MIS Migration - How many years data to retain

[techie17]

Hi

 

We are looking to migrate our MIS system to a new system and wonder how many years of data we have to migrate? We have 8 year groups (including 6th form) so would we have to migrate 8 years + a certain amount of years before in order to comply with data retention policies?

 

Many thanks

[ShellfishClive]

Data retention policies are generally local to what the governing board say. You could only keep it for 1 year if you really wanted, we keep ours for 4 years I believe after that it's wiped.

[john]

Unless its changed, student records for most are DOB + 25 years, looked after were longer, that was the North Yorkshire LA retention schedule when I last worked in schools, so you need to think of this on multiple levels.

 

First is what you are likely to need to view back on screen, print, analyse easily etc.. so its not uncommon for your upper sixth to need to go back to year of entry to your school (so that is your 8) but then you may need to re-print things for students gone for 2 or 3 years so maybe 10-12 years in your case having such a range of year groups perhaps?

 

But you then need to meet the requirements on what you must store for the length required (if such regulation exists still) so how can you achieve that if you only kept say 10 years of the old MIS? Do you keep the SQL Database and do you know how to interrogate it, I know some are easier than others, do you retain the software in some limited way, I believe Facility had a license type for that at one type (threads on this on here) not sure on other products.

 

Very much should be a multi-view item I think and I am sure you will get other answers from others who have changed MIS as well

[Banjo]

I'd be careful about not keeping pupil level data. Claims are being made against schools for failing to diagnose certain SEN categories years after the student has left. Without any records to back you up, you might as well start writing the blank cheques now.

[PhilNeal]

I’m pretty sure attendance data needs to be stored for 7 years.

[elsiegee40]

Moved to Data & Information Handling forum as it’s more appropriate

[techie17]

So when the SIMS server gets decommissioned and i keep the old database, how would i access the old SIMS data? I don't fancy printing everything out!

[nicholab]

This is something that I would be asking of the MIS suppliers can their system hold all of you old data. Even if you can't see it in the front end. I would only go with these supplier that can do this as it is a pain trying to get old data.

[Banjo]

You might want to think about turning the old SIMS server into a 'virtual machine' Then all you have to do is store the file somewhere safe and fire it up whenever needed.

[GrumbleDook]

I would heartily recommend the IRMS Schools Toolkit for the base of your retention schedule. Based on that, make your choice about what you need to retain, but remember that some could go into a pupil record as hard copy.

[PhilNeal]

Surely you'd migrate your data to the new system?

[vikpaw]

If systems were that interoperable it would be great [emoji52]

[GrumbleDook]

Surely you'd migrate your data to the new system?

 

I think this is about only migrating the data you need to retain and not all the historic information that may be around.

[PhilNeal]

@vikpaw - the basics such as attendance, exclusions & exam results are interoperable!! There are no standards for many things such as behaviour, extra curricular activities & formative assessment.

[eddyc]

Our policy is to retain everything electronically and paper until the child’s 25th birthday, unless they are SEN in which case it’s their 35th birthday. In circumstances where there a safeguarding or child protection issue, records are kept indefinitely.

 

This is set out by our Governing body so I imagine is up to your local policy

[CloudGeek]

@vikpaw - the basics such as attendance, exclusions & exam results are interoperable!! There are no standards for many things such as behaviour, extra curricular activities & formative assessment.

 

Well, depends source MIS and destination MIS. I hear that at least one MIS supplier mastered to migrate virtually everything!

 

@techie17 what is the source and destination MIS?

[TechMonkey]

Data retention policies are generally local to what the governing board say. You could only keep it for 1 year if you really wanted, we keep ours for 4 years I believe after that it's wiped.

 

I'd get this looked into as I know as a Prep we have the issue that some data has to be kept until they are 25. Off the top of my head I think it is to do with medical claims. If you are keeping for only 4 years you would be well shy of that.

[vikpaw]

I couldn’t get First Aid, medical data and some other stuff I wanted out of SIMS easily.

 

Thankfully, the perpetual license model lends itself to easily retaining the history but this doesn’t help ease of access.

 

We managed to get the data out in the end. I think the 25 year guideline is a good starting point so long as it’s written down in a policy and justified.

 

Actually pulling that much data between modern systems would be a nightmare.

[RootsSchImp]

So when the SIMS server gets decommissioned and i keep the old database, how would i access the old SIMS data? I don't fancy printing everything out!

 

I don't think maintaining a fully operable MIS record for students 10, 20+ years after they leave is a reasonable expectation, I would export each cohort as a CTF and store those. That's going to cover 99% of future information requests. True, it doesn't cover @Banjo's SEN record scenario but if you're hedging against being sued there are probably dozens of bigger risk factors than failure to retain MIS SEN records (which may not be detailed enough to exonerate you even if you do keep them).

[Max_Power]

SIMS is a perpetual licence so could you not just keep the historical data there as an “archive” for data as and when / if required? Wouldn’t qualify for updates or maintenance but would that be needed if it’s purely acting as an archive?

[nicholab]

Really there should be some kind of data warehousing system for all of this old data.

[matt40k]

Surely you'd migrate your data to the new system?

What about GDPR? If you migrate to a hosted MIS - how do you get consent to be allowed to put their data outside of the county or even country with a third party? Could you legally hold the data if you have no way of contacting the subject should something change or a data breach?

Edited March 8, 2018 by matt40k