LosOjos

I feel I have to be "that guy" here - why aren't you using your MIS? Excel was never intended to act as a database, you can force most database features upon it but it soon becomes an unwieldy mess... not that there aren't good reasons to use Excel of course!

I find that issues with student titles are usually caused by the student being set as a contact for somebody; this can either be done in error (student has same/similar name as a contact and is chosen on the matching screen when the contact is added) or can be genuine (older sibling in school for example). Either way, the way to fix it if that is the case is to find out who the student is a contact for, then open up the contact and remove the title there. You may also be able to find the student's contact profile via the "People > Contacts" menu. If it's an error, you're best removing the student as a contact and creating a new one, with a title. If it's genuine, just remove the title on the contact page.

Anybody know if these have to be downloaded from somewhere other than K2S now? I'd usually expect them to be available by now!

Haha yeah I probably ought to change that Glad it helped you out - one of those niggling things that rears it's head every now and then!

You could try my little utility if you want, I wrote it to do something similar: SIMS Image Grabber - Dropbox Import the report in to SIMS.net, then run it and save the output as XML. Then, run my program (you'll need to do it in a console) and it'll extract all the photos from the XML for you - run it with no arguments for a "how to" It saves as JPG at the moment, but if you must have BMP you could either use another program like IrfanView to convert them all, or I can probably add the option to my program for you.

Can't you get around it by using an array for the value and storing each individual error in that array? That's what I did with the CSV example as I expected you'd have multiple errors for the same lamp. Or am I missing the point? (it's not unusual!) Thinking about it, is it the case that you need to store each occurrence of each error type for each lamp? If so, can you set up a hash table for the lamps, then nest a second hash table for the error types in that hash table (or vice-versa depending on how you then want to access that data)? So you'd end up with something like this (purely made up I'm afraid!): Lamp 1 Error Type 1 { 1001, 1002, 1245 } Error Type 2 { 5687, 7845, 9865, 1254 } Lamp 2 Error Type 1 { 7853 } Error Type 2 { 846, 9786, 2165 } Lamp 3 Error Type 3 { 8743, 976, 654 }

I'm not sure I explained it very well, plus doing a little research I found Powershell supports hash tables (designed for exactly this purpose)! I've put together an example for you, using a CSV as input that hopefully you can adapt. Here's the CSV: ErrorType,Code Foo,5467 Tango,5094 Tango,8839 Tango,1476 Tango,7885 Tango,2882 Foo,5137 Tango,9135 Foo,8676 Tango,43 Tango,3202 Fault,3394 Tango,1137 Fault,6424 Tango,1318 Tango,8667 Fault,6441 Tango,1881 Fault,4497 Fault,3025 Fault,9048 Foo,7143 Foo,4569 Fault,6771 Foo,4924 Foo,3221 Foo,9109 Fault,2783 Foo,2449 The Powershell script here will iterate through this CSV, check the "ErrorType" and see if it exists in the hash table. If it does, it adds the value from the "Code" column to the value part for that key (which is an array). If it doesn't, it creates the new key and adds the initial value to it. When it's done, you're left with a hash table containing all the various error types as keys, so you can look up any by name (e.g. to get the values for "Fault", you'd use $keyvalue["Fault"]). [color="#FF8C00"]$path[/color] = [color="#A52A2A"]"C:\errors.csv"[/color] [color="#FF8C00"]$keyvalue[/color] =@{} [color="#FF8C00"]$file[/color] = [color="#0000FF"]Import-Csv[/color] [color="#0000FF"]-path[/color] [color="#FF8C00"]$path[/color] [color="#0000FF"]foreach[/color]([color="#FF8C00"]$line[/color] [color="#0000FF"]in[/color] [color="#FF8C00"]$file[/color]) { [color="#0000FF"]if[/color]([color="#FF8C00"]$keyvalue[/color].ContainsKey([color="#FF8C00"]$line[/color].ErrorType)) { [color="#FF8C00"]$keyvalue[/color][[color="#FF8C00"]$line[/color].ErrorType] += ,([color="#FF8C00"]$line[/color].Code) } [color="#0000FF"]else[/color] { [color="#FF8C00"]$keyvalue[/color].add([color="#FF8C00"]$line[/color].ErrorType, @([color="#FF8C00"]$line[/color].Code)) } } [color="#FF8C00"]$keyvalue[/color] EDIT: just thought I'd make the example complete by posting the output given from the example data above: Name Value ---- ----- Fault {3394, 6424, 6441, 4497...} Foo {5467, 5137, 8676, 7143...} Tango {5094, 8839, 1476, 7885...}

