Exporting timetables from SIMs to Excel

[CaterinaAnna]

Over the last few years I've exported various timetables (All staff, All rooms, Free staff, Free rooms, Free teachers and the ones for each Year) from T4 into Excel using File/Copy to clipboard. These are jolly useful for a whole host of things and this year I've also used them as a basis for producing intelligible display timetables for offices and Year boards - with decent class names that apparently can't be put in in T6, teachers' preferred names and so on.

 

But of course, T4 is to go and our timetabler is extremely resistant to allowing me to have access to T6 ('it's so easy to save changes you've made by mistake') so has anyone any idea about how else I can get these bulk timetables exported?

 

I've ploughed through reports, but can see no way of getting them, and tried going through the 'print timetables' option which if I play with cell sizes, print to Acrobat, export to Word, then excel will do the trick. However it's a long and convoluted process, doesn't always come out right and goes through a T4 type screen anyway, so even that might go.

 

I suspect if there's a standard role our SIMs administrator can give me limited access to T6 that would be acceptable.

[steve]

You can print timetables from a NovaT4 style interface from within SIMS.net

 

You'll need the following permissions (we created a new group and added the permissions / users to that in system manager):

 

Curriculum - Timetable Printing - View(All)

Curriculum - Timetable Printing - Edit(All)

 

This will put an extra option under Reports menu - Print Timetables

 

Should solve all your problems - you can print direct to a spreadsheet from this too.

[Sivadam]

Many of us are still maintaining NT4 purely for it's reporting procedures.

It is a relatively simple task to maintain the Teacher, Subject, Room details etc and Export from NT6 when changes are made.

In this way you can still use NT4 for the Reporting side - which will still be supported by Capita until it can be replaced with the new Reporting Engine.

[Linfit]

NovaT4 is going to be around for a while yet, but one option might be for you to have a satellite install of T6 on your machine. This can be run on its own without going through the SIM.net screen. You can then have a stand alone copy of the timetable file to mess around with as you wish, stored locally, which should alleviate your timetablers concerns.

[CaterinaAnna]

Thanks peeps.

 

I know about how to get what I need in T4 and have the permissions - as I said I use that extensively atm - my concern is how to do what I do when it's gone.

 

As for a satellite install of T6 Linfit, what you say suggests it would that have to be re-done every time there was a timetable change. Is that the case? Ours changes frequently so, while working this way might alleviate the timetabler's concerns, it may not make the network manager so happy.

 

I'm therefore relieved to hear T4 will be hanging around for a while and looking forward to seeing what the new reporting engine looks like.

[bobbymooreok]

You can print timetables from a NovaT4 style interface from within SIMS.net

 

You'll need the following permissions (we created a new group and added the permissions / users to that in system manager):

 

Curriculum - Timetable Printing - View(All)

Curriculum - Timetable Printing - Edit(All)

 

This will put an extra option under Reports menu - Print Timetables

 

Should solve all your problems - you can print direct to a spreadsheet from this too.

 

 

I have added these two permissions to a group and they are still not appearing, are there any additional ones that are require apart from these two?

 

Cheers,

Bobby

[steve]

Which version / release of sims are you on?

[Richie1972]

Alternatively you can do something similar to what I've done:

1. Create a custom report in SIMS

2. run the command line report exporter to export the data to a CSV

3. Write a script that imports the CSV into an SQL table

4. A link on staff desktops enables them to access any student timetable directly (plus students get access to their own - so no excuse for "losing" their timetable)

 

Richie

[bobbymooreok]

To steve:

V. 7.116

build 18

 

To richie:

Thought you can't write back to the datebase, SLAs etc?

[CaterinaAnna]

You can print timetables from a NovaT4 style interface from within SIMS.net

 

...

 

This will put an extra option under Reports menu - Print Timetables

 

Should solve all your problems - you can print direct to a spreadsheet from this too.

