LIS, or Learning Information Services, a specification developed by the IMS Global membership, provides the ability to integrate using event driven and batch data as provisioned by an LIS conformant SIS. Blackboard considers LIS as a 'go-forward' model for SIS integration.

Starting with the April 2014 release, Blackboard Learn 9.1 provides two LIS Integration Type building blocks which are managed via the Building Blocks Installed Tools page: Data Integration - LIS 2.0 Draft and Data Integration - LIS 2.0 Final. LIS 2.0 Draft is provided for legacy compatibility, LIS 2.0 Final meets IMS final specification compliance for LIS 2.0 core and outcomes. You may continue to use LIS 2.0 Draft while migrating to LIS Final. Note that some data adjustment may be required during the transition from Draft to Final versions of the LIS 2.0 integration.

Suggested reading

What is LIS?

The IMS Learning Information Services or LIS 2.0 should be considered the replacement for Enterprise 1.1 and comprises a solution based on lessons learned from the implementation shortcomings of Enterprise 1.1. LIS 2.0 not only describes the data to be exchanged, but also describes the process for transport and methods for publishing and consuming that data. This level of specification enables a one-to-one mapping of the data in the originating LIS compliant system to the processes that enable consuming that data by the LMS-this facilitates plug and play integrations.

LIS 2.0 is based on web services - compliant systems convey data based on known services and by simply providing the system endpoints two systems may exchange data. LIS 2.0 is an event driven model though flat files adhering to the XML data description may be generated for manual upload. This is accomplished using the LIS 2.0 integration type in the SIS Framework.

Supported data

Data Object Supported
Users Yes
Courses Yes
Memberships
(Enrollments and Staff Assignments)		 Yes
Organizations Yes
Terms Yes
Outcomes (LIS 2.0 Final only) Yes

See LIS 2.0 Data Format for a comprehensive list of supported attributes per object.

Requirements

The version of the LIS Integration delivered with Learn 9.1 SP14 is not conformant with the 2013 specification. It is conformant with the 2011 version of the specification - if there is concern whether your SIS supports this version of LIS please contact your SIS vendor.

Learn 9.1 SP 6+ (SP 8 for Terms support)

Peoplesoft versions:

Peoplesoft Campus Solutions 9, bundle 22 or later; http://www.oracle.com/us/industries/...rch/056908.pdf

Banner versions and dependencies:

Banner General - 8.1 or higher is required Banner Student - 8.1 or higher is required

Banner Intcomp - 8.0.2 is required Banner Financial Aid - 8.11

For Oracle Application Server - 10.1.3 Banner Event Publisher - 1.0
Banner Integration for eLearning - 8.1

For Oracle Weblogic 11g
Banner Event Publisher - 1.1
Banner Integration for eLearning - 8.1.1

Quick setup: LIS integration type

In addition to an understanding of the data involved in any SIS integration, setup of the LIS integration type requires knowledge of the SIS capabilities and Learn endpoints with an eye on whether the data objects supported in the LIS integration type meet your integration goals. Additionally an understanding of the specific file format is necessary. You may create an LIS integration via the following steps in the Learn System Administrator SIS Integration UI: Data Integration > Student Information System Integrations

  1. Select Create Integration.
  2. Select IMS Learning Information Services.
  3. On the next screen you are presented with the editable options for the configuration:

    To perform advanced configuration (Data mapping for example), an integration must be set to Testing or Active status

    1. Integration Name: enter a name for your integration such as "LIS Integration Testing"
    2. Description (optional): enter whatever you want to describe the integration. For example: "Test LIS integration using default settings."
    3. Shared Username is used for data post operations as is Shared Password
    4. (optional) SIS Learning Information Services Batch Web Service URL: This is the URL to your SIS-side service which handles Batch file processing messages.
    5. (optional) Batch Service Username and Password: These may be required by your SIS for processing of batch data files
    6. (optional) Batch Download Username and Password: These may be required by your SIS for downloading the batch data files.
    7. Set the Integration Status:
      1. Inactive - Integration performs no processing
      2. Active - Integration performs processing and updates Learn data
      3. Testing - Integration performs processing and does not update Learn
    8. Set the log verbosity levels - for Testing it is recommended that All Diagnostic and Debug Messages be selected. For Active it is recommended that a lower setting be used such as Errors Only or Errors and Warnings.
    9. Next select the Data Source Key (DSK) to be used for this integration. You may select to use a specific existing DSK, create a new key, or to use the data source provided in the feed. Note that in all cases a DSK must be created before the data feeds may be processed.
    10. Finally select the objects handled via this integration and how to handle parity. Generally the defaults are fine.
    11. Submit and your new LIS integration will appear in the list of integrations.

