[isams] iSAMS likes and dislikes?

[Blutarsky]

Hello, would be nice to know what are the major likes and dislikes within the iSAMS users community, to get a glimpse from real worlds users.

What are the best and worst features?

Daunting tasks?

What do you regret from your previous MIS?

[Aldmi]

We moved to iSAMS from SIMS in 2015

 

They host it for us so it has certainty taken off a load of work updating, backing up etc. The majority of modules are easy to use and the app is great as all our teachers have iPads. We have just started using the welbeing manger to record all student concerns, safeguarding etc.

 

Downsides are that we use the reporting module to write our school reports, however because they host we have to request any changes however minor and there is a cost. An example of this I've just had was we have a report template named 'Full Report 2018' and I asked to change it to 'Full Report'. The cost for that was £105!

 

Additionally some modules are very clunky and overly complicated, the tracking manager looks great on paper but getting it actually set up and working was a nightmare and in the end I gave up

[Blutarsky]

Wow! Do you mean that reports are only updateable on their end? That's quite bad!

We're interested in:

 

 

• Admissions
  
• Teachers covering system
  
• Payments and invoicing system
  
• Integration with third party utilities such as Schoolcloud Club and Events and Parents Evenings
  

[Aldmi]

Wow! Do you mean that reports are only updateable on their end? That's quite bad!

We're interested in:

 

 

• Admissions
  
• Teachers covering system
  
• Payments and invoicing system
  
• Integration with third party utilities such as Schoolcloud Club and Events and Parents Evenings
  

Yes the templates are hosted their end and updated SQL. You have to put a request to have new reports made and literally any change. Our previous head had a habit of wanting something change for literally every report cycle so it was a nightmare

 

Admissions

We don't use the admissions portal but all applicant data etc is in the admissions module and then moves over to current pupils

 

Teachers covering system

We use timetabler to make the timetable and then import it to iSAMS over the summer. We then use the cover manager through the year which is linked to the HR manager so records the absences for HR.

 

Payments and invoicing system

We have just signed up for the billing module and also the 'iFinance' to move away from SAGE. Thats this summers job

[2ilent8cho]

Wow! Do you mean that reports are only updateable on their end? That's quite bad!

We're interested in:

 

 

• Admissions
  
• Teachers covering system
  
• Payments and invoicing system
  
• Integration with third party utilities such as Schoolcloud Club and Events and Parents Evenings
  

iSAMS integrates with School Clouds Parents Evening extremely well, you can set it to use the iSAMS Parent Portal/iParent App logins so parents don't have yet another login for another service, just the 1 login managed with iSAMS.

 

Cover is the only area we think SIMS did a better job its a bit more cumbersome in iSAMS, but still works. Other than that very happy with iSAMS, report writing is much better can even tell you who has started writing the reports and what percentage they have done then its easy to batch print or upload as a PDF to the portals and apps for both students and parents. The exam officer loves iSAMS compared to SIMS, says its way easier and quicker. The task of getting the new timetable and kids into the lessons has gone down from a 2 week job to 3 days since we switched.

 

The Helpdesk can occasionally be annoying if you get somebody who does not seem to understand the issue.

[TechMonkey]

I don't use iSAMS, but manage and administrate it. So teacher's may have a different view point.

Likes:

- Online, so no updates needed from me and accessible anywhere.

- Mostly sensible, there aren't many odd choices or processes, you can logic most processes.

- Interface isn't horrific

- Support are generally responsive and sort things quickly

- Are moving forward and filling gaps, like finance system.

- Great API. Less of a concern now with Wonde and the like, but the API has been a real help on occasion.

- Admin is easy.

- Customer interaction good. They do regular customer voice events, either in person or online, that are really useful.

 

Dislikes:

- Needs an overhaul. A few bits need a good overhaul, still being bits not totally suited to general online access. Co-Curricular module is the biggie for me, and the Parent Portal

- Parent portal. Isn't really a dislike but, as above, it is missing so many things to make it fully competitive with things like My School Portal and EduLink. All the information is there, just not developed it. Supposedly coming soon though.

- No clear Roadmap. I've been told the new Parent Portal and co-curricular module is coming soon for the last 4 years. I understand COVID possibly redirected resources but it is beyond a joke now.

- Sometimes not consistent. So in the pupil search you can create custom searches based on almost any field. Not possible for staff, using almost the exact same interface.

- Some bulk inputs/creation missing. Secondary tasks, so nothing awful, but adding meetings to a teachers timetable can be a bit slow and laborious.

 

No daunting tasks. Everything is just there. Academic reporting can be pretty complex, but it just is on any system. Once you have it setup you can just copy it. I sometimes wished it was a bit more complex, maybe cleverer, to allow fewer reporting setups, but it always produced what we needed.

 

Overall positive, much better than the 2 other old school MIS I had to deal with, but I have not had the chance to see or play with Arbor or Bromcom.