 

I know about this option and can access it, but it doesn't give me the option of 'printing' the timetable for a year/band or some other useful options that were in T4 (eg free staff, free rooms).

 

Nor do I know how to print it straight to a spreadsheet from that window - I have to go through Acrobat or Document Writer, both of which keep the page formatting which I then need to unpick.

 

Any suggestions welcome, because next year's timetable is not going to be swung across into T4, but please remember I'm not very clever nor am I the network manager. That means that, for example, Richie_OLSJ I'm afraid I'd need more support for steps 1 & 3 of your solution and would not be in a position to do steps 2 & 4.

[vikpaw]

Thanks peeps.

 

I know about how to get what I need in T4 and have the permissions - as I said I use that extensively atm - my concern is how to do what I do when it's gone.

 

As for a satellite install of T6 Linfit, what you say suggests it would that have to be re-done every time there was a timetable change. Is that the case? Ours changes frequently so, while working this way might alleviate the timetabler's concerns, it may not make the network manager so happy.

 

I'm therefore relieved to hear T4 will be hanging around for a while and looking forward to seeing what the new reporting engine looks like.

 

If you know how T4 works and have permission, you don't need a satellite install of T6 nor to bother anyone but the timetabler.

 

Get the timetabler to export using the 'Export to Nova T4' option, and then you should be able to import that file into Nova T4. It think that is kind of like the solution Sivadam is suggesting.

 

Everytime the timetable changes the timetabler just has to export the plan file for you - i think that is how it works.

 

If you were going to have a T6 satellite, equally, the live file can be saved anywhere and then passed to you to load into your satellite version.

 

Certainly maintaining T4 is the way to go, i know many people do it and i'm looking into it now to use the reporting functions as well. The only problem i have is that it has been complaining about year groups that have codes longer than 2 digits e.g. IB1, IB2, Y10 etc.

 

You don't have to worry about losing T4 because all of the reporting functionality will be replaced before that happens (or so it has been promised) so keep using it until the reporting engine comes online.

[Sivadam]

NT4 type Reporting is supposed to be one of the Prorities of the Base Release of SIMS Reporting (SQL Server 2008), which is due in March.

Until then good old NT4 will be used for all complex Timetables and Group Reports, by my goodself !

It will also be available for a fair period of time AFTER the new Reporting goes live.

[bobbymooreok]

I have added these two permissions to a group and they are still not appearing, are there any additional ones that are require apart from these two?

 

Cheers,

Bobby

 

 

./bump

[matt40k]

Can you see Nova-T4 in your Focus menu at all? If you can't try adding "timetabler", just remember it takes 24hrs for your own permissions to take affect.

[bobbymooreok]

They can see Nova T4 in focus, just not print timetables under reports. I want to be able to give it to class teachers so don't want to give them all timetabler.

 

The groups are instant so thats not the issue, any help would be much apprieciated

 

Cheers

[matt40k]

Ah wasn't sure if they could see Nova-T4. What's wrong with them clicking "default user"?

[bobbymooreok]

No issue, just be easier if i can get that menu item under reports. You know what admin ladies are like, stuck in thier ways

[Sivadam]

If I were you then I would never repeat that last statement in front of our Admin Support Staff!

[Stuart_C]

I have added these two permissions to a group and they are still not appearing, are there any additional ones that are require apart from these two?

 

Cheers,

Bobby

 

In case the OP is still interested... All our teacher are assigned to the "Class Teacher" role. In order to give them the facility to use Reports|Print Timetables I've created a custom group with the following ssecurity keys.

 

Student|Timetable and Accademic Classes|View (All)

Student|Timetable and Accademic Classes|Edit (All)

Curriculum|Classroom Staff|Edit (All)

Curriculum|Timetable Printing|View (All)

Curriculum|Timetable Printing|Edit (All)

 

 

This won't work on it's own. When I tried it I couldn't get the room detail and the student details. However when used in combination with the "Class Teacher" group it works. I suppose I could go looking for the missing keys but there is only so much trial and error I can put up with.