Articulate Studio: Exceeding SCORM Suspend Data Limits

The suspend_data element for Articulate Studio SCORM content tells the learning management system (LMS) where you left off when you exit a course. It lets you resume the course later in the same place without having to start over.

Presenter, Quizmaker, and Engage compress suspend data, which means it isn't likely you'll exceed the suspend data limits imposed by some LMSs. However, if you do, the following information will help you resolve it.

Data Limits

The SCORM specs give the following lengths for the suspend_data element:

Spec	Characters
SCORM 1.2	4,096
SCORM 2004 2nd Edition	4,000
SCORM 2004 3rd Edition	64,000
SCORM 2004 4th Edition	64,000

Articulate software doesn't impose limitations on suspend data (also known as resume data). To do so would require imposing restrictions on the number of slides you could add to a course (which would vary depending on the content). Many LMSs don't enforce limits on the suspend data for the same reason.

Solutions

To overcome the unfortunate limits imposed by earlier versions of SCORM, Studio compresses suspend data. As a result, you probably won't exceed the threshold, even if your LMS imposes one.

Note: Because suspend data is compressed to allow for more robust storage, the suspend_data string in an LMS debug log isn't human-readable. That is, you won't be able to decipher it.

If you have a large course that does exceed suspend data limits, here are some suggestions for correcting it:

• Disable the resume feature in your content.
• Reduce the number of slides until the resume feature works as expected. The limit will vary, depending on a variety of factors. You'll need to test your content in your LMS to verify.
• Republish your course for SCORM 2004 3rd Edition or 4th Edition, both of which support much longer suspend data.