[sims] Importing Email Addresses into SIMS

[boffinson]

Hi

 

We have been asked to import all the student email addresses into SIMS, as they want to send out emails via InTouch.

Is there any easy way to do this, as we have about 1200 kids on roll...

 

Cheers

[LosOjos]

to EduGeek

 

Unfortunately, I don't believe there is a quick way of doing this. Email addresses aren't included in a CTF so you can't get it in that way and the only other way of importing data is in to assessment manager aspects - I think you're going to have to do what I did recently and enter them all manually I'm afraid!

[LosOjos]

Actually, looking at the full CTF schema here: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmin/ims/datatransfers/ctf/a0077477/ctf11-specification-and-guidance-from-november-2011

 

I can see that email addresses can be inserted in to CTF, it just appears that SIMS doesn't (EDIT: wrong again, it does!)... perhaps it will still import them...

 

Off to do some testing, back with results soon!

Edited January 26, 2012 by LosOjos

[LosOjos]

Right, it appears you can import email addresses on a CTF, you simply need to put it between tags within the node. Unfortunately, you can't set it to the main/primary email address from the CTF and I can't see a routine in SIMS to do this en masse, so I'm not sure InTouch will automatically pick it up... as we don't use InTouch, I'm afraid I can't test that for you.

 

What format is your data currently in? Are you able to knock something together to generate a CTF from your data or would you like a bit of help with it?

[Sivadam]

There is a Bulk Update Tool within InTouch but you still have to copy and paste the email address. It does ave having to go into each pupil's record though!

I think you can also get Capita to do it for you but you would have to pay for the service!

[LosOjos]

you still have to copy and paste the email address

 

Not if you script together a CTF

 

Wish I'd thought of this before I input a load manually

[Sivadam]

I bow to your superior knowledge on this one!

[LosOjos]

I bow to your superior knowledge on this one!

 

You could have warned me to take a seat Mike!

[Rawns]

I'd wait for a reply from @matt40k - I believe he's been looking at bulk importing e-mail's into SIMS .net. He may be able to assist here.

[boffinson]

Cheers Guys, We will give it a shot and get back to you...

[Sivadam]

You could have warned me to take a seat Mike!

 

I must be mellowing in my old age!

 

Then again - we ain't had any malicious posts recently!

[matt40k]

Yer I can bulk import staff, student and contact email address and telephone numbers directly into SIMS .net using the SIMS API. Unfortunately it's only licensed with Capita for the schools we support

 

Sniff.

[matt40k]

we ain't had any malicious posts recently!

 

SIMS smells of rotten fish, I blame that dodgy looking guy Sivadam who voted for it

[LosOjos]

Yer I can bulk import staff, student and contact email address and telephone numbers directly into SIMS .net using the SIMS API. Unfortunately it's only licensed with Capita for the schools we support

 

Sniff.

 

Ah the elusive SIMS API. I've been trying to get access to that for about 18 months now

[vikpaw]

Hi

 

We have been asked to import all the student email addresses into SIMS, as they want to send out emails via InTouch.

Is there any easy way to do this, as we have about 1200 kids on roll...

 

Cheers

 

What format are they in? Is it easily formulated? Mine are just their admission number, and i had a patch created that will do it for you. It's Capita made and approved. But unfortunately they made it for a version of the software i'm not running yet! It worked on a test server

 

I'm sure it could be tweaked. It pulls them in as Work address for student and also, manages updates and marking them as MAIN.

 

I can dig out the number tomorrow when back in office.

 

@LosOjos - pm / email me and i may have some info for you

[matt40k]

What format are they in? Is it easily formulated? Mine are just their admission

 

I laught at David Grashoff when he pointed me at that patch, I didn't think anyone would be unkind enough to give students email addresses based on the admission numbers!

[GREED]

It shouldn't matter Matt, to link any email address to a student record (which if I read right looks at the admission number as the unique identifier) then it is the process of locating the correct record which has been done.

 

Although, I remember asking for this 4 years ago...

[vikpaw]

I laught at David Grashoff when he pointed me at that patch, I didn't think anyone would be unkind enough to give students email addresses based on the admission numbers!

 

- But it makes absolute sense, because it's the same as their login now, and it's obfuscated to the public, so it can act as a safety feature too.

 

It shouldn't matter Matt, to link any email address to a student record (which if I read right looks at the admission number as the unique identifier) then it is the process of locating the correct record which has been done.

 

Although, I remember asking for this 4 years ago...

 

The admission number is used here, however, for other purposes of getting data out of SIMS, we're relying on the person id from the db, because, this also captures pre-admission students, who we want to do things with regards getting their photos on ID cards early.

 

As it happens, having the student emails on the system isn't that useful, as they don't seem to use them much. Most staff maintain a list of their personal addresses. This will change in the future as we start using sharepoint.

[GREED]

- But it makes absolute sense, because it's the same as their login now, and it's obfuscated to the public, so it can act as a safety feature too.

 

 

 

The admission number is used here, however, for other purposes of getting data out of SIMS, we're relying on the person id from the db, because, this also captures pre-admission students, who we want to do things with regards getting their photos on ID cards early.

 

As it happens, having the student emails on the system isn't that useful, as they don't seem to use them much. Most staff maintain a list of their personal addresses. This will change in the future as we start using sharepoint.

 

Useful if you want to use Schoolcomms or group call to send them direct messages, like the parents receive.

[vikpaw]

Useful if you want to use Schoolcomms or group call to send them direct messages, like the parents receive.

Yes but we evaluated the usefulness based on how much they use their actual school emails! Hardly ever unless they study IT at upper school, or are taking a specific IT module for email in primary school. Hence why uptake should be much better once they have a vle to log into and then get email automagically.

[GREED]

Yes but we evaluated the usefulness based on how much they use their actual school emails! Hardly ever unless they study IT at upper school, or are taking a specific IT module for email in primary school. Hence why uptake should be much better once they have a vle to log into and then get email automagically.

 

Do you allow access to web mail accounts? A number of schools I have worked in/with do this and do their school accouns are all they have internally so the uptake is much higher.

[vikpaw]

Do you allow access to web mail accounts? A number of schools I have worked in/with do this and do their school accouns are all they have internally so the uptake is much higher.

It is allowed, but the issue is more they don't have the time in front of a computer, however, site wide wireless will be rolled out shortly (once the niggles are deniggled) at which point there'll need to be rules on usage, and most likely they will be steered towards using school email via Outlook, OWA.

 

Be interested to know if anyone uses live@edu for their internal mail, but chooses to block hotmail - probably a topic for a different thread though. don't want to derail this too much for our new member Mr @boffinson .

 

You'd have thought that Capita would buy out @matt40k 's app, ( or just buy him, to market S3 ! ), or at least make their own to make life easier for those that have forked out for InTouch.

[matt40k]

You'd have thought that Capita would buy out @matt40k 's app

 

Pfff.. unlikely, more likely they'll add something into SIMS or let me release it publicly.

[deKay]

Sorry for the thread resurrection, but I'm after doing the exact same thing now - importing 1200 student email addresses into SIMS for students, so we can use them with InTouch (specifically, for the new exam timetable emails feature).

 

Can this (now) be done? Has anyone done it? If so, how?

 

Thanks.

[vikpaw]

@deKay - if they are easily formulated, there is a patch, as i mentioned earlier, that could easily be modified to suit your school. ours are just admission number followed by the @school.sch.sa suffix. it should be relatively simple to alter, but if you use names and there is a risk of duplication, then it may need the human element to intervene.