One more step must be completed to support LIS integration and that is to configure the LIS conformant SIS system to use LIS to send data to Learn. Note that LIS endpoints are specific to the required task to be performed.

More on configuring Learn for an LIS integration

Manually testing the integration

Before further configuring Learn or your SIS, you may choose to test the fresh configuration manually.

More on LIS 2.0 Integration Testing

LIS endpoints

Use this information to set up your SIS to send data to your LIS integration. Posting data of a specific object type to a non-matching endpoint will fail. For example: posting a Course data file to a Person endpoint will fail.

The LIS 2.0 Final endpoint url is different than the Draft endpoint. Specifically the LIS 2.0 Final context is "bb-data-integration-lis-final-..." whereas the Draft context is "bb-data-integration-lis-...". This allows support for both integration types.

Operation Endpoint URL
Bulk Data Exchange Management Service LIS 2.0 Draft:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-BBLEARN/services/BulkDataExchangeManagementServiceSyncService

LIS 2.0 Final:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-final-BBLEARN/services/BulkDataExchangeManagementServiceSyncService

Provides the Learn endpoint for bulk (batch) data exchange for placement in your SIS settings.
Course Section Management Service LIS 2.0 Draft:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-BBLEARN/services/CourseSectionManagerSyncService

LIS 2.0 Final:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-final-BBLEARN/services/CourseSectionManagerSyncService

Provides the Learn endpoint for course data exchange for placement in your SIS settings.
Group Management Service LIS 2.0 Draft:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-BBLEARN/services/GroupManagementServiceSyncService

LIS 2.0 Final:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/>bb-data-integration-lis-final-BBLEARN/services/GroupManagementServiceSyncService

Provides the Learn endpoint for Group (Terms) data exchange for placement in your SIS settings.
Membership Management Service LIS 2.0 Draft:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis- Service BBLEARN/services/MembershipManagementServiceSyncService

LIS 2.0 Final:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-final-Service BBLEARN/services/MembershipManagementServiceSyncService

Provides the Learn endpoint for Membership (Enrollment/Staff) data exchange for placement in your SIS settings.
Person Management Service LIS 2.0 Draft:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-BBLEARN/services/PersonManagementServiceSyncService Service

LIS 2.0 Final:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-final-BBLEARN/services/PersonManagementServiceSyncService Service

Provides the Learn endpoint for Person (User) data exchange for placement in your SIS settings.
Outcomes Management Service LIS 2.0 Final Only:

https://<servername.domain.edu>/webapps/bb-data-integration-lis-final-BBLEARN/services/OutcomesManagementServiceSyncService

Provides the SIS endpoint for bulk data exchange.
Bulk Data Exchange Management Service This is copied to the Learn LIS integration configuration UI from a setting exposed in your SIS.

Provides the SIS endpoint for bulk data exchange.

More on LIS 2.0 Data Format

Known issue: LIS section merge data are not processed

You must create the parent course and child sections manually and then use Flat File integration to merge them.

  1. Create the child sections using LIS integration.
  2. Create the parent course.
  3. Use Flat File integration to merge the child sections created with the parent course.
  4. Select to ignore Change on Update for the following to ensure the Flat File does not overwrite the Course Name value set by the LIS integration.
    1. Batch Uid
    2. Course ID
    3. Course Name I
  5. Include the following fields in the Flat File:

    external_course_key|course_id|course_name|master_course_key XLIST_10.201501|XLIST_10.10.201501|ACCT-409-401 ISIN-409-401 Spring 2015| 10.201501|10.201501|10.201501|XLIST_10.201501 11.201501|11.201501|11.201501|XLIST_10.201501