Anyone else noticed SIMS August Release is 3 working days before GCSE results day?

[Heebeejeebee]

Basically, the PDFs are going to be accessed from a share instead of slung around your network.

 

About time too. I've been suggesting this to them on and off for years now.

 

 

Hmm... a SIMS.net update a few days before exams results come through and the version number of Examinations Organiser becomes 6.66 - someone is having a laugh surely?!

 

LOL - I see dead people.

 

So back to topic - If we 'have' to apply the update (English school - no A Levels) how do we test if it's going to actually work on exams day?

 

HBJB

[Gatt]

Our SIMS Support team isn't aware of an Update in August

 

Is this a blessing maybe.. or will that mean that the damn thing gets downloaded without them even knowing!!

[tech_guy]

Our SIMS Support team isn't aware of an Update in August

 

Is this a blessing maybe.. or will that mean that the damn thing gets downloaded without them even knowing!!

 

Yikes!

[Gatt]

The best bit is that i'm ona half day on Results day then off for 2 weeks on Honeymoon

If it goes T*ts up......

[skunk]

me, it actually worked, tomorrows results should be fun fun fun.

[Sylv3r]

I am going to remote into school in the next 30 mins and install it - I am sure it will be fine

[SpecialAgent]

have they really released a version 6.66?

have they not seen the omen?

[Heebeejeebee]

have they really released a version 6.66?

have they not seen the omen?

 

Yep!

 

Everything Capita is associated with the Devil isn't it? (Can't find the Devil smiley).

 

HBJB

[Sylv3r]

I am going to remote into school in the next 30 mins and install it - I am sure it will be fine

 

As a follow up it runs fine with no issues on the server and a workstation. Will just have to wait for a couple of users to try in the morning.

[zag]

Just got our results fine without the update.

 

No way I'm installing an update called 6.66!!!

 

Oh and about time they stopped that pointless copying of 50 PDF files for each upgrade.

[PhilNeal]

Just a word of explanation about the PDF files being on workstations. It was because we allowed off-line working with Teachers Desktop and this allowed the manual to be accessible. We have dropped TD so the manuals no longer need to be copied to workstations.

 

It was horrible though!

[Gatt]

Does that need that the SIIMSManualSetup is now obsolete?

 

Name confused me at first - thought it was a way to manually install sims

[Ueline]

Did it yesterday morning. Appears to have gone ok here too. Tested on a second test environment server first and it seemed ok. Went on to apply on live server and it seems ok too. Very scary doing it this close to exams download. Although Exams seem to be fine with the results today.

[alan-d]

After speaking to the HT and Exams Officer, I chickened out applying the upgrade.

 

The results imported without any problems other than one large file had to be imported by logging into SIMs at the Server.

 

As far as Analysis goes the HT is happy that anyone wanting information in a different format from last year can wait

[Mcshammer_dj]

If your schools are putting in OCR Nationals they need to set up the Basedata in Sept 07 and enter the results before they run the Aug upgrade as the upgrade changes the levels structure for Sept 08 and prevents the results from being entered.

 

Quote from Capita:

To maintain continuity, the August upgrade corrects the codes and aspect definitions for Level 2 First Award and First Certificate from the stopgap values used by OCR last year (AWE and FCE) to the permanent values introduced in the Formats Version 11 (September 2008), FA2 and FC2. This means that following upgrade, import of the revised September 2007 basedata, just issued by OCR to enable the recording of results, would fail for the affected items with a 'Level does not exist' error.

 

Entry of results will not be affected by the upgrade.

[PhilNeal]

To put this another way:

 

We have updated the software in August 2008 to use the new codes and aspect definitions ready for next year.

 

If you take August and then import of the revised September 2007 basedata it would fail for the affected items with a 'Level does not exist' error.

[WithoutMotive]

Our LEA are holding it back until Results are over and done with. Amusing email came this morning simply saying, "SIMS Support will be available from 8am on Wednesday". I wonder if they're expecting trouble...