Technical Information

Overview
Parnassus has been developed as a portal or web-site using Microsoft developments tools such as .NET, SQL Server, Reporting Services and - for some of the optional modules - Microsoft CRM.

Parnassus is typically installed on servers in your office, with some functions exposed to external users across the internet. However, depending on usage, we may recommend installing part or all of Parnassus on an externally hosted web-server.

See our Technical Information leaflet for further information.

Links to Your Other Systems - Finance, eAssessment, eCommerce etc
We regularly provide integration with accounts systems such as Sage or Microsoft Dynamics-GP (Great Plains). This normally involves the synchronisation of centres/accounts between Parnassus and the finance system, as well as the transfer of transactions that incur charges, eg registrations, duplicate certificates, centre approvals, to the finance system.

We are able to provide integration to any eAssessment package, such as Promissor, Calibrand, KUA-Lamark, Questionmark etc. Many awarding bodies are providing resources, materials & products online - we are able to integrate Parnassus with eCommerce solutions such as DotNetNuke, Microsoft Commerce Server and many others.

Parnassus and Microsoft CRM
Parnassus is integrated with the Microsoft CRM product from the Microsoft Dynamics range to present a single wide-ranging system to the user. Microsoft CRM is not mandatory for the Parnassus core modules but it is a pre-requisite for some of the optional modules, which are in the form of awarding organisation customisations on top of the standard Microsoft CRM product.

However once you are using Microsoft CRM, you will have a powerful system that can be used in many other ways. There are three main flavours of Microsoft CRM, which can help your business:
• Marketing
• Sales Management
• Service Management

Microsoft CRM's most compelling feature is that users access it from within Outlook (as shown in some of the screenshots) or via a web-style interface. Therefore take-up of CRM within an organisation is incredibly rapid - there is a very low training requirement.

Microsoft CRM can be integrated with your phone system, used remotely via the internet, sections can be opened up to your customers to enter orders, log service requests, retrieve information ... and the system is extremely configurable which means our consultants can rapidly customise CRM to fit your business processes.


Links to External Systems
Gordon Associates is committed to long-term support for interfaces to LRS, DAS, QCF, RITS, A2C, Forvus and other systems or web-sites managed by OfQual, SFA and UCAS.
 
Gordon Associates has built a reputation as experts in the field of integration with LRS/DAS and awarding bodies regularly request our assistance with LRS/DAS accreditation and the building of links to their own internally-developed bespoke awarding body management systems.
 
LRS - Validating ULNs
Parnassus meets the requirements for the Learning Records Service (LRS) and provides awarding organisations with built-in functionality for validating Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs). You are able to validate a learner's ULN manually (by clicking on a button which immediately communicates with the LRS web-site) and Parnassus also includes background validation of ULN's which is useful when large volumes of registrations are being imported. This is a configurable service - for example you can define which qualifications have a mandatory requirement for a ULN to be present (eg 14-19 Diplomas and QCF qualifications).

DAS - Diploma Aggregation Service
Parnassus is integrated with the current release of DAS and provides support for both CABs (Component Awarding Bodies) and DABs (Diploma Awarding Bodies). Results for your Diploma components will be automatically uploaded to the DAS for both CABs and DABs. Results can be uploaded manually by the user or via a configurable, background service. DABs can also process all other aspects of Diploma administration such as registrations from centres, notification of claims and printing of certificates.

QCF - Qualifications & Credit Framework
Parnassus is QCF compliant - it enables you to define qualifications & units that conform to the QCF with credit values and rules of combination. In addition Parnassus supports the sharing of achievement data with the SFA. The registration and certification functions check the qualification definitions and QCF rules so that you cannot register a learner incorrectly or produce a certificate for a non-compliant achievement. NQF awards and other qualifications can be processed in the system at the same time according to their specific rules.
We anticipate an evolution on QCF thinking over the coming years and Parnassus will evolve to provide new functions in this area. 

Other Reporting
All awarding organisations need to submit reports to regulatory bodies and Parnassus provides standard reports for bodies such as DCSF, Ofqual (commonly known as Forvus or Bath data), UCAS. Many more are provided as well - in addition with a facility to build additional reports for internal or external consumption - either paper reports or for electronic data interchange (EDI, csv, xml, xls etc).