Bulk update staff email addresses

[winng]

Hi, I think I already know the answer but I thought I'd ask just in case someone has done this....

 

Our school email address (the domain part) has changed so we would like to update the details held in each staff record, i.e. [email protected] becomes [email protected], for example.

[MrMat]

I assume you're using SIMS?

 

If so, as far as I'm aware, that isn't a way of bulk updating staff records. I think it's going to be a nice, exciting data input jobby. Unless of course someone much smarter than I can advise otherwise

[rob_coles]

There is a bulk update tool https://simsbulkimport.codeplex.com

[rob_coles]

Just to add I've not used it yet but intend to in September to add student emails

[siuko]

If I read the description right on the simsbulkimport it will only import into udf fields (user defined fields)

 

This wouldn't work if you are using the official sims email field.

 

I'm guessing they do not allow access to official fields using the business objects utility

[rob_coles]

I tested adding email address to a single student. Worked fine

[matt40k]

If I read the description right on the simsbulkimport it will only import into udf fields (user defined fields)

 

This wouldn't work if you are using the official sims email field.

 

What??

 

SIMS .net is the most popular MIS system used by schools across the UK. This tool allows you to bulk import email addresses and information into UDF fields.

 

• Uses the Capita SIMS Business Objects
  
• Imports from CSV, TXT and XML files
  

 

I'm guessing they do not allow access to official fields using the business objects utility

 

The business object allows you do everything the SIMS .net application can do, it is the same logic \ api \ objects \ libraries \ whatever you want to call it as the SIMS .net uses.

 

Just to be clear.

 

- You can import UDF fields - single line of text.

- You can import email addresses.

- Version 2 you can import telephone numbers - https://simsbulkimport.codeplex.com/documentation

- You can not bulk delete email addresses.

- You can not currently override the current primary \ main option. This would require a two step process of first changing the current primary \ main, then adding the new address - like you have to in SIMS. However this will occur in future release.

[siuko]

Sorry matt40k

 

I just read it wrong I guess lol - it just reads that you can import email and information into udf fields.

 

I'm just trying to use it now - it connects to my sims ok (7.156 on SQL 2012) but when I read the csv and choose a few options like admission number, surname etc it does not come up with anyone?

[matt40k]

If your using a unique id like admission number or Person ID, just use that and the field you want to enter. It basically replicates the browse logic in focus > students (or staff or whatever), so check that will find it ok.

[Skelacia]

I have used this successfully on my test database and a couple of the schools we support have used it too. It is a bit fiddly but once you get it all in the order it needs it in it runs fine. If you PM me your email address I can share my guidance notes with you if you'd like.

[siuko]

@matt40k I have just tried it with the admission number field and email address - it still doesnt seem to update the preview window with details of the student I'm looking for - guess I must be doing something wrong lol

@Skelacia I will pm you now thank you

[winng]

Thanks @matt40k, I've managed to successfully import a few email address changes to prove the process works. Now I just need some admin support to prepare the import file for all staff and thereafter to make it the main address, for InTouch, etc.

[Manny-Tech]

Has anyone tried the official SIMS bulk update utility for email addresses and phone numbers?

[matt40k]

You mean the db patch that imports from CSV files?

[Manny-Tech]

Yes, that's the one. It's a bit of a mind boggler to begin with!

[matt40k]

They created after a bit of stick from some schools who forked out £££ InTouch and didn't want to manually re-enter the details. Quite rightly so too, that's the point of computers, enter once, re-use over and over again, not enter, use, then re-enter every time you want to use it. It was a fudge to solve a problem for someone, first version you had to have the csv file in a folder in the D: drive. Kinda sums it up for me. Plus side, you're forced to created a backup pre-import, still that's only helpful if you're going to notice that your data is duff before people start entering new data onto the system which prob won't happen as you didn't notice before you imported it when it was on a nice spreadsheet

[unexus]

Just to be clear.

 

- You can import UDF fields - single line of text.

- You can import email addresses.

- Version 2 you can import telephone numbers - https://simsbulkimport.codeplex.com/documentation

- You can not bulk delete email addresses.

- You can not currently override the current primary \ main option. This would require a two step process of first changing the current primary \ main, then adding the new address - like you have to in SIMS. However this will occur in future release.

 

I have successfully used simsbulkimport to add a Work email addresses to all of our Staff SIMS accounts, however, some of the accounts already have personal email addresses set as the Main address. I cannot get the importer to set the new work address as the Main address. I selected the Yes (Overwrite) option for Main address but it just won't change it.

 

Is there a way of doing this? I've been lumbered by the Maths department with installing Collins Connect which has a SIMS sync tool. One of the prerequisites for this tool is that each teacher has their school address set as their Main address in SIMS. :-/

 

Thanks,

K.

[Manny-Tech]

In the end we had a requirement for Salamander Active Directory, for an additional £100 you get SIMS writeback so we've gone for that instead.

[matt40k]

@unexus to be honest, I don't have much free time let alone time for updating SIMS Bulk Import. Afraid you'd have to change the main manually for now, sorry.

 

In the end we had a requirement for Salamander Active Directory, for an additional £100 you get SIMS writeback so we've gone for that instead.

 

Salamander AD is the ideal solution, fully automated. Just concerned by the "additional" bit, the Capita patch and my project are both free. If its just a typo and is just £100, then heck that's darn cheap!

[rpwillis]

@unexus Just concerned by the "additional" bit, the Capita patch and my project are both free. If its just a typo and is just £100, then heck that's darn cheap!

 

Thanks Matt. Unlike SimsBulkImport we have to pay Capita a write back fee per school.

[vikpaw]

No i think it's an additional which gives write back to SIMS, meaning you can use AD as the source and auto create users/ other data in SIMS. Not just the email part.

Basic Sal AD is to use SIMS as source and do funky stuff with it. That's my understanding anyway.

 

With regards to setting the Main flag, i thought there were some built-in tools now to help with bulk processing... maybe it's only for contacts, not staff. Though, for staff, it's not many to do manually, just run off a report...

 

EDIT: too late ^

[unexus]

Hi matt40k,

 

Thanks for the reply and for your hard work in developing SIMS Bulk Import. It has already saved me a huge amount of time so manually changing the Main flag is no big deal.

 

Cheers.

[LukeC]

Deos anyone have a copy of this tool and does it still work?

[Knil92]

I'm pretty sure capita came out and said that people aren't allowed to use the bulk import tool that matt40k created and if you do, they won't support your database.

[matt40k]

Love to see that in writing. They won't support the bulk import tool, so if it doesn't work, they won't help - which is fair enough. If you use it and it works, ie actually imports data, it shouldn't break the SIMS database as it uses the SIMS API. If it does, that's Capita problem as their code. If for some reason the SIMS logic change, SIMS Bulk Import would just blow up and will give a nasty error message and do nothing. If you import duff data - like you set all the pupils email addresses to [email protected] then thats you're problem and you'd have to manually fix.

 

End of the day, if I can code something in my spare time, years and years ago and folks are finding it useful, then heck, why hasnt Capita built a tool. Heck they can even take the code if they really wanted though I'm sure they could code something 100000% better!