[sims] SIMS Schools Database login error

[simpsonj]

We've just shifted to a locally hosted SIMS server, and things had gone reasonable well, until I found out today that our Exams Officer can no longer access the Examinations module in SIMS. She gets a log box stating Login Using Trusted User or SQL Server User, rather than logging in automatically. Any attempt to login brings up the following error message:

 

"Multiple-step OLE DB operation generated errors. Check each OLE DB status value, if available. No work was done."

 

I know this is PC specific, as the Examinations module works fine on my machine, and the data manager's PC.

 

Any help on this would be much appreciated, I'm not really sure where to even start looking...

[vikpaw]

Tried reinstalling SIMS on that client, as the administrator account. Exams is notorious for failing to upgrade and if you moved server , most likely some settings will have changed for connect.ini / sims.ini

[simpsonj]

Thanks for the help vikpaw, most appreciated.

 

I've tried to follow the instructions found here:

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mis-systems/79762-exams-organiser-automation-error.html

 

However as the SIMS infrastructure isn't appearing on the Add/Remove programs list, I don't think I properly uninstalled SIMS before trying to reinstall it, as a result, I'm getting the same error message.

 

Any idea on how to uninstall SIMS when it's been installed using Solus 3?

[vikpaw]

It doesn't show up any more, but if you rename the sims folder it should be enough and choose to overwrite all files when reinstalling. Not sure how Solus3 does it.

You can probably tell it to uninstall sims, then redeploy.

the old way if you still have a setups folder is to run simsinst.exe

 

Has anything changed on the client side, new PC, different permissions on network or PC etc.? Did you use trusted logins before? Exams probably still wants teh old school dos logins. maybe you can try with different users? so login as you on that machine and try it under your account for both, then your account pc, their account sims, etc. different combos.

 

I think worst case even try installing to a new PC, i know a few times where the quickest solution has been to reinstall the PC, but that seems drastic when you have a vaguely helpful message. what happens if you tell it to use trusted user by teh way? or don't you use trusted logins?

[simpsonj]

We use trusted logins, though I purposely left myself and the Exams Office off for added security, so we both still need to login to SIMS using a SIMS user account rather than a linked AD account.

 

I'll try some different logins, I've just started the third reinstall from solus 3 (easy enough to do, just find the lastest update in deployment history and redeploy to the affected workstation). I'm also waiting on 153 Windows updates, which could be causing the issue as well.

 

Thanks again for the pointers!

[vikpaw]

Try re-adding permissions to exams user or changing password.

Or make a new user for testing. This might propagate permissions.

Changing server means some logins may get corrupted as they are stored out of the main db and copied in only during certain tasks.

[simpsonj]

If i log in as a domain admin on the workstation, but log in to SIMS as the Exams Officer, SIMS Examinations works absolutely fine. Trouble is, A2C migration isn't setup on that account. One step forward, one step back. Just changed permissions to give the Exams Office explicit full control over C:\WINDOWS and C:\Program Files\SIMS\ as well as being a local admin to see if that fixes the issue.

[vikpaw]

Explicit perms should do it.

[simpsonj]

It short, it didn't work. So I tried making the Exams Officer account a domain admin, and it still didn't work. Next step, I copied the Exams Officer account in AD, added a 2 to username and surname, logged in and SIMS Examinations module is now working. Copied over relevant Desktop, documents, favourites and A2C Migration settings and we're good to go.

 

However, I would like to know, where does SIMS store local user information? If I can find and delete that folder, then hopefully I can reuse the old account again.

 

Still, I've got a working solution, thank you @vikpaw for your help, most appreciated!

[vikpaw]

Sims data usually goes into the users my documents folder. my sims documents. That is per user.

If the issue was with the particular user, SIMS shouldn't really know the difference. I take it they are logging in with the same sims user account?

You can try deleting the original user's my docs folder, but if that was causing an issue, they would have had it on all computers.

Maybe the profile was corrupt. Do you use roaming profiles?

If it's windows 7, that stores weird bits of the profile locally, e.g. the sims temp docs, but that shouldn't affect access.

[Ghostgame]

Reinstall SIMS .net using SIMSApplicationSetup.exe

SOLUS3 does not work frustratingly.

Don't need to uninstall the infrastructure first or SIMS .net.

Don't ask my why that works, it just does.

Just sorted out the same issue this evening.

[vikpaw]

But it can't be that now if it works for the other cloned user.

[simpsonj]

Very strange, I might try reinstalling using the method @Ghostgame posted once results day has passed!

[Ghostgame]

The fix works for the automation error, so hopefully it will work for you.

 

But it can't be that now if it works for the other cloned user.

 

I know what you mean, makes no sense.

School I had dealt with had cloned the SIMS folder on 4 machines for their exam officers.

Only 1 out of the 4 did not work.

[matt40k]

Welcome to COM+ hell

 

Another reason why Capita needs to upgrade Exams and Nova.