[sims] SIMS CTF import issue (no not THAT CTF import issue)!!!!!

[Koldov]

I don't directly support SIMS in my school (only in as much as it's on a computer so I must know all about it), but yesterday I was called by one of the reception staff saying they had found a couple of duplicated names when exporting a class list.

 

We looked at the names in SIMS and there were two instances of the pupil.

 

Strangely, what we worked out was that the original with all of the correct data had no UPN, but the duplicate (with hardly any data) had the UPN.

 

We worked out roughly what had happened and I think got it sorted, but my question is HOW it happened within SIMS.

 

As usual details from the user on what led to this are sketchy, but...

 

It appears there is an original import of an ATF file (from admissions) this was where the pupil was created.

 

Then a few days later a CTF was imported from our Infant School (I'm not sure why this is done - school history possibly). It appears some of the details on this were slightly different to the details on the ATF from admissions for some reason (maybe a slightly misspelled name or DOB or something).

 

But, the newly created duplicate pupil managed to appropriate the UPN number from the original record of the pupil created by the ATF import (but hardly any other details)!

 

As I am not a SIMS user:

 

Is it supposed to work like this?

 

Are there any warning screens that the user would have had to click through to allow this to happen?

[hiphopamus]

This is quite a common issue, we always advise our schools to use the "Add data for existing pupils" option when importing a CTF containing data for students already on the system, this stops duplicates being created if there is a mismatch. You will have to remove the duplicate records and amend the records on roll to match the CTF (if you want to import it), you can change the records back after importing the CTF.

[Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun]

We wrote an ATF to CTF converter so that our schools can use the "add data for existing pupil only" option when importing, thus preventing duplicates. Note: it on;y works if a UPN is present int he ATF.

[Cazale]

my question is HOW it happened within SIMS

 

because SIMS is a steaming pile of horse manure.

 

In this day and age it should be a web based, with support included. The number of (tech) hours wasted every year on this crap in schools up and down the country (not to mentioned LAs, etc) is beyond a joke. But yeah, let's just roll on and pretend nothing is wrong as they release another patch, to fix a patch, to fix a patch to fix a rollup!

 

(sorry. I know that's not at all useful to you. I needed to vent about SIMS too).

[J_Worth]

We wrote an ATF to CTF converter so that our schools can use the "add data for existing pupil only" option when importing, thus preventing duplicates. Note: it on;y works if a UPN is present int he ATF.

 

Hello - would you be willing to share this at all?