OK I'm with you, misunderstood the problem. I don't think I've ever actually heard of dynamically creating named variables before (that's what dynamic arrays are for) but my approach would be to go for a key-value pair type of approach. So, you create an empty array in PowerShell which will hold string values for your new array names; let's call it $key; and a second array called $value which will hold each separate array you want to store. Each time you parse the array name, you check if it already exists in $key and if not then you create it. Once you create the key, you then create the array with he same index in $value and finally add our new value to that array. If the key already exists in $key, we use the index to add data to the corresponding array in $value. I don't do a lot of PowerShell, but if I was tackling this problem, that's how I'd do it. There are a couple of articles here which may help (they were ones I skimmed through to make sure it's even possible to do it this way in PowerShell) Find the Index Number of a Value in a PowerShell Array - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs Easily Create and Manipulate an Array of Arrays in PowerShell - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs EDIT: if it's possible to do multi-dimensional arrays in PowerShell, then you could make this even leaner by having a single multi-dimension array, the first dimension of which is the key and the second the corresponding arrays of values. That would be the "proper" way to do it.

There's a Scripting Guy blog describing how to do just that here: http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2011/12/08/read-a-csv-file-and-build-distinguished-names-on-the-fly-by-using-powershell.aspx

I have the same problem myself and what's worse is that when September comes around, the supervisors still don't show until you delete and recreate the marksheets. No solution I'm afraid but I'd be very happy to hear of one...

This one bugged me too! The way I got around it was to insert some text in to the blank page, then make the font colour white so as to make it invisible. The fact the page isn't technically blank prevents SIMS from deleting it, and as it's white it won't show up on the print out. Win!

Courtesy of @GrumbleDook: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/school-ict-policies/139121-ico-updates-data-protection-guidance-resources-schools.html

Hi @Superius2014 and welcome to EduGeek I'm a little unsure as to your current methods; changing the gradeset each term sounds like a difficult way of doing things! What I do (and I think is the way it's generally done), is to create an aspect for each subject I want to collect TA for, and link them all to the same gradeset (this makes comparison easier as well as allowing you to tweak to levels if you need to, which we all will do soon!). So for instance, I'll have 3 aspects: "English TA", "Maths TA", "Science TA" tied to a gradeset called "KS3 Sub Levels". At KS3, we tend to do one TA per term, so I have set up 3 resultsets per year group, e.g. "Y7 TA 1", Y7 TA 2, "Y7 TA 3" I'll then create a template for each subject, and in to each will put 3 copies of the aspect for that subject, each linked to a different resultset. When teachers open the marksheet for that template, they'll see all 3 terms' TAs laid out in front of them. You can also lock resultsets to prevent entry, I tend to only unlock a resultset when I want teachers to enter data, that way it prevents them from entering data in to the wrong column when they open their marksheet. I hope this helps!

One thing I'm finding extremely irritating with most of the apps I've tried is that they only show net figures over the specified time frame, rather than a rolling balance. I just can't see the logic in that, especially as most of them don't let you set a manual time frame (which I could work with)

@Galway - as my mother used to say, "if you have nothing useful to say, STFU" More seriously, your posts aren't helping anyone, you're just turning *yet another thread* in to an argument (not that you particularly have a habit of doing that, it just seems to be becoming a painfully frequent occurrence on EG these days) If you don't want/need an app to keep track of your expenses, good for you. Telling others you don't need the help they do very rarely helps them though. At best you come across cocky, at worst you outright offend people. Back on topic: as @pcstru quite rightly says, banks seem incapable of providing a real time balance. I can't count the number of time I've incurred a £25 fee plus £6 daily fee because when I checked my balance, it appeared to be in credit but actually I'd already spent some money that wasn't showing yet. To make matters worse, I use a text alert system with Lloyds to warn me when my account is below £x. Incredibly, they fail to text me when I'm overdrawn. In fact, if I don't get a text alert, I assume I'm overdrawn! So keeping track myself allows me to see where I really stand. I don't do every little transaction to the penny, but if I spend £20 on Steam, it goes in. £5 on eBay, in it goes. £15 on a pub lunch, we'll track that too. Then, when I get a text saying "OMG, you have to see this band!", a quick check of my tracking allows me to see whether I can really afford it this month. We've not all got enough disposable income to not worry about it!

