[SIMS] duplicate report names?

[iceman]

I've noticed that whilst it is not possible to edit a report in SIMS and do a 'save as' with a name that already exists, it is perfectly possible to use a repdef to import a report with the same name as one that already exists. (just done so by mistake and ended up with three reports with the same name but different fields. )

In this case how can I tell which one will get run when you run it with CommandReporter?

[vikpaw]

Good question, never thought of that. I tend to get rid of my duplicates if i ever re-import, usually cos i've fluffed up the original.
I would imagine it picks up the first one in the list. Is there a default order? So it orders by name then author, supplier, possibly the date..?
Will need to test.

[Cache]

I think - because I think we created duplicate reports when I was testing one and another member of staff was altering it and ended up with 2 the same name, the one which was created last is the one which gets called by commandreporter.

[iceman]

Cache - The last one - interesting. Makes me wonder how sims identifies a report. Seems like a lot of effort to code something that checks both the name and the date and only allows you to run the latest one. Can't see why sims bothers to store all the others if you can never run them. Ah well, being a software engineer the unique way some of the 'features' in sims operate never ceases to amaze me.

Vikpaw - and I thought you were all knowing! ...Some sort of uber sims <grin>
BTW how did you manage to get thanked 565 Times in only 472 Posts?

Regards

[plexer]

More than one person can thank the same post.

Ben

[vikpaw]

@iceman - it's more like guber sims , i think it is date which was my last guess. having duplicates is possible as the author differentiates, as far as i remember. if you make your own report, export then reimport, it comes back the same but with no author. also if you use that tool to fiddle with the supplier that may also make it different. I suppose the thinking is that 5 different people may create a "class list" report and making them change the name wouldn't be fair.

Don't forget that Command Reporter is not the only way to run these reports. In fact, a user could be running their own private reports, as well as having made some of the same publicly available. All of these could be run directly from reports section, from the favorites area, and also scheduled to be run by the server overnight, and made available on a user's homepage. In all these methods, you could choose anyone of these deviations.

The PITA is that if you are doing something programmatic as you are, if joe bloggs comes along and manages to duplicate your report, and then break it, but keep the same name, your system falls down. I think i smell a change request...

[superfletch]

@iceman - really well spotted.

I agree with Vik this sounds like a change request but it might be worth asking Capita how commandreporter deals with this first as there might be an answer already.

Can't believe I've never noticed it myself.

[iceman]

@vikpaw -

run by the server overnight, and made available on a user's homepage

That sound interesting, I guess you mean the sims server. Please could you point me to some documentation on that. Currently I use the Windows scheduler to run a compiled program that does the exports each night via CR but that requires some fiddly setting up in the schools' servers to make sure it has the rights to see CR and my program. During the installation of my application I can automate the importing of the repdefs, if I could automate the setting up of a report running schedule at the same time it would be so much better.

An addition to the Joe Bloggs thing. I recently visited a school were somebody had copied / saved one of my reports causing the author to change. I imported an upgraded report with the same name but was then unable to delete the original as I was no longer the owner.

[vikpaw]

I'll find the document to set it up. It relies on scheduling autoreport.exe which is in the SQL binn folder. I don't know if this is some kind of compiled form of CR, but you can pick from the full run reports list which report you want to schedule so would provide some fault tolerance for you.

As for your reports, you should be able to delete reports you import, and your own, but not ones modified by someone else as you have to be logged in as that user. If your reports are imported into the school, the way to safeguard them would be to resave as a local user. I know this may defeat the look and appearance you want, but would mean the school would have to log in as this local user to actually edit that copy of the report. They could still make their own copies though.

Setting_up_the_Report_Scheduler_11982.pdf

I don't think it's changed much, i'm running it on my system which is up to date with windows and sql, just running Spring 11 version of SIMs.

Just bear in mind the security implications of whatever account is used to run the task, and be the SIMS user for running reports. If it's a low end report, i'd suggest not putting it into all groups, but only those that are required. The benefit of their described way is that once you set this up for a school, any user can schedule whichever reports they want, and make them appear in their homepage panels. This could of course tax the server somewhat if everyone asked for a birthday list for the week, but used their own reports rather than a built-in central one. Even if it was central, i'm not sure what happens if two people select the same one, i would hope the system detects this duplicate and only runs it once.

This is why i encourage users to use my reports that i build for general use and then categorise, so they only see the School ones not the 1000s from elsewhere.