Actian Helps the Scottish Qualifications Authority Pass Every Test
Company Size
1,000+
Region
- Europe
Product
- Actian Ingres Database
- Actian Ingres OpenROAD
Tech Stack
- Database Management
- Web-based Query Facility
- Linux Clustering
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Customer Satisfaction
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing
Applicable Industries
- Education
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- Data Science Services
About The Customer
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is a government agency that provides accurate, timely results to more than 150,000 academic and vocational students each year who depend on SQA-awarded qualifications for their academic and professional futures. The agency is expanding its work to new markets in China, the Caribbean, and beyond.
The Challenge
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) was faced with the challenge of rapidly expanding its database functionality and capacity to accommodate the increasing number of subjects and students. The agency needed to maximize the system’s development agility to offer new functionality in response to growing user expectations. The agency was also expanding to new markets in China, the Caribbean, and beyond, which required robust performance and open source flexibility.
The Solution
SQA chose to stick with Ingres Database, a leading open source database for business-critical applications, to meet its latest challenge. The agency performed a series of modifications to its core system to provide the expanded functionality its users expect. A new Web-based query facility was introduced, and the service was extended to all high schools. The most substantial change came when SQA used Ingres OpenROAD to move to Windows XP desktops at student registration and exam entry online. The agency is also working on the next big migration of the core system to take advantage of Linux clustering and new features within Ingres Database such as advanced Web connectivity.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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