[bromcom] Moving Documents from one MIS to another

[Alis_Klar]

Is there any tool for migrating student documents (e.g .PDFs) allong with the main data when migrating from one MIS to another.

 

We are Moving from ScholarPack to Bromcom and Bromcom have suggested RecordLink or SalamanderSoft. Record link appears to be SIMS only.

[supportman]

I wouldn't migrate the documents personally.

 

We just used SalamanderSoft to archive them to a Sharepoint folder. Haven't looked at them since

[Marci]

Yup - same as @supportman

[Synkrox]

Ahh, I've been here about 2 years ago when we made the same move.

 

I was told there was no way to automate this and every file would need to be downloaded manually. However I do enjoy the challenge of "it can't be done!".

 

My solution was hacky and messy because the scholarpack website isn't easily navigated automatically or with a keyboard, and some tabs did/didn't show on pupil profiles, meaning things moved around.

I used an AutoIT script that would programmatically go to each student record, then to the documents page, and then call a chrome add-on that would download all files on a page and rename them as it went.

(https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/simple-mass-downloader/abdkkegmcbiomijcbdaodaflgehfffed)

 

Hacky and messy, but it worked and was hands-off once running. As my code used screen coordinates it wouldn't be any use to you I'm afraid.

 

Once they were all downloaded into folders the uploading was a doddle as I had them in named folders and just drag+dropped into the relevant student in Bromcom.

 

Scholarpack (eventually) gave me a data dump which included the documents but IIRC all the filenames were some form of UUID and not useable and I'd already got it sorted by then.

[psydii]

I wouldn't migrate the documents personally.

 

We just used SalamanderSoft to archive them to a Sharepoint folder. Haven't looked at them since ��

 

Where do you file incoming/outgoing letters letters, investigation records, and other misc items that need to be kept on record for a while?

[supportman]

Where do you file incoming/outgoing letters letters, investigation records, and other misc items that need to be kept on record for a while?

 

We archived them all off to a folder away from the MIS. If they are needed someone can always search the folder by student ID.

 

Bromcom works very differently and has most of that info in the database, rather than individual documents.

 

Its brilliant once you get going, but try not to fit your old MIS's behaviors into the new MIS, it won't go well.

 

We all had the same questions when we started our migrations, but you quickly realize how much better the approach is without bloating your new MIS.

[psydii]

We archived them all off to a folder away from the MIS. If they are needed someone can always search the folder by student ID.

 

Bromcom works very differently and has most of that info in the database, rather than individual documents.

 

Its brilliant once you get going, but try not to fit your old MIS's behaviors into the new MIS, it won't go well.

 

We all had the same questions when we started our migrations, but you quickly realize how much better the approach is without bloating your new MIS.

 

Over a decade after I set that up on a file share during a Bromcom migration, it still bothers me. Fine for some/most outbound comms, but disappointing way for handling in bound documents (for example their student file).

 

Still, these days it would give me a chance to set up proper retention and sensitivity labelling... but being exciting for me isn't really the point.