 

EDIT: Just to correct someone, you can edit the reports yourself, using SRSS. iSAMS also offer training courses to carry this out. They will alter minor changes for free, but if you want a major change they will charge for it due to one of their reporting resources being used. This can be a bit annoying, but understandable, but also a God send if you have a complicated report you want them to create for you. Changing name is something you could do yourself for free, and I do find it hard to believe they charged for a name change as there is no SRSS needed.

Edited March 7, 2023 by TechMonkey

[River]

- No clear Roadmap. I've been told the new Parent Portal and co-curricular module is coming soon for the last 4 years. I understand COVID possibly redirected resources but it is beyond a joke now.

 

With you on this one - it is really frustrating as we think the co-curricular module will solve a lot of our activities/music lesson issues but there is no sign of the module still

 

I update various reports with SSRS and am happy to help out anyone with queries on this.

 

I like being able to set up permissions by group/module/user, but dislike not being able to then login as a user to see what they can see.

I find that the documentation on the support site is usually very helpful.

[Blutarsky]

From what I undesrtand, with SSRS you are basically using SQL syntax to build reports? This adds a huge flexibility as long as you have some SQL logic knowledge. I wonder if you can customise your report layout without asking an iSAMS technician to do so. For us, both option would be easypeasy to manage

[Aldmi]

I don't use iSAMS, but manage and administrate it. So teacher's may have a different view point.

Likes:

- Online, so no updates needed from me and accessible anywhere.

- Mostly sensible, there aren't many odd choices or processes, you can logic most processes.

- Interface isn't horrific

- Support are generally responsive and sort things quickly

- Are moving forward and filling gaps, like finance system.

- Great API. Less of a concern now with Wonde and the like, but the API has been a real help on occasion.

- Admin is easy.

- Customer interaction good. They do regular customer voice events, either in person or online, that are really useful.

 

Dislikes:

- Needs an overhaul. A few bits need a good overhaul, still being bits not totally suited to general online access. Co-Curricular module is the biggie for me, and the Parent Portal

- Parent portal. Isn't really a dislike but, as above, it is missing so many things to make it fully competitive with things like My School Portal and EduLink. All the information is there, just not developed it. Supposedly coming soon though.

- No clear Roadmap. I've been told the new Parent Portal and co-curricular module is coming soon for the last 4 years. I understand COVID possibly redirected resources but it is beyond a joke now.

- Sometimes not consistent. So in the pupil search you can create custom searches based on almost any field. Not possible for staff, using almost the exact same interface.

- Some bulk inputs/creation missing. Secondary tasks, so nothing awful, but adding meetings to a teachers timetable can be a bit slow and laborious.

 

No daunting tasks. Everything is just there. Academic reporting can be pretty complex, but it just is on any system. Once you have it setup you can just copy it. I sometimes wished it was a bit more complex, maybe cleverer, to allow fewer reporting setups, but it always produced what we needed.

 

Overall positive, much better than the 2 other old school MIS I had to deal with, but I have not had the chance to see or play with Arbor or Bromcom.

 

EDIT: Just to correct someone, you can edit the reports yourself, using SRSS. iSAMS also offer training courses to carry this out. They will alter minor changes for free, but if you want a major change they will charge for it due to one of their reporting resources being used. This can be a bit annoying, but understandable, but also a God send if you have a complicated report you want them to create for you. Changing name is something you could do yourself for free, and I do find it hard to believe they charged for a name change as there is no SRSS needed.

 

They were definitely going to charge us to charge the name of the printing template. I raised a support ticket and they originally said how to do it, but then when the advisor realised we were on the hosted platform said no we couldn't only the internal reporting team could do it. The reporting team then told us it would be chargeable

[TechMonkey]

They were definitely going to charge us to charge the name of the printing template. I raised a support ticket and they originally said how to do it, but then when the advisor realised we were on the hosted platform said no we couldn't only the internal reporting team could do it. The reporting team then told us it would be chargeable

 

That is concerning. How long ago was this? I can see in the Analytics & Insights module there is a rename option, so that is easy to do. In the old standard SRSS interface it was a bit fiddly but still something you could do.

Had you done the SRSS training course? I know there were some support staff that would stick to the guideline rigidly that if you hadn't been on the SRSS course they couldn't help you with reporting queries. I can understand the logic.

 

Maybe they have tightened the threshold of what is allowed for free edits?

 

Ultimately, yes you can create reports yourself, yes you can rename reports, but yes there is a chargeable element that can be a bit blurry on what they will guide you through and what they will want to do themselves.

[TechMonkey]

From what I undesrtand, with SSRS you are basically using SQL syntax to build reports? This adds a huge flexibility as long as you have some SQL logic knowledge. I wonder if you can customise your report layout without asking an iSAMS technician to do so. For us, both option would be easypeasy to manage

 

Yes you can. They offer a course to show the iSAMS way, how to best access iSAMS info and how best to setup Visual Code to access resources. Ultimately it is an SQL database, using SRSS and SQL.

