[sims] Office 2010 and Individual Reports

[Jamo]

Hi all!

 

Has anyone experienced the issue where reports are being generated with only some of the tags being filled in? All our reports work in 2003 but when exported using 2010 they just don't fill out correctly. This is made even more strange as 'some' of the reports work with no issues, whereas some just put in the surname and nothing else!

 

Rather frustrating, I did some digging on the capita site and issue number 1 on their known issues document says that to get around this issue you have to disable 'spell check as you type' enable ALL macros, and a host of other options. I can't believe I would have to disable spell check so that staff could print a report, it seems totally mad! Has anyone else seen this and got a workaround?

 

This problem seems to have existed since Oct 2010, so isn't new, just the fix doesn't really seem like a fix to me.

[laserblazer]

I've just started using Office 2010 and have not noticed any problems but I've only done simple reports into Excel. 3-4 fields. I'll be happy to do a test if you let me have some info.

[Jamo]

I've just started using Office 2010 and have not noticed any problems but I've only done simple reports into Excel. 3-4 fields. I'll be happy to do a test if you let me have some info.

 

Its the Assessment Manager individual reports which seem to be the problem, the normal SIMS reporting modules work fine :s

 

(Focus\Assessment\Indivudal Reports)

[mgs1990]

I've always had to enable allow all macros to get this working, never had to disable spell checker or anything else though, but unfortunately i never found another way around it :s

[Jamo]

I've always had to enable allow all macros to get this working, never had to disable spell checker or anything else though, but unfortunately i never found another way around it :s

 

Got macros fully enabled on mine and testing with some reports generated. Still not working with them atm, for a user called John Doe I get <> Doe Tutor Group: <>

 

Either something is wrong with the way reports are being generated or written atm, v confusing!

[Chuckster]

This affects us here at my school. As we have Office 2010 installed across the whole site, I just re-save it using Office 2003 which is installed on the SIMS server and that's what cures it for us.

 

As get have a SIMS maintenance contract with the LA, I have logged it with them but they have not gotten back to me with a solution.

[Jamo]

This affects us here at my school. As we have Office 2010 installed across the whole site, I just re-save it using Office 2003 which is installed on the SIMS server and that's what cures it for us.

 

As get have a SIMS maintenance contract with the LA, I have logged it with them but they have not gotten back to me with a solution.

 

Same with us in terms of LA support contract, I think they are doing as much as they can with Capita as its a problem which has existed since Oct 2010 (an MS update broke it apparently).

 

'Fix' is as follows from their site: (Personally I don't class this as a fix, more of a bodge)

 

Word Icon | Word Options | Trust Centre | Trust Centre Settings | Macro Settings | Check to make

sure Enable all Macros is selected.

 

 

Word Icon | Word Options | Trust Centre | Trust Centre Settings | Privacy Options | Under

Document-specific settings make sure Store random number to improve Combine accuracy is

unticked

 

 

Word Icon | Word Options | Proofing | Under When correcting spelling and Grammar in Word make

sure that Check spelling as you type is unticked.

 

 

Word Icon | Word Options | Advanced | Under Show document content make sure Show smart tags

is unticked.

 

 

Smart Tags have been renamed Actions in Office 2010

Right click Table | Table Properties | Row - take the tick out of "allow rows to break across pages"

for each row that crosses a page.

 

 

Click View | Outline and change all the text to “Body Text” as some writing in there may be listed

under “Level 1” which will not work.

 

 

Any Images\Graphics present within the template will need the following modification - Right click

image | Format Picture | Layout - Select "In front of text" instead of "In line with text"

[Jamo]

This affects us here at my school. As we have Office 2010 installed across the whole site, I just re-save it using Office 2003 which is installed on the SIMS server and that's what cures it for us.

 

As get have a SIMS maintenance contract with the LA, I have logged it with them but they have not gotten back to me with a solution.

 

Thanks for the idea of using Office 2003 on the server, just tested and works great with that! Will have to resave the reports and go from there for now! Not much of a long term solution though, Office 2003 is going to be out of support in a year and a bit!

[vikpaw]

@Jamo - did the fix work? With all those settings?

I've never had to do all that, though some might be through choice.

I have Macros Enabled.

Store Random number is unticked - this was a valid setting for something, not necessarily SIMS.

