Siblings in SIMS

[znova]

Hello,

 

I am trying to tidy up our SIMS database in preparation for issuing parental logons for our learning platform. Unfortunately we don't have a data manager and everyone just inputs 'stuff' into sIMS without checking validity of the data. Obviously, this creates a problem when I want to issue parental logins for the learning platform - I found out about 1/3 of our data is incorrect - missing first names, missing parental addresses, duplicate entries. AAAHHH!

 

The biggest headache though is missing siblings; you can't edit the family links tab so that leaves me with several logins for the learning platform! Is there any way to input this data and link siblings?

 

Our NM thought the only way to link siblings was during the record creation process - please don't tell me I have to delete one of the records and add it again? :faint:

 

Because that's so not going to happen! I can foresee me dishing out the parental logons: 'Here is one for your Y7 boy, one for his sister in Y10 and for good measure one for Y11 brother'....

 

PLEASE help!

[PhilNeal]

Siblings are automatically linked via the contact's parental status. If a sibling is wrong it is because the parental status is wrong. There is a tidy tool.

[creese]

We have many schools who have created a new contact for a sibling joining, instead of linking to an existing contact. Then wondering why they wouldn't link. On investigation we have found at least 4maybe 6 'similar' contacts.

[Sivadam]

I had very similar problems before I could Provision Parents for SLG.

I have physically trawled though most of our contacts. The issue of siblings not being linked is very often linked to duplicate contacts. This was my first starting point. Moving Linked Pupils to just one of the duplicate Parental Contacts and then deleting the Unlinked parent restores sibling links in SIMS.

 

Most Duplicate Contacts arrive, not through errors by our admin staff, but via CTF or ATF imports. If the source data has the names of the contacts in a different format to what the school has, then issues of duplicate contacts can occur. When CTFs etc etc come in from different MIS Systems to the one that you are using then this is often also an issue.

 

Sorry, I can't think of an easy way to solve this but to help you it is possible to run reports from SIMS to identify where duplicate contacts exist. The standard Report for this in SIMS is via Focus, Contact, Duplicate Contact Check. But you can clone this and, as with all other Reports, edit it to your own design.

 

 

Incidently,

If you have Parents who are also members of staff at the school, then I bet you have 2 instances of this person in SIMS. This is also incorrect and the two instances need rationalising. Provisioning both parents and staff for SLG produces two different log-ins which SLG cannot consolidate, as SIMS has no idea that the two are connected in any way. I assume that your learning Platform will have the same issue.

Edited December 10, 2009 by Sivadam

[znova]

Thanks everybody!

 

I agree the issue is mostly Primary school imports; how do I solve it though?

 

For example, our school admin lady also happens to have 2 kids in school - and you guessed it, they are not linked in SIMS. Now both have just 2 sets of records(1 for mam, 1 for dad) and they are almost identical so no duplicate info there! They are not completely identical though, so is this where the problem lies?

 

Am I to understand that if I copy parents contact details from one record to the other it should link them? Or should I go through the Focus|Person|Contacts|Associated Students path(which looks longer!)

 

Surely with LP deadline looming this must be a common problem?

[Sivadam]

Select the Contact that you think is most correct.

Link (add) the pupils to this parent.

Unlink (delete) the pupil links from the Contact you do not want to use.

Run:- Housekeeping - Delete Unlinked Contacts.

Your Siblings will then be linked via the correct Contact.

 

I am afraid you have to do this with ALL Duplicate contacts individually.

I do NOT think there is a Contact Tidy. There is for Addresses and for Agencies/Agents but not for Contacts - as far as I am aware.

Edited December 10, 2009 by Sivadam

[skunk]

You will need to tidy the addresses first as this causes a lot of the problems with duplicate contacts in the first place. I seem to remember that tidying the addresses may have resolved some of the dupliacte contacts, but couldn't guarantee that.

[Sivadam]

This is a matter of choice, I think.

If the surplus Contacts are deleted first then some of the issues, but not all, with duplicate addresses are resolved. It all depends if the addresses of each of the Duplicate Contacts actually match or not.

I think that whichever you do first helps the second process!

 

The whole area is a minefield!

[znova]

I am just hoping that our sims server doesn't buckle under the strain! Just removed 2 faulty memory sticks from it and new ones are not on the horizon cause we are broke!

 

Discovered another problem - my job role does not give me enough access rights to sims, as I've just noticed(can't even scan for duplicate contacts!

[Sivadam]

Now that's where that implement in my avatar's hand comes into it's own - for extracting more rights out of the System Manager!

