Generating report hang in SIMS

[Foresthippy]

Hi,

 

I don't use SIMS so this problem description might be sketchy! Someone is trying to preview batches of interim academic reports which are generated from a list of pupils in SIMS using a template, then individually opened in word. As the word document is closed, SIMS generates a new report and that then opens in word, and so on through the list of selected pupils.

 

On older workstations, this works fine and the reports open nicely, one at a time until she's previewed them all. On newer PCs however (including the one in her office) SIMS takes upwards of 10 minutes to create the next report with SIMS saying not responding during this time.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

John

[LukeMoss]

Version of Word? I had this issue which caused similar goings on using the desktop application of O365 rather than the Office 2010 which was on previously.

[Foresthippy]

Word 2016 on all PCS, affected and unaffected by the issue.

[Foresthippy]

Just to add to this, it does seem word-related. It appears that SIMS doesn't recognise that word has been closed and therefore doesn't move on to the next report.

[MartinT]

It can be helpful not to tick all the reports, forcing you into the generating loop, but instead ticking just one at a time, previewing, then ticking the next etc.

 

The issue doesn't happen with Word 365.

[Foresthippy]

It can be helpful not to tick all the reports, forcing you into the generating loop, but instead ticking just one at a time, previewing, then ticking the next etc.

 

The issue doesn't happen with Word 365.

 

That doesn't work for us either, as even one report preview fails to notify SIMS when you close it and SIMS still has a window open saying Generating Individual Reports thereafter, hanging SIMS.

[LukeMoss]

That doesn't work for us either, as even one report preview fails to notify SIMS when you close it and SIMS still has a window open saying Generating Individual Reports thereafter, hanging SIMS.

 

Can you kill the process in task manager to see if allows the next?

[Foresthippy]

Can you kill the process in task manager to see if allows the next?

 

Yes actually I can kill the Generate Individual Report window process and that takes me back to sims. It doesn't move to the next report if I select multiple pupils though, it just kills the whole reporting process.

[LukeMoss]

Yes actually I can kill the Generate Individual Report window process and that takes me back to sims. It doesn't move to the next report if I select multiple pupils though, it just kills the whole reporting process.

Does WinWord.exe process stay active even after closing the individual or does that close as it should when you close Word?

[Foresthippy]

Does WinWord.exe process stay active even after closing the individual or does that close as it should when you close Word?

 

No, it closes as you'd expect. What I have noticed on PCs where this process works - if I open a second copy of word, the next report isn't generated until you close that too, so you are on the right track with this.

[LukeMoss]

No, it closes as you'd expect. What I have noticed on PCs where this process works - if I open a second copy of word, the next report isn't generated until you close that too, so you are on the right track with this.

Hmm, tried disabling any add-ins in Word? After that I'm stuck for ideas for now lol

[Foresthippy]

Just as an update to this, Word 2019 does not exhibit this problem.

[MkII]

Our admin re-did the template and that worked. Wondering if there's something in the tempolate that the new version on Word doesn't like?