and MacOS and is available in a containerized version for Docker. US Government implementers can access a vetted version of SQL LRS on Platform One’s IronBank.

SQL LRS is an open source project run by Yet Analytics. We’re the team responsible for building the first commercial LRS ever to pass the official ADL LRS Test Suite. We’ve built bespoke query languages and data simulation capabilities for xAPI in our work with the US federal government, and we’ve published widely on all matters of xAPI, LRSs, xAPI Profiles, and xAPI middleware to support use cases ranging from desktop LMS configuration to mobile app integration to the application of artificial intelligence in synthetic training environments.

Q. Don’t LRSs feature dashboards?

A. Some do. But SQL LRS is built on SQL — so rather than ship it with our own opinionated dashboard (giving you yet another thing to learn how to do), we thought it would be a good idea to let you plug it directly in to any of the existing SQL data management, visualization, analytics, and dashboarding tools that are out there. So, you’ve already got Power BI or Tableau or Superset or Google Looker or Metabase or AWS QuickSight? That’s great. Just plug into SQL LRS’s database and you are off to the races. If you need something custom, just let us know.

Q. Do you offer support?

A. SQL LRS itself is (and will always be) completely free to download and use. Yet Analytics provides a range of optional support and training packages as well as implementation and custom development services. Examples of custom services include data cleansing and transformation, xAPI and xAPI Profile design, statement forwarding and filtering services, integration and data enrichment, development of custom queries and dashboards, alignment of data with other open standards including SCORM and ELR, and preparation of data and systems for use with AI/ML capabilities. Contact us for a quote.