SIMS.Net & Timetable planning

[Ravening_Wolf]

A quick question for you SIMS gurus:

 

I seem to remember a missive from Capita last academic year advising that timetable planning must be done using Nova-T4/6 in future and that third-party software (such as GP Unctis (sp?)) is no longer supported for this procedure. Is this true or is my memory deceiving me?

 

Thanks in advance.

[paul]

It all depends how the third party system interacts with the DB. If you are still on T4 it won't work on T6. Though you still have T4 this should not be used for amending the timetable or writing back to the SIMS SQL DB, T6 communicates solely to SIMS then T4 reads from SIMS for modules such as cover.

[bossman]

If i am not mistaken structure can be built in T4 and then imported into T6 and then edited and exported back into T4 and then SQL update ran which uploads the new timetable data into SQL. Never used any other third party timetabling software so could not advise on this.

 

Capita has plans to go totally T6 but there are too many other ties with other parts of Sims structure at the moment (slowly slowly catchy monkey).

[Ravening_Wolf]

But no one can remember a specific memo from Capita forbidding the use of third party software? I had a look at capitaes.co.uk but that site is completely useless :@

[PhilNeal]

We would not have issued a statement such as the one you suggest but I am unaware of any other supplier that has written an interface to the SQL database.

 

BTW CapitaES.CO.UK is a marketing web site - users should use http://support.capitaes.co.uk :!:

[Ravening_Wolf]

So is GP Untis supported or not?

[StArbiter]

So is GP Untis supported or not?

I know that Keith Johnson Timetabler works with SIMS .net. I suspect it's up to GP Untis to do the interface work - the information is available if GP Untis wish. How many schools use this product - I have never heard of it before.

 

There is a lot of useful information on interfacing on the partners page of Capitaes.co.uk.

[Ravening_Wolf]

Sorry to keep on but the question is not "will it work" but "should the software be installed or should the member of staff responsible be forced to use Nova-T4/6"?

[StArbiter]

Nova is proven to work. If you install the Untis software there can't be any guarantee the timetables will make it into SIMS. I know what my school would do. :idea:

[PhilNeal]

The situation with GP Untis is that they are not a partner. What this means is that they will need to take responsibility for the injection of the data into SIMS SQL. With Partners, Capita accepts some responsibility in trying to fix issues that occur.

[Ravening_Wolf]

Considering the member of staff involved managed to screw up the timetable last year, I am very, very reluctant to allow for the potential of this happening again. Especially as IT got the blame for a procedural error :@

[bossman]

Ravening_Wolf:

i would go with T4-6 and have done with it. Tell the timetabler that due to the changes in Sims no other third party timetable software is supported end of story. Do you want to give yourself headaches with third party timetable software?

[worthingwire]

The situation with GP Untis is that they are not a partner. What this means is that they will need to take responsibility for the injection of the data into SIMS SQL. With Partners, Capita accepts some responsibility in trying to fix issues that occur.

 

Yet the bloke I deal with at gp-untis suggests that Capita are blocking any attempt by them to enable an interface with SIMS. I am dismayed by this, as I have found untis by far the easiest timetabling software to use, and yet it now looks like I'll be forced to do the whole thing again in NOVA-T.

[StArbiter]

Worthingwire - if GP untis are making these allegations why not take it up directly with your local capita account manager or write to phil neal direct ?

[Keith-Johnson]

"Keith Johnson TimeTabler" is a Capita partner,

and has been for a few years.

 

You can export the completed timetable from TimeTabler into SIMS .net,

using exactly the same import wizard [currmatch.exe] that T6 uses.

 

There is full step-by-step documentation on how to do the export from TimeTabler.

 

You can see Users' Comments on this at:

Users' Comments and Testimonials about TimeTabler

 

Users' Comments and Testimonials about TimeTabler

Edited October 22, 2009 by Keith-Johnson

[Sivadam]

One wonders why any SIMS users would even contemplate using Timetable packages other than NT6 ................

[Keith-Johnson]

In response to "Sivadam"'s question :

it is because TimeTabler includes features that T6 does not have, and is thought by many many Users to be more friendly and intuitive than T6.

 

See the Testimonials at:

Users' Comments and Testimonials about TimeTabler

[MattMitchell]

I'm beginning to think that Sivadam is a shareholder rather than a partner!

 

Seriously though, it makes sense for a school to continue to use their existing timetabling solution, as long as it works with SIMS. Timetabling and the software to do it are complex, and retraining to use a new package can be risky, time-consuming and costly.

[vikpaw]

I'm beginning to think that Sivadam is a shareholder rather than a partner!

:lol:

[MattMitchell]

One wonders why any SIMS users would even contemplate using Timetable packages other than NT6 ................

 

To be fair, we get Nova-T6 as part of our LA SIMS package, along with various essentials like AM7, etc. In that situation, it makes sense to go with Nova unless there is a strong business case to do otherwise!

 

Nova does seem pretty good. We have a complex timetable, with streams, mixed streams, sets that divide streams up, sets that cross the entire year, offsite provision, etc, and Nova handles all of these.

 

Also, I've not tried the demo of Timetabler yet, but it looks like you have to assign teaching staff before arranging the timetable. This may not always be the best method: we have a number of staff skilled in more than one subject area, and restricting staffing in this way wouldn't fulfil our needs.

 

Also, does timetabler cover rooming? Nova does integrate with SIMS very well, and certainly at the moment I can't see a case for moving away from it for us.

[DavidHayton]

One wonders why any SIMS users would even contemplate using Timetable packages other than NT6 ................

 

Because, from a timetabling perspective (I'm a school timetabler, not a systems manager), I find Timetabler to be far superior. The way in which it prioritises activities during scheduling, and searches for solutions when they don't appear to fit at all is astonishing.

 

When I've finished scheduling it transfers the timetable into SIMS.net in just the same way as T6. From there on we use SIMS to print timetables, arrange cover, etc, etc.

 

David Hayton

King Henry VIII School, Coventry

[DavidHayton]

Also, I've not tried the demo of Timetabler yet, but it looks like you have to assign teaching staff before arranging the timetable. This may not always be the best method: we have a number of staff skilled in more than one subject area, and restricting staffing in this way wouldn't fulfil our needs.

 

Also, does timetabler cover rooming? Nova does integrate with SIMS very well, and certainly at the moment I can't see a case for moving away from it for us.

 

No you don't have to assign teachers to subjects before you start scheduling with Timetabler. You can assign subjects to an activity at any stage during the timetabling process.

 

Timetabler does the rooming very well. When editing the rooming at the end of the process it has a very powerful drag-and-drop facility that can move activities between rooms quickly and intuitively.

 

Timetabler integrates with SIMS. net in exactly the same way as T6 does - it uses the same import wizard.

 

David Hayton

King Henry VIII School, Coventry

[wilmslow]

I find the Johnson package superior that why I use it but at the end of the day its what you are happy with. As a timetabler in a large school(2000 pupils, 500+ sixth form, 120+ staff) I find the fit facility a tool I could not live without.