Spell check as you type is ticked.

Smart Tags / Actions found under Proofing | Autocorrect Options, i have two options ticked : Address + Instant Messaging.

My tables always allow rows to break across pages.

The text is Body Text but probably by fluke over any thing else.

We don't have pictures apart from the logo at the top on certain templates.

 

The usual fix for tags coming through is to save twice. So do your edit, verify (if it lets you) and save. Then save in SIMS. Re-open template in Word, save. Save in SIMS.

The alternative is after editing the template, click the X to close, and save when prompted. When doing this it usually just works.

 

I think there must be some strange interaction between their built in macros that resolve the tags and all those automagic Word features. Somehow, for most people one of the save settings above does the trick.

 

In addition, it's worth applying the Office Hotfix rollup. There's one hotfix in particular that is needed to allow the individual reports to bulk print, if you haven't tried it already, start testing, as it caused us huge delays. However it's worth just taking the rollup. It's mentioned in a sticky on SupportNet homepage.

[Jamo]

@Jamo - did the fix work? With all those settings?

I've never had to do all that, though some might be through choice.

I have Macros Enabled.

Store Random number is unticked - this was a valid setting for something, not necessarily SIMS.

Spell check as you type is ticked.

Smart Tags / Actions found under Proofing | Autocorrect Options, i have two options ticked : Address + Instant Messaging.

My tables always allow rows to break across pages.

The text is Body Text but probably by fluke over any thing else.

We don't have pictures apart from the logo at the top on certain templates.

 

The usual fix for tags coming through is to save twice. So do your edit, verify (if it lets you) and save. Then save in SIMS. Re-open template in Word, save. Save in SIMS.

The alternative is after editing the template, click the X to close, and save when prompted. When doing this it usually just works.

 

I think there must be some strange interaction between their built in macros that resolve the tags and all those automagic Word features. Somehow, for most people one of the save settings above does the trick.

 

In addition, it's worth applying the Office Hotfix rollup. There's one hotfix in particular that is needed to allow the individual reports to bulk print, if you haven't tried it already, start testing, as it caused us huge delays. However it's worth just taking the rollup. It's mentioned in a sticky on SupportNet homepage.

 

 

I did notice the following with ours:

 

If you enable spell check as normal reports don't generate properly when you save them and preview, the report tags aren't resolved.

 

Removing spell check as you type fixes that problem, but ONLY if you re-edit the document and save, just disabling the option and rerunning the report doesn't work.

 

Interesting point though, if you enable spell check as normal and add all the works which are underlined in red to the custom dictionary and resave.... it works.

 

I am going to retest this a few times to make sure its not an effect of something else but this is a seriously weird issue and I am suprised that Capita have not taken more of an interest in this, it is number 1 in their known issues list and has been affecting this part of SIMS for 2 years now!

[Jamo]

I did notice the following with ours:

 

If you enable spell check as normal reports don't generate properly when you save them and preview, the report tags aren't resolved.

 

Removing spell check as you type fixes that problem, but ONLY if you re-edit the document and save, just disabling the option and rerunning the report doesn't work.

 

Interesting point though, if you enable spell check as normal and add all the works which are underlined in red to the custom dictionary and resave.... it works.

 

I am going to retest this a few times to make sure its not an effect of something else but this is a seriously weird issue and I am suprised that Capita have not taken more of an interest in this, it is number 1 in their known issues list and has been affecting this part of SIMS for 2 years now!

 

 

Just tested this on a couple more documents seems the fix for us was to:

 

* Open the word template

* Right click and add every spelling error (red underlined text, this includes tags) to the dictionary so that no red underline is seen on the document

* Save the document in word

* Save in SIMS

 

The report then works again.

 

Now its time for coffee to celebrate.

[vikpaw]

Can you try it without adding to dictionary, but just the second save process. I'm pretty sure the second save is what's doing it. It's not a great workaround to have to add random errors to the dictionary. Our system doesn't like a single student's name, and our db is full of random typos and weird spellings, adding them to the dictionary would be ludicrous.

[Jamo]

Can you try it without adding to dictionary, but just the second save process. I'm pretty sure the second save is what's doing it. It's not a great workaround to have to add random errors to the dictionary. Our system doesn't like a single student's name, and our db is full of random typos and weird spellings, adding them to the dictionary would be ludicrous.