 

The trouble is ............... that is also me!

[Sylv3r]

This document may be useful.

Preparing_for_SLG_699.doc

[znova]

This document may be useful.

 

Incredibly useful thanks!

 

On another note, I shall be getting more access to SIMS in the morning - well the school can't believe their luck that someone actually wants to sort the mess out!

 

But if I don't do it then the learning platform rollout will be a mess so here it goes!

 

Thanks everone!

[Sivadam]

Good Luck to you, zdenka.

 

And watch out for the usual SIMS crash when you have edited so many on the trot without a break. It's just a deliberate ploy to prevent the 'heebie jeebies' kicking in and to also signify it's time for a much needed cup of coffee!

[GREED]

I must have spent about 3 weeks early this year tidying all our contacts throughout the database, must have deleted about 200 duplicates.... It better stay that way once I leave!

[znova]

Similar question: where do these unlinked contacts come from? I am very much tempted to delete them all!..MWAAAhhaa

 

I deleted a duplicate parent record from their student record - surprise, you can still find it when you search contacts. However, it doesn't appear in Unlinked contacts??? Confused?

I would assume that's where it would go?

[GREED]

The appear if when adding new students to the database, and you input new parents/contacts, when you should be linking to existing contacts, then there are 2 'Mrs Smith' records. This is usually why siblings don't link. This will also be why it appears that they are not deleted when running the routine, becuase the unlinked one has been.

 

You cannot delete a contact if linked to a student record.

[Sivadam]

The 'Unlinked Contact' that will not delete may well be linked - not to a pupil - but to a member of staff!

You do not see this from the Contact Record!

[znova]

Ok, my brain is officially fuddled!

 

The account I mentioned is for a parent who only has one child in school; never had one here before. Her record got transfered from Primary school duplicated(not identical) so I deleted one in the student window. There wouldn't have been any existing records here since this was a new year 7 parent.

 

Now unfortunately I can stilll see 2 records in contacts but none in delete unlinked contacts; somehow she didn't quite make it to there.

 

The pressure is for me to sort it out, since she has just become a parent governor - only gave her 1 username/password to the LP though!

[Sivadam]

Have you gone into each of these 'Contacts' (Focus, Person, Contact) and checked whether there is a 'Linked Pupil' in each of the duplicate contact's record?

My bet is that the link still exists there in both records - even though you have removed the Contact Link to a contact from within the Pupil Record.

If there IS a Linked Pupil in both of the duplicate accounts then you need to delete that Pupil link from the appropriate Contact's Record.

 

i.e. the links appear in both Contact and Pupil Record. Sometimes, removing the link from one source does not automatically remove it from the other source.

[znova]

Sadly my problem is this:

 

1. I deleted the contact from pupil record beginning of the week.

2. I've since checked in Focus|Person|Contact, and the deleted record is still there. That wouldn't be a problem in itself; what IS the problem is that there are no students linked to them! (Actually the tab is called associated student so I hope we are talking about the same thing?)

3. So, with no students linked to them you would asume the record would be moved to Unlinked Contacts. Sadly this is not the case, making the record undeletable.

 

Am I missing something obvious?

 

BTW, I will not check this thread till Monday - gotta do my Christmas shopping sometime

[Sylv3r]

Ok, my brain is officially fuddled!

 

The account I mentioned is for a parent who only has one child in school; never had one here before. Her record got transfered from Primary school duplicated(not identical) so I deleted one in the student window. There wouldn't have been any existing records here since this was a new year 7 parent.

 

Now unfortunately I can stilll see 2 records in contacts but none in delete unlinked contacts; somehow she didn't quite make it to there.

 

The pressure is for me to sort it out, since she has just become a parent governor - only gave her 1 username/password to the LP though!

 

She possibly could be an emergency contact - auntie, next door neighbour etc for another student.

[rpwillis]

Try creating a report for contacts, with a filter to limit to that contact or a few with the same name. Add some student details and it should hopefully show if they are still linked to any pupils.

[Sivadam]

.... (Actually the tab is called associated student so I hope we are talking about the same thing?)

 

Sorry zdenka!

That is what I meant by 'Linked Pupils'

[znova]

Hello,

 

it's finally sorted! In fact we had a problem with the updater for the learning platform; this was sorted over the weekend and hey presto, my duplicate contact has disappeared.

 

Ok, it still shows in SIMS but because of the limited data it contains I am quite happy for it to just sit there. And yes, they might be a friend/auntie type contact althought not linked to a student at the mo.

 

Thanks!!!