Uniware Data Transfer

[ITGURU]

We're having our cashless catering system changed over the summer to Uniware. Our existing provider have a tool which automatically runs a report in SIMS, extracts the required information and populates the cashless catering database.

Having been in discussions with Uniware they tell me that there is no way to do this.

Does anyone else use Uniware and if so, do you have an automated way of getting the data to them. All they are interested in is having a csv file dumped into their SFTP server, but everytime we get a new student which can be several a week, it's not practical to manually be running a report and sending over via SFTP daily.

If anyone can advise, would be grateful.

They looked into integrating with SIMS but capita apparently wanted a few thousand pounds to integrate and come with up a solution.

Thanks

[forkies]

Most suppliers use Groupcall Xporter so I am surprised they haven’t gone down that route. I would say using a report in sims, then using a script on the server to run commandreporter to run the report every night, then have the script also connect to the sftp server and upload the exported csv.

 

We use a different system so above is purely an idea, maybe someone else has already put something like this together.

[ITGURU]

Most suppliers use Groupcall Xporter so I am surprised they haven’t gone down that route. I would say using a report in sims, then using a script on the server to run commandreporter to run the report every night, then have the script also connect to the sftp server and upload the exported csv.

 

We use a different system so above is purely an idea, maybe someone else has already put something like this together.

 

All they kept saying was "We would consider developing the link to SIMS but this would be chargeable development".

What you suggested above looks like the route we shall have to go down, but seems a backward step!

[forkies]

Definitely a backwards step unfortunately. Seems very odd for a software supplier to not have sims integration nowadays. Not heard of uniware, are they new to the market?

[ITGURU]

Definitely a backwards step unfortunately. Seems very odd for a software supplier to not have sims integration nowadays. Not heard of uniware, are they new to the market?

 

That's what i thought - if others can do it, why can't they. Been around a while i think, but certainly expensive from what i've seen. Didn't really get a say!

[forkies]

I would email them and say you will say a way of automating data extract from Sims up to their sftp for a price (cheaper than capita) then send them the script. Nice little money earner.

[ITGURU]

I would email them and say you will say a way of automating data extract from Sims up to their sftp for a price (cheaper than capita) then send them the script. Nice little money earner.

 

I was tempted! lol

[Jona]

I work in HE and we use Uniware for our cashless provision. Currently we do a three times a day sync with our database. Our Database outputs the relevant data to a csv file then we use psftp to upload the file.

 

Jona

[ITGURU]

I work in HE and we use Uniware for our cashless provision. Currently we do a three times a day sync with our database. Our Database outputs the relevant data to a csv file then we use psftp to upload the file.

 

Jona

Are you doing this automatically ? if so how.

[FishCustard]

I would email them and say you will say a way of automating data extract from Sims up to their sftp for a price (cheaper than capita) then send them the script. Nice little money earner.

 

Have actually done this with a supplier before in a similar situation. Just a commandexporter report and some PowerShell data tweaking, but they thought it was witchcraft.

[Jona]

Are you doing this automatically ? if so how.

Yes

 

we have a batch script which contains the following:

E:\DataExport\Uniware\PSFTP.EXE -b E:\DataExport\Uniware\ftp_commands.txt [email protected] -pw password -batch

 

ftp_commands.txt then contains:

put data.csv
bye

 

The batch script is run as the last step in the SQL agent job which creates data.csv but could just as easily be run from a scheduled task.

[HPlum78]

Ah it all comes flooding back to me.... yeah we automate our user uploads to Uniware and send over our own card CSN numbers so that our users can use the mifare cards that they use for everything else.

 

Is SIMS your golden source for all your identities? and if so do you store all the required details in SIMS? if so then the above from @Jona is the simplest way, anything else you would need to shoehorn the data together from the various systems in a staging table or PowerShell to build the data for the integration.

 

Happy to delve into this deeper if needs be.

[ITGURU]

Yes

 

we have a batch script which contains the following:

E:\DataExport\Uniware\PSFTP.EXE -b E:\DataExport\Uniware\ftp_commands.txt [email protected] -pw password -batch

 

ftp_commands.txt then contains:

put data.csv
bye

 

The batch script is run as the last step in the SQL agent job which creates data.csv but could just as easily be run from a scheduled task.

 

So i'm almost there with the complete powershell script.

 

at the point of upload I get : The server's host key is not cached in the registry.

 

What do i need to do, in order to resolve the error?

[Jona]

Run the psftp.exe command interactively (without the -b flag) and it will prompt you to accept the server key.

 

Jona

[ITGURU]

Run the psftp.exe command interactively (without the -b flag) and it will prompt you to accept the server key.

 

Jona

Brill thanks - all working !

[ITGURU]

I've just tried to re-run the script but now i get End of banner message from serverKeyboard-interactive authentication prompts from server:

 

this is using

 

d:\Uniwareauto\PSFTP.EXE D:\uniwareauto\ftp_commands.txt username@hostip -pw xxxxxxxxx

End of keyboard-interactive prompts from serverFurther authentication requiredKeyboard-interactive authentication prompts from server:| Enter password:

Can anyone advise?

thanks.

[Jona]

Put -batch on the end of your command string.