 

I tried that on ours and it didn't seem to work, couple of reports tried the same on both, open save save, then open save save. Didn't work on either. The dictionary thing works regardless of macro settings or anything else so is definitely causing different behavior somewhere along the lines. As soon as it is saved the report with no red spelling errors works for everyone, the one without doesn't

 

We have had some seriously weird problems this year, I am hoping for a simple rest of week!

[Rawns]

Our tried and tested solution to fix all Office 2010 reporting issues is as follows:

 

1. Only use Office 2010 32-bit even if on a 64-bit machine

2. Enable ALL macros in Word and Excel

3. Add ALL network drives used for word document storage H:, S:, P:, etc to the trusted locations and enable all sub folders as trusted too! Specifically, ensure the users home drive which will most likely be on the network as H: is added too as it's where SIMS will be generating the temp report files.

4. Install Office 2010 KB2553912

5. Install the Office 2010 Primary Interop Assemblies

6. If on Windows 7, ensure Windows 7 Offline File Sync is disabled on the user's home ( H: ) drive.

 

We compiled this into a document that distributed it to all schools and IT support teams and the call volumes for SIMS Reporting and Office 2010 have dropped to one or two a week.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Rawns

[Jamo]

Can't we just print reports using default settings please Capita??????????????????????????????????????

 

 

I'm just waiting for someone to come on with the advice:

"You must be wearing green socks and have one trouser leg rolled up for individual reports to work!"

[vikpaw]

Can't we just print reports using default settings please Capita??????????????????????????????????????

 

 

I'm just waiting for someone to come on with the advice:

"You must be wearing green socks and have one trouser leg rolled up for individual reports to work!"

 

You're looking at the problem the wrong way, default settings according to Capita are all of those checks / unchecked options - replete with green socks! I don't know about trouser legs though, don't you wear shorts to work ?

[Jamo]

I do find it quite interesting about the sheer range of problems with this reporting section with regard to solutions and what works for people. It does point to reporting with Office 2010 being broken in some way. IMHO if you 'support' software, ie SIMS supports Office 2010, then it should work, default settings, or settings which can be configured centrally.

 

It is totally wrong to expect schools to break their Office package to get a broken reporting system working, especially when the problem has been known about for many years!!

[vikpaw]

I remember first trying out Office 2010 before it was supported and slowly finding things you could do and things that wouldn't work. It was worth the pain then to have had longer to find workarounds!

[tombry]

I seem to be the only person in my school that doesn't have fits with individual reports and 2010.

 

but I do seem to remember making the changes @Jamo suggested, as well as doing as @vikpaw suggest in saving it twice.

 

I have found that reports others design I have to redo some tags, so I'll see if there is a way I can get the changes pushed to everyone, as trying to walk even half our staff through that might be asking much.

[Jamo]

On ours if you use tags which are 'real' words ie surname or firstname then the tags all go in. Just the incorrect words in ours. Wonder if it is consistent or its just us?

[AmandaLambert]

Had the same problem with some tags filling with data & others not. We switched from 2003 to 2010 this year & was new issue with 2010.

 

The main solution that works for me is to

 

1) Verify template (Never had to use verify template in 2003, tags just worked!)

2) Save in the Word template.

3) Close word

4) Save in Sims Individual Report screen

5) Go back into Word Template

6) Crash out of the template by simply closing word. Do not save within word at all this time

7) Save in Sims Individual Report screen for a 2nd time

 

Then it has always worked for me. No need to do anything with spell check!

 

This is basically what Vikpaw has always suggested to do when having trouble with Templates, the only thing I changed with this 2010 problem was the use of verify template. I now always follow the above with ANY amendment to word template in individual reports. I don't have a problem now. The only time I have trouble is if I miss out any step above.

 

Many thanks Vikpaw

[vikpaw]

One word of warning. if verify works for you, then it's useful; if you are fiddling with tags, use it. In some cases however, with very long templates, you'll hit a code limit and it will either hang or crash out. If this happens you can't verify, but usually if you edit carefully, you don't need to verify for the template to work. It's something else that is the problem, either the Word options or the double save thing will sort that. Verify is just useful for when you break a tag by accidentally deleting the brackets or copy pasting the tags.