SIMS unique identifiers

[localzuk]

So, I am still crafting reports to use with commandreporter to get the data I want for a program I'm writing but I've hit a snag. Only Students seem to have a unique identifier that I can choose to export (UPN or Admission Number for example).

Contacts/Parents don't. How am I supposed to link parents to pupils without duplication when this is the case? I can't generate one of my own via combinations of other fields as *all* those fields can change at any time. Ideas?

[dwhyte85]

Not a direct answer...

You've said they're likely to change, that's fair enough... but if this is going to be more than just a report have a process to get latest data, input into a temp table and create a link this way? Home Tel & PCode are unlikely to change unless they change for both primary contact and child, of course this wont help when parents are separated...

[localzuk]

Not a direct answer...

You've said they're likely to change, that's fair enough... but if this is going to be more than just a report have a process to get latest data, input into a temp table and create a link this way? Home Tel & PCode are unlikely to change unless they change for both primary contact and child, of course this wont help when parents are separated...

That's the thing - we have a significant number of separations, name changes, number changes etc... So we can't rely on any of them. And the data needs to be handled programatically with no input from the users, so it can't prompt to check things either. We can't have the data we want being sent to the wrong places due to the system having the wrong details either.

The only way I can think of at the moment is to not rely on the parent data as the key data, instead do everything in reference to the child, and store the contact details in a 'message sent' table with the details that any messages were sent to. Messy I reckon, but it may be the only way to do it.

[dwhyte85]

It's frustrating as something that should be simple is made so difficult to do

[Benji1]

Have you looked at the Third Party Reporting stuff in the report engine? To see it you need to be a member of the CES Third Party Reporting Group in system manager. This gives you more info and it might be what your looking for.

[localzuk]

I shall take a look. Although it seems our SIMS admin has gone and removed my System Manager permissions so I've got to wait until they are in tomorrow to sort it for me. (Grr!!!)

[LosOjos]

Haven't tried this one out, it's just off the top of my head, but if you create a contacts report does it not assign an 'external_id' to each one within the XML output? It will only be in the XML, you don't have the option to add it to your report in report designer. I know it does this with aspects and students but can't remember if it does with contacts.

[localzuk]

Nope. This is what each record looks like:

<Record>
<Surname>Bloggs</Surname>
<Forename>Fred</Forename>
<MainTelephone>123456</MainTelephone>
<Email>fredd.bloggs@example.com</Email>
<Priority>1</Priority>
<AdmissionNumber>006666</AdmissionNumber>
<student_status>On roll</student_status>
</Record>

[LosOjos]

That's a PITA.

Ok, only way I can think to do it, though it will vastly inflate the size of the XML file, is to create a student focus report that contains the admission number and a sub report containing all the contacts, then you have the admission number of any student who has that contact link. It does mean that a contact will appear as many times as they are linked to students though.

[localzuk]

That's a PITA.

Ok, only way I can think to do it, though it will vastly inflate the size of the XML file, is to create a student focus report that contains the admission number and a sub report containing all the contacts, then you have the admission number of any student who has that contact link. It does mean that a contact will appear as many times as they are linked to students though.

It still won't give me a UID for the contact though. Meaning duplication and no cross linking.

[vikpaw]

Have you looked at the Third Party Reporting stuff in the report engine? To see it you need to be a member of the CES Third Party Reporting Group in system manager. This gives you more info and it might be what your looking for.

That's what i would do, there is an ID and an External ID field that look like this:

ID | External ID
9018 | eed1b95b-66aa-4adb-9aab-5f05eeaa36be
10599 | 6f8470f3-5e9c-4323-a96e-a30331a4eda9
1645 | cd04456d-9743-40bd-8909-e566e46e59df
10429 | ef164ce7-e432-4dc8-b78f-fd58277ad528
1125e | f5a3a54-3e4b-4eed-933f-fe41a90f3e1e

You can also dump to XML, you just need the permissions to access the CES ThirdPartyFields area:

see attached.

[localzuk]

Right, I've just been up with the SIMS manager and we cannot find that group anywhere. Where is it?

[localzuk]

Scratch that, found it. We were looking in the wrong place

[vikpaw]

I have a GOD group to which i add every single role and permission.
Naturally i am in the GOD group.
Great for testing

[Sivadam]

Hope u ain't dis-lecks-sic then Vic!