matt40k

I think your thinking of the difference between scripter/junior developer vs senior developer/solution architect @rpwillis. It why senior developer/solution architect command a higher salary to a scripter/junior developer

I'd say avoid building your own, last thing you need to do is waste time fixing your own machine. I use to use an old server before switching to one of the Dell desktops that were being deployed across the school. If you do build your own, make sure its stable and ideally use an old case or the same style case as the rest of the school so they don't think they have cruddy hardware and you have all the best kit.

Other way round mate - data going into Azure data centers: Free Pricing - Data Transfers | Microsoft Azure Also believe you don't get charged if you go over the VPN? Very important note is you pay for when your server is allocated, ie switched on, so you can throw your backups up as blobs then when\if your on-prem hardware goes pop, just hit the virtual power button and start the Azure meter running - just remember to switch it off at night to keep the costs down. As for backups, I believe veeam has an addon.

That user base is the main problem, point and case, Nova-T4. It isn't the either one either, the list is pretty long where the customer adoption rate is horrendously slow. As for constraints, I think they're already so far down the path they don't know how to live without them. ONE 4 (the new LA MIS system) is riddled with legacy and if the rumors are true about SIMS7, it will too. It has, see above, @psydii posted a link to @GREED site with a very good list and answers to common questions

@scholarpack - like I said to you before, they should have forced buying off the G-cloud (or whatever they call it these days) at the fix prices. Software companies have three types of costs: 1/ Infrastructure 2/ Support 3/ Development We can basically ignore 1 as its pretty much nothing and its easy to formula a cost per unit, especially with the cloud. So can't cut costs there. No 2 again normally gets boiled down to a per unit cost. Which leaves 3, which is where the profit comes from. If you write something for 1 school, you could sell it 1,000 with little to no extra effort, now imagine the profit on repeating it to over 22,000. That's the staving out competition your on about. Admitting you'd have a few years of higher costs, but I can't image the shareholders would be happy bleeding money for too long, nor can I imagine it'll be long before the others look more attractive options. It got dismissed (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-60129-1580430) after they got a cash injected from somewhere - they haven't said where it came from or why.

Can of worms mate. Other suppliers would have been smashed with mod stick for advertising, even truly independent folk have been smashed - @GREED - before any disagrees, he works for GroupCall, they don't care what MIS you have, the only exception would be SIMS Teacher App or InTouch, but I haven't seen him blogging about either of them!! Wouldn't be surprised if money has traded hands, not that anything is wrong with that - everyone's got bills to pay.

Go wash your mouth out with soap. Also I think they have a min of 10 users anyway, or something. Still I guess they would rather your buy the Teachers App for the teachers, which is another £500... so that's an extra £1,000 per year to make your SIMS cloud based on top of your standard SIMS license. I suppose flipping this on it's head and turning it Capita positive, how many other MIS suppliers offer a discount for self-hosting? Or not taking the app?

This is why you should be nosy and ask questions. They prob just turned up in a white van and started taking the wall out. Hardly anyone questions such things, its like if put on a hard helmet, a high vis jacket and starting taking the green cab apart, no-one will question you until disconnect their internet!! So long as you look the part and not some druggy or dress head to toe black clothing, you'll most likely get away with it. It was the same with a white coat in hospitals till a few years ago when they had a crack down on security, well I hope.

It's the passwords which is the issue, if you haven't added anyone and no-one has changed their passwords it'll be fine. If they have, you'll need to reset their password. Unless you run that command again

Nice offices too, they do free community events too and sponsors a lot of the free Microsoft SQL events as well, worth going to if you can get to any.

Was hinting at WTF is the point separating out DMS and SQL when SIMS server is basically a SQL server with a cruddy .net app (dms)

If you use SIMS SQL logins the passwords are stored in the MASTER database. DBAttach should transfer\backup the logins with passwords from MASTER into the SIMS\FMS database when it creates a backup and\or detaches the database, then when you reattach\restore it should restore\transfer the passwords from the database back into the MASTER database. If you use the more Windows Trusted, the password is stored in AD and your golden... so long as you don't change domain

Seriously? They haven't fixed that in dbattach? People are still either doing that or manually running the SQL command to transfer the logins? Next you'll be telling me you still can't us dbattach to restore SOLUS3 databases?! Seriously @PhilNeal, one of your devs could (code) fix it in 1hr.

Kinda expect @VeryPC_Colin_M to challenge @Bezza49 to tablets at dawn I think I'm with @sted - its progress, not perfection. If end up with them I would change the support model for them - rather then traditional next day onsite repair\replacement, I'd just have more spare ones like banks do and RMA them in bulk, still doesn't look good if you have 5x classrooms worth with 1 of those sets sat in the cupboard as "Just in case of failures", still that could never happen with iPads. I guess time will tell when it comes to the number you need in the spares cupboard, sure @VeryPC_Colin_M will be the first to say "I told you so"

Just be careful, if you don't update all the ini files you could end up with some people still using the old database. So if you do, do that, stop disable the SQL service.

Migration tool was for upgrading from SQL 2008 > 2012 > 2014. Not server moves.

Files make sense, but Document Server - it's rather overkill if you have a server for just document server - also why haven't they (Capita) use FileStream like they've done with FMS and ditched DMS :S

Define SIMS?

@PhilNeal - might want to get your folks to check the new SIMS db creator tool sets the recovery mode to SIMPLE by default.

Yer, change control is key to a good system. I think people fear it because it highlights mistakes, but how can you learn from your (or others) mistakes if you just ignore them. One thing worth mentioning is report it back to your SIMS Support team \ who set it up - basically was the recovery model not set correct because they didn't use the migration tool\whatever? IE is it user error, which is impossible to escape. Or is it a bug in dbattach? Or Capita migration tool - ie something that can be fixed and needs to be fixed.

LOL!! You sir are leaving in a dream world. They did use to have such a flag, but it was woefully inaccurate because hardly anyone ever logged out cleanly!! IE you had teachers listed who actually just pulled the cable and ran out the door come 3pm so you would be hunting round the building trying to find a ghost to kick them off SIMS. Also the list of "active" SQL users should be pretty accurate nowadays as SIMS now has alerts\messages so the client, when left open, will query the SQL server every few mins EDIT: A maintenance mode would have been good (restricted users). Also avoid single user mode like the plague, in between your set single user mode and your next statement a client can come steal that single connection, especially when you have hundreds of clients and third party apps connecting up automatically.

The SQL 2014 one? Not sure I follow? Surely you'd have a performance SLA, if you do, then who cares if Capita fixes it, if they need to spin up 100x large virtual servers at peak times because of poorly optimized code, that's their problem. You're paying them to take those problems away.

Never get Sky. Phone them up, can I have a new box, no, its £100. OK, I give notice. Missus orders Sky, gets new box for £0, butt loads of vouchers, gets to 12months then just repeat. Why would anyone stay with Sky for more then 12months when they treat existing customers so bad? Mind boggles

Fine it isn't a standalone part, but part of a larger whole. Find me a school with outstanding that has a pants website. Also you have to remember outstanding is a subjective term - from a technical perspective, school websites in general are pretty poor - https://github.com/matt40k/SchoolsWebsites-England. I've not found 1 that has scored a perfect score.

...but you wouldn't bought the Sony, you'd have got the cheaper Samsung which IS a proper Smart TV