[Blutarsky]

That's great, this way you can create real complex queries!

[TechMonkey]

Yep! I created an Admissions report that had comparisons to previous years, predicted intake for the next few years, Leaver comparisons and year on year analysis. Was intended to be run monthly to submit to the Governors. Looked pretty too

[Blutarsky]

Nice! I'll seek for your tips should we get on the iSAMS bandwagon :-)

[Aldmi]

With you on this one - it is really frustrating as we think the co-curricular module will solve a lot of our activities/music lesson issues but there is no sign of the module still

I update various reports with SSRS and am happy to help out anyone with queries on this.

I like being able to set up permissions by group/module/user, but dislike not being able to then login as a user to see what they can see.

I find that the documentation on the support site is usually very helpful.

 

FYI I asked our account manager a few weeks ago about the new curriculum manager as we wanted to use it for activities and music lessons. The response I got was

You are correct that eventually Activities Manager will be replaced by Curriculum Manager. However there has been a very significant delay in Curriculum Manager meaning that it will not be available for some considerable time. So, I would advise looking again at Activities Manager

[TechMonkey]

That is disappointing.

Activities Manager is not really fit for purpose in this day and age. Unless it has changed, Pupils or parents can not sign up to clubs, it is all a manual process by staff, and no output to the Parent Portal to see what clubs are on.

[KK20]

I run and administer isams. For me? I am actively canvassing our SLT to migrate away from isams. The principle reason is support as their support is very bad. We have had a number of issues in the last year, ticket response time has ranged from two weeks to four months for completion. Some of the issues I fixed myself and gave them the answer to implement (it was that bad). If you want them to host then there is a surcharge (obviously) but if you want to host yourself then there is also a surcharge, so make sure you get a bottom line price, take care with midcontract price increases and factor these in your budget. Very modular but it can get expensive quite quickly, as others have said reporting is expensive. If you pester them heavily then you can get a read only access to the SQL server, this means you can craft your own reports if you have a reporting server of some kind. The API is quite lightweight, you can only access certain data with it, so if you need someone like WONDE to pull past teachers or previous pupils for a billing program then you cannot as the API wont do this (there are other examples of what the API cannot do). Registration can be fun, ensure teachers click manual save as the autosave does not always do so - even when it says it has (I have observed, video recorded and sent to support, there was never a resolution). Some modules dont fully link up with other modules, sanatorium manager is a good example, requiring multiple changes if data changes.

 

For a long time you couldnt have complex parental contact structure (for example a guardian looking after multiple students, but those students had separate parents) - you needed to make the pupils siblings if you wanted communication or club reports etc, this made census amusing. Exporting medical details for pupils would not work for months following an export update - we had to endure an inspection whereby we manually copied and pasted data to an excel spreadsheet before I ended up grabbing the data manually via SQL. Support took 4 months to eventually fix this.

 

We don't use the pupil portal any longer and have moved to a different solution for pupil portal and communications, we found it was weak and not very useful - this could have changed in the intervening years. We stopped using the academic reports as we couldn't link the academic reports to other areas of isams (LS and exams) without costly bespoke reporting charges. We use a different solution for academic reporting. Clubs and activities didnt work properly, we use a different solution.

 

I would recommend you go to a school who uses isams and see if they can do what you want them to, dont take my negativity as gospel, we have just had a bad ride with them.

Edited March 16, 2023 by KK20

[Blutarsky]

I am currently looking at the demo, it appears to be a mammoth. I don't like is the user interface which seems to be outdated and too much Microsoft-ish. Resembles good old Microsoft Access 2007! Anyhow this is not very important, although it gives you and idea of the age when the UI was designed.

What I am shocked more than anything else, is the cost which gradually soars as soon as you add modules, and the complete lack of adaptations, since the Italian SIS market is out of scope. Our school district manages multiple curriculums, international and local, the latter with compliance restrictions which is challenging.

If I may ask, what would be your MIS choice, if it was only up to you?

[Katy]

Not used it for over a year as I left edu, but on the reporting - for ours we hosted it in Azure in our tenant, iSAMS had remote access for support to be able to fix things for us, I actually liked the reporting in that it was all SSRS and as it was our server, we had full access to it so could update reports ourselves. iSAMS ran a course on the iSAMS specific bits of SSRS (in a Basic and Advanced version), I'm not sure if they do this any more or what the cost is/was, but it really helped with understanding how the whole thing fits together to write reports.

 

Previously we used Phoenix Gold, then Phoenix e1, then Engage, then iSAMS. I think my favourite of them was e1 but that's not existed for a while now, I was happy with iSAMS (and happy we didn't get stuck with SIMS). Engage I hated with a passion.

[NewAgeCol]

I got read-only access to the database as I was hoping to get it to hookup/feed into PowerBI but they have their intelligence module built on Power BI so I guess they are pushing people towards that.