[sims] Not importing ethnicity details from CTF [Solved]

[LosOjos]

Has anybody else ever had this problem, and if so, how do you fix it?

 

Initially we were told by local support that it was because we were using a different version of the ethnicity lookup list (which is true, we were) but then that got changed and ethnicity still won't import.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I'm looking at about 2,000 students with no ethnicity details (we recently merged with another school to become a new school, new database) and census already overdue. Local support have told me to manually enter them all, which I'd really like to avoid!

[creese]

Is what your support is saying, that the Ethnicity on your system is different from that in the CTF? Some authorities use a cut down version. If that is the case there is nowhere for the codes to go so it will ignore it. Only mirroring the codes in your system with those in the CTF will solve the problem. Leaving it blank and getting the parents to fill out a data collection sheet is probably the only solution. Edited October 8, 2010 by creese

[LosOjos]

Yeah they explained that to us and we were changed over to the cut down list, I have opened up the CTF and checked out some of the kids and the codes do match the ones in our system now, yet SIMS is still not importing the data

[creese]

In that case I'm stumped. I've never heard of this before.

[LosOjos]

OK solved it (or rather my local support team did!)

 

I'm going to start by saying it was me making the mistake, but back that up by saying this is a design flaw:

 

When importing CTF's, you are given the option whether to place new pupils on roll or in pre-admission.

As I knew there were a few students who never returned to the new school, I created dummy admissions files to catch them and save me having to use the delete student routine to get rid of them.

Here is where the problem lies: SIMS will not update on roll students if you have selected the option to place new students in to pre-admission (despite appearing to have done so in the import log). You have to place new students on roll for students who are already on roll to be updated.

 

In my opinion, that's quite a design flaw! The easy option to fix it would be to re-phrase the dialog so that you are aware that SIMS will only deal with new students, but ideally it should do both as it implies.

 

Anyway, problem solved, egg on my face, thanks for taking a look