[sims] Timetable woes

[CaterinaAnna]

This release includes the following new feature:

Timetable Printing

A range of timetable reports (Reports | Timetables) are now available from within SIMS. These reports replace the ones that until now have been available in Nova-T4.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For the SIMS 2010 Summer Release, there are two methods of obtaining timetable printouts – the new method (Reports | Timetables) and the original method (Reports | Print Timetables). However from the SIMS 2011 Spring Release onwards, the original method will be disabled.

 

Not entirely, because I can't get to a year group timetable for export, in spite of many promises that the full functionality would be retained.

 

(And don't tell me I can in T6 - only one person in the entire school has access to that.)

 

And it's picking up the full rather than short room name on individual student timetables - these are way too long to display properly, and I can't make each box three lines long so I can put it on a line by itself ...

 

Moan over, off now to give feedback/seek advice in the appropriate place.

 

ETA layout issues sorted when I played again - got an error message & crash last time, but not this time.

Edited August 3, 2010 by CaterinaAnna

[Sivadam]

Not entirely, because I can't get to a year group timetable for export, in spite of many promises that the full functionality would be retained.

 

(And don't tell me I can in T6 - only one person in the entire school has access to that.)

 

And it's picking up the full rather than short room name on individual student timetables - these are way too long to display properly, and I can't make each box three lines long so I can put it on a line by itself ...

 

Moan over, off now to give feedback/seek advice in the appropriate place.

 

ETA layout issues sorted when I played again - got an error message & crash last time, but not this time.

 

The Year Timetable failed to make it past the testing stage - probably mainly as a result of myself! It could not cope with the different Bands and Sub-bands on a compliacted timetable. The testers (including LA support desk reps) asked that for this part of the functionality not to be releaesed until it had been improved.

 

You can edit what you want to display in each cell. There are two menus at the right of the screen but only one shows as default. You can toggle both these menus by clicking the icons near top right. You can replace the fileds that show as default (e.g. remove Room Name and add Room Code).

 

There are a number of posts on SupportNet re. the new Timetable printing in .net. As yet the functionality still needs improving to match NT4. But it is a good start towards that end!

 

I am still maintaining NT4 for some Reporting purposes. It is still supported for this purpose until Spring 2011.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Sivadam

[CaterinaAnna]

Thanks for letting me know they've tried, and I'm sure it wasn't all your fault!

 

Looks like I'm going to have to rely on the timetabler for a while longer ...

 

(I did find how to alter the layout - see edit)

[teejay]

 

I am still maintaining NT4 for some Reporting purposes. It is still supported for this purpose until Spring 2011.

 

Had one today with the office manager having problems with the export of class lists when selecteing a specific class, she was told by Capita Support that NT4 was no longer supported and to use the functionality in SIMS.net.

[Sivadam]

Had one today with the office manager having problems with the export of class lists when selecteing a specific class, she was told by Capita Support that NT4 was no longer supported and to use the functionality in SIMS.net.

 

NT4 is not supported for timetable construction etc, but it is supported for Reporting purposes until Spring 2011! This information can be found on the current SIMS Roadmap - available on SupportNet.

 

NT4 obviously needs to be maintained to be able to use the Reporting aspect and so many of us Timetablers ensure that any timetable created in NT6 is replicated in NT4 via either direct export/import or import to NT4 from SQL.

 

Even after support ends it will probably still work - until the export/import routines are switched off!

Edited August 3, 2010 by Sivadam

[Sivadam]

Thanks for letting me know they've tried, and I'm sure it wasn't all your fault!

Looks like I'm going to have to rely on the timetabler for a while longer ...

(I did find how to alter the layout - see edit)

 

When I said it was my fault I meant that I was probably the first to report the fact that the Year Timetable did not work when I tested the new functionality (on my own school's dataset) back in May.

It wasn't actually my fault it didn't work! (Though some might wanna blame me for that!)

Glad you found out how to edit. I missed that part of the post!

[teejay]

NT4 is not supported for timetable construction etc, but it is supported for Reporting purposes until Spring 2011! This information can be found on the current SIMS Roadmap - available on SupportNet.

 

NT4 obviously needs to be maintained to be able to use the Reporting aspect and so many of us Timetablers ensure that any timetable created in NT6 is replicated in NT4 via either direct export/import or import to NT4 from SQL.

 

Even after support ends it will probably still work - until the export/import routines are switched off!

 

Yeah, sorry, should have clarified, it was the class list report, export to clipboard to paste into a document, so is part of reports but Capita refused to support it.

[Sivadam]

The Class Reports in NT4 do still work and they should be supported.

That is why there is still the link to upload pupil data and timetable from SQL to NT4. (I assume that you have uploaded the pupil data, refreshed photgraphs etc!)

 

I would take this further with Capita Support if I was you!

[teejay]

Yep, done all the SQL refresh etc, will phone Capita when I get chance, it's just not a priority as there are a couple of other ways I've shown her to get what she needs, it's just this is the way she's always done it. Slightly more pressing issue getting our deployment of Windows 7 finished to be honest ;-)