If you have the ability to remember exactly where your account stands at any given time, good for you. The rest of us mere mortals use some form of tracking, as that's how we learnt to deal with it I started with a Google Docs sheet but my $deity was it a PITA to maintain on my phone! Started using this and it seems pretty good so far (and it's free!): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.expensemanager&hl=en

I've been looking for a good personal budgeting tool, somewhat ironically however $60 is a bit out of my budget! Also don't like that you're only covered for updates on current major version. It's good that they're up front about it, but is there any guarantee that if/when v5 comes out, you'll still be able to use cloud services to sync v4 with your mobile?

Just a follow up to say I haven't forgotten about you, just been pulled down by an under current of end of year reports! Will post up my sheets soon for you to play with

I've been meaning to redesign my website for ages now. I started off wanting to put all sorts on there, but never have the time. Part of the redesign that exists solely in my head ATM was to put in a data section. I thought about discussing time saving Excel tips, effective use of data, AM7 efficiency tips and tricks. Problem is, I'm not sure I'm the best person to give out that advice! That's why I like this group we have here, it encourages discussion whereas sometimes the problem with a blog is people either thank you for your insight or ignore you because you're dumb... I've also thought about setting up a new online forum with a focus on data. I see some amazing things on here and I'd love to encourage more sharing amongst DMs, but I'm just not sure there are enough of us to warrant yet another online community...

As it's been written as a function, you just call the function on whichever paths you want. Files will be recoverable though, the only way you can absolutely make sure they're not recoverable would be to use a tool like Eraser to remove them. You could still script it in a BATCH file though.

Hi @minimoo - thankls for sharing! We did start a thread a while back where we were all going to share our CommandReporter scripts, hasn't been updated in ages but maybe if you post your script there, it may prompt others to start sharing again? http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mis-systems/57084-sims-command-reporter-working-examples.html

It may be possible with third party software, but I wouldn't recommend it. From a legal standpoint, you're a new school now. Your existing letters, sent before you were an academy, should be archived as such. Out of curiosity, did you not have to start a fresh SIMS DB? The impression I have always got is that becoming an academy is seen as a new school opening, with new data to boot. When we went through a merge and name change, both old DBs were archived and a new one started, as well as a new DfE number being issued.

Certainly looks like a good one! My brain has had it for this week but I'll pick it up Monday morning and have a look for you, couple of ideas trying to form already despite the Friday haze...

I can't think of anything but horrible, messy ways to do this straight from SIMS, but I'm assuming you're using a BATCH script to automate extraction with CommandReporter? If so, you can modify it to add these columns. Straight after you have pulled the data (and assuming the output is called "report.csv"), do this: FOR /F "tokens=1,2 delims=," %%G IN (report.csv) DO ( echo add,student,%%G,%%H >> "temp.csv" ) MOVE /Y temp.csv report.csv The first part sets up a FOR loop to read your CSV line by line. The part between brackets, after DO, tells the script what to do with each parsed line, in this case append it to a temporary file. Finally, we use MOVE to replace the original "report.csv" with the new one. Hope this helps!

Back to OP - you need to check with the supplier of your third party product if AD Auth is available, if not then I'm afraid you have to choose between: - continuing to use a SIMS password (recommended from a security POV) and your third-party software - moving to SIMS 'Trusted' login (i.e. AD Auth) and finding an alternative to the third-party software To be totally honest, if the system wants your SIMS credentials, it's probably extracting data using CommandReporter, which has a command line argument "/TRUSTED" when you're using AD Auth with SIMS, so they should be able to get their system to continue working, assuming they're connected to the network. If it's an online system, I'm sure it'd be possible still but more work from their POV if they haven't already got a system to handle this in place.