[SIMS] Accessing the SIMS database and querying it to retrieve information

[LosOjos]

To be fair to them, it's one of those areas not many people use and unless you've used it, you won't know about it.

That's fair enough - but it doesn't help me get hold of the documentation!

[matt40k]

One would hope they would be clever enough to go find out and get back to you - just like I had to do.

[vikpaw]

So there are secret hidden commands within command reporter? I do hope they involve fixing dates, and time periods.

[David_Grashoff]

Losojos - ask your local support team to contact me directly and we will get it resolved quickly for you.

[LosOjos]

Losojos - ask your local support team to contact me directly and we will get it resolved quickly for you.

Thanks David but I've got CLR sussed now. If you could possibly provide some info on the "Business Objects" however, that'd be incredibly useful...

[David_Grashoff]

same applies - ask your local support team to contact me directly with the SIMS areas that you wish to read or write.

[hsimpson]

Hi all,

Looking to develop a system (using PHP, which I'm confident with) which queries the SIMS database to retrieve attendance information.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I can start? A tutorial, or the like? Or is it simply a case of finding the DB that SIMS is running on, getting a username&password, and querying it as you would with any other DB?

Cheers,
Duncan

You should contact Capita and use one of their existing mechanisms (Command Line Reporter and Capita Business Objects I think) rather than querying the database directly - the database schema is susceptible to change and any changes could break your queries.

[vikpaw]

Thanks David but I've got CLR sussed now. If you could possibly provide some info on the "Business Objects" however, that'd be incredibly useful...

same applies - ask your local support team to contact me directly with the SIMS areas that you wish to read or write.

I'd like all the documentation you have got please (for all areas) . . .

You should contact Capita and use one of their existing mechanisms (Command Line Reporter and Capita Business Objects I think) rather than querying the database directly - the database schema is susceptible to change and any changes could break your queries.

That is the direction being taken now (CLR).

[matt40k]

I'd like all the documentation you have got please (for all areas) . . .

HAHAHA!!! That's like the head asking for all your documentation on your network - including that "Windows" thing. It's simply not possible. The document they send out about getting a connection and doing basic tasks is great, but completely pointless unless you invest the time learning. Capita provide good examples if you ask about doing a specific task, but again, you need to send the time fitting the bits together and smoothing the edges.

[vikpaw]

HAHAHA!!! That's like the head asking for all your documentation on your network - including that "Windows" thing. It's simply not possible. The document they send out about getting a connection and doing basic tasks is great, but completely pointless unless you invest the time learning. Capita provide good examples if you ask about doing a specific task, but again, you need to send the time fitting the bits together and smoothing the edges.

It was offered so i asked. Nobody has ever said there is any documentation at all in the past.
Maybe the lack of documentation hinders them as much as it hinders us!

[matt40k]

It documentated so a programmer would understand, the rest of us mere mortals have to ask for help.

[LosOjos]

It documentated so a programmer would understand, the rest of us mere mortals have to ask for help.

No offence, but you shouldn't assume that because you don't understand it the rest of us won't either...

EDIT: that's not to say that I'll understand it, but I'd at least like the chance! I'll be contacting my local support and asking them to contact @David_Grashoff for details soon

[matt40k]

I'm not saying you won't, I'm just saying it's not easy. It's not like most Capita stuff where they've got loads of documentation and great simple examples - it's not aimed at end-users it's aimed (C#) programmers, scripters (ie me) will need help and this isn't something you can post in the public domain - ie here. More then anything I'm saying good luck.

[vikpaw]

I think you underestimate how many programmers we have here, it may be difficult, but we've got a pretty good little clique of scripters here who i'm sure could muddle through things. I would imagine, anything that we produce here that helps access to the software is a good thing overall. I do see howerver, it needs keeping in check, so we aren't running around writing tools to hack into the system, which is then picked up by a mortal and it corrupts their system.

[matt40k]

I agree. Alot of people do repeat alot of work and we do need to get people grouped together and organised so we have a single "free" solution that uses the best method rather then having a lot of crooked methods. I don't think a public forum would be best place for this as you would be posting copyright material that isn't allowed in the public domain. If EduGeek\SupportNet had a private area so we could have a community effort, where people are vetted, I would be happy to help out and I'm sure a lot of others would. No one wants to work on a project that gets shutdown midway through because of copyright.

Ideally I would see it as a private forum which someone has to approve the user (so we know who they really are and they will actually help the community project), a private SVN\Git repository (and ideally a build server), a ticket system for logging bugs\problems and a public forum. And of course Edugeek to host the final install files I would hope Capita would commit some sort of resource towards this, such as a x no of dev hours beyond support and ideally a separate support contract - indepent of our individual schools\la - just so they could track how much resources we've used more than anything.

Ideally we want to move away from people using SQL scripts to pull data right out of the database and the first option should be, and always be, the report engine followed by the business objects. SIMS reports are easy, quick and safe to edit by all SIMS users and therefore business objects should be used as a last resort, not because you can.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm negative towards the idea, I'm really not, I'm really pro a community idea it's just I want to do it right and not a half heart attempt which only serves a few individual agendas.