SIMS Timetable Module for Moodle

[CyberNerd]

You shouldn't really be using UPNs to identify pupils to other systems. You should really be using the admission number. The UPN's purpose is purely tracking of pupils’ movement and progress within the maintained school system in England, not as a general purpose identifier.

From the guidance notes on UPNs at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/11...ate%202007.rtf

• the UPN to be as far as possible a ‘blind number’, held by schools on the pupil's electronic record, and only output when required to provide information to the LA, to the Department or other central agencies (e.g. QCA/NAA), or to another school to which the pupil is transferring. The UPN should not be regarded as an automatic adjunct to the pupil's name, routinely appearing on any record or document relating to them;

• schools should not enter UPNs on pupils' paper files or on any other physical documents, including admission and attendance registers, and should continue to use the admission number, not the UPN, as a general pupil reference number within the school.

Richard

That is a good point. The admission number could be used.
We chose the UPN simply because it was unique and we put it in a field in Active Directory, as is the students username, DOB etc. so it should be secure from a data handling PoV

[AWicher]

Nice one, my school has only just started looking into moodle and this would sure help integration.

[Hightower]

I've got a php script:

 <?php
$server = 'SERVERNAME\INSTANCE';
$link = ($server, 'sa', 'SA PASSWORD');

if(!$link){
die('Not working');
}
?>  

But I am receiving this error:

Warning:  mssql_connect() [function.mssql-connect]: Unable to connect to server:  SERVERNAME\INSTANCE in /var/www/test.php on line 5

Do I need to do anything on the MSSQL server to ensure other machines can connect to it? What is going wrong?!

Thanks,

[CyberNerd]

Do I need to do anything on the MSSQL server to ensure other machines can connect to it? What is going wrong?!

first see if you can connect to the server using telnet

telnet xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 1427

(or 1433)

if you can't connect it is an MSSQL issue.
If you can connect, then try tsql.
Download the source and compile it, then try tsql - it should install in /usr/local/bin/tsql and the config will be here /usr/local/etc/
freetds.conf

wget ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/ALPHA/freetds/stable/freetds-stable.tgz

extract, configure,compile, install

tar xzvf freetds-stable.tgz

cd freetds-0.82

./configure

make && sudo make install

[Hightower]

Tried telnet - can't connect. Any steps to resolve this?

[CyberNerd]

Tried telnet - can't connect. Any steps to resolve this?

this help?
SIMS Timetables & Moodle

[Hightower]

Thank you so much! Lets see where I get stuck now ;

[Hightower]

Ok, here we go again. TestPupil now has assigned courses of 10x/Ma5,10c/En1 etc etc even though them courses do not exist - so I'm guessing these are being pulled somehow from the DB - but the timetable is still blank.

Is this an easy fix? Am I getting closer?

[CyberNerd]

10x/Ma5,10c/En1 etc sound suspiciously like they could have come from the SIMS database.
Penfold_99 is usually on hand for sims timetable problems.

[Hightower]

Ok, thanks CyberNerd. I await the help of the shopkeeper

[Hightower]

Just as an after thought - the connection is working somewhere as it has created the course as mentioned above, and enrolled the user on them.

I'm wondering if I've installed the blocks correctly - is there any special method to it? Or is it a case of wacking them on the server as is and away we go.

[barney]

That is a good point. The admission number could be used.
We chose the UPN simply because it was unique and we put it in a field in Active Directory, as is the students username, DOB etc. so it should be secure from a data handling PoV

Does anyone know what the field for admission number is in the SIMS database? I'd like to change the sql query to replace m.unique_pupil_no as person to blah.admin_number as person

[Hightower]

Could my problem be caused by the moodle plugin I downloaded? Have I installed it correctly? Here's what I did - was this correct?

1) Downloaded from Moodle
2) Uploaded the 'simstimetable' folder in mod to the mod folder on my server
3) Uploaded the 'simstimetable' folder in blocks to the blocks folder on my server
4) Went to the admin homepage to complete install - no errors given
5) Added College timetable block to homepage

Get a blank timetable. Are more steps than this required?

Also, if I click the 'Configuration' button on the College Timetable block (as admin of course) I get:

This block has not been implemented correctly and thus cannot provide a configuration interface.

This doesn't sound normal - what have I done wrong. Argghhhhh!

[penfold_99]

Could my problem be caused by the moodle plugin I downloaded? Have I installed it correctly? Here's what I did - was this correct?

1) Downloaded from Moodle
2) Uploaded the 'simstimetable' folder in mod to the mod folder on my server
3) Uploaded the 'simstimetable' folder in blocks to the blocks folder on my server
4) Went to the admin homepage to complete install - no errors given
5) Added College timetable block to homepage

Get a blank timetable. Are more steps than this required?

Also, if I click the 'Configuration' button on the College Timetable block (as admin of course) I get:

This block has not been implemented correctly and thus cannot provide a configuration interface.

This doesn't sound normal - what have I done wrong. Argghhhhh!

Hi hightower,

when did you download the module? as there have been many updates.

The main reason for it not working is the separator, could you please post an example of the output of the sql view.

[Hightower]

Hi hightower,

when did you download the module? as there have been many updates.

The main reason for it not working is the separator, could you please post an example of the output of the sql view.

I have literally just this minute downloaded it. I have also tried a known working block and mod folder (thanks Gatt) which didn't suss it.

I've added an example of each of the three views. Thanks