Damon

I can understand where you're coming from, that's what makes target tracker (and the like) so popular. As a team, we produced our own assessment setup in SIMS to meet that demand as there wasn't anything out of the box. It's difficult for a supplier to provide a catch all solution to what people are looking for but I'd say a fair majority would be reasonably happy with a defined system that allows for a little customisation. However, the approach to assessment is developing further so there's one or two third party products that are going to shut up shop because they can't afford to rebuild from the ground up. I had a chat with the guy who's developing the Bromcom Primary Tracker a month or so ago and it looks like they're trying to provide an intuitive system that's still flexible. You could define your gradeset, terms and expectations so it was able to generate statistics automatically. There was also a simple chart builder for reports that I can imagine users being able to construct themselves. I think most of us want to keep as much as possible within the MIS, or at least seamlessly integrated with it. So in that sense, I'm glad certain MIS suppliers are now looking to develop decent tools for the job. Ideally, we want to be able to compare any metric to attainment and identify patterns/trends. Once you have everything in one system, you have a lot more flexibility over this process. On the plus side, you have an opportunity to look at your assessment approach and see if it needs any tweaks to take it into the future. I've been working with a few schools that are moving away from the Emerging/Developing/Secure terminology and exploring the idea of every assessment being a point in time, ARE style of assessment. I.e. they should be expected or above at every capture point. This is a further move away from levels and working through steps. It's nice and easy to report on too as you are using the same terminology throughout. For example, the pupil arrived well below and they are now at expected. This is not term/year/subject specific and simplifies everything. Another school is looking at NFER testing and considering standardised score based tests, twice a year. Progress is easily measured from point to point and again, some nice easy metrics to understand. I looked at the Primary Tracker with this in mind (in addition to the E/D/S approach) and it definitely ticked the boxes. However, we'll probably end up doing a nice bespoke thing regardless as we like to nerd out

Perhaps you need to limit the SEND Needs to their main (i.e. by priority) and show one result. Additionally, are you limiting the lessons by date range and so on? Perhaps it's showing previous memberships too, so you may end up with duplicated students. It would help to see the structure as Bob said.

Thanks for creating this Graham, it makes interesting reading. FYI you can set slicers to be single select if you wanted to limit it to one year at a time.

What a cracking post! I think more and more schools/trusts are coming to the same conclusions. It's so important to look at your options and consider what's best for your establishment. I've been guilty of assuming SIMS was still the leading product without doing proper research so I'm glad we went through a similar review in partnership with our clients (I work for a support team). The points about reviewing your business processes during these changes are also spot on! In terms of the assessment side of things, Bromcom are developing a primary tracker product that looks to provide a flexible, out-of-the-box solution but we've just ported our existing Assessment system over instead. I agree that the current native analysis tools seem to be more secondary focused but there's a couple that are handy for Primaries and they have some new features in the works. However, one thing I'd say is that if you're picking up Power BI, you can just do the top level reporting with that. My thoughts were, whatever they come up with in the MIS, I still like the huge flexibility of Power BI and I assume I'll use it for the majority of top level analysis. On a teacher level, we've setup marksheets with some quick calculations so they can get a quick idea of where pupils are on the curriculum, this is then displayed on their insight homepage and so on. I realise this is comparably small in the grand scheme of things but I like how the assessments are linked to term and subject lookups. We've been able to produce marksheets where the subject is selected at run-time, so that's less templates to manage and less columns to confuse the end user. The templates are also really easy to build once you understand those links as you can bulk add columns based on selected subject, terms and year group. We're going through a big rethink of our assessment processes anyway but I can see that Bromcom will handle whatever we decide to throw at it.

The schools that we moved over had a mixture of software. The following apps were really easy to setup and are fully automated: InVentry Teachers2Parents (Via WONDE) NoMoreMarking (Via Assembly) CPOMS USO Autoupdate (LGFL/Atomwide) Schoolcomms was used by one of the schools but it only had basic integration. I think Bromcom will investigate further functionality if we need it but we're planning to start using the built in messaging and parent app stuff anyway so it's not really worth pursuing. Bromcom has the ability to send texts/emails direct from the MIS and if you opt for the parent app, you can send notifications, publish reports and so on. That's more the direction we're wanting to go as better core functionality with less reliance on third party apps has lots of advantages. Currently, one of the schools uses parent pay and they have a bit of contract remaining. Initially, this wasn't fully supported by Bromcom as they have their own payment system. However, the last I heard from my colleague is that a solution has been developed with Parent Pay and they are just awaiting sign off. This is pretty quick work considering the school has only been live for a month or so! Another one they're working on is Evolve but again, I think the school will probably end up ditching this and moving to Bromcom's built in solution once contracts are up. The last ones that are causing us pain are the CAPITA apps. Frustratingly, they only seem to integrate with SIMS so you'll probably have the same issues with any alternative MIS. One of the schools uses Agora and there's no support for this at present. Personally I'm not a massive fan of it anyway as schools end up jumping through loads of hoops to do some basic tasks. However, the school has a fair bit left of the contract and I'm not sure whether there's much hope of getting integration with this. My colleague is the one who's following this up though so I can't say for sure. When we raise support calls they take months to be responded to so I'm not holding out much hope for CAPITA doing some work on this! Lastly, there's good old FMS. The software that offers you a time warp to the 90's, though arguably this could be classed as fashionable now! As far as I know, FMS does not integrate with anything other than SIMS. There could be a number of political reasons for this, or perhaps it's just blind ignorance on their part. Hopefully we'll start the process of moving schools onto Bromcom finance in due course. For now, they just use FMS without salary projections. Depending on the school, this isn't always an issue. If you're in a trust, perhaps you have PS Financials or something along those lines anyway. When you're researching the third party software in use, it would be worth seeing if this functionality can be provided as part of your new MIS and factoring this into your decision. SIMS has to rely on a lot of bolstering for things that schools really need these days. The cloud MIS alternatives usually have some more stuff built in which helps to reduce costs and provides a number of efficiencies in terms of data management. However, stuff like Inventry is great and still has it's place. I should imagine most MIS providers can provide a list of what they can support but I would negotiate any unsupported products that are deal breakers for you. It may be that a few conversations can be had and it'll be added to the supported list. Especially when we're talking about modern cloud based apps.

Is it also worth setting up an SQL redirect in your old 2012 instance? Just in case there is a dodgy connect ini out there or S3 doesn't replace it. It wouldn't necessarily draw your attention to the workstation issue though.

Does it assign the deployment order automatically though? Just wondering if it may run them based on release date. We often run patches via Centrastage which makes things a bit easier. From memory, run dbattach from the cmd line with a /? switch. As Matt said though, the OP's original point stands, regardless of this workaround.

I work for a support team and we have recently moved several of our schools over to Bromcom. Overall, the data side of things is remarkably straightforward. The backup was sent off securely to Bromcom and they perform the conversion process on your behalf. It was promptly processed and allowed us to carry out some training on an initial snapshot of the data before we went live. We carried out a decent amount of cross checking afterwards to ensure the data was accurate but didn't find any issues. We did perform a decent amount of data cleansing in SIMS beforehand so I'd recommend that in any case. Regardless of which system you go for, you'll need to factor in the Assessment setup and historical results. As aforementioned, this may be a good chance to standardise! From what I've seen so far, I prefer the Assessment setup in Bromcom as every result is linked to subject/term/year group. In SIMS we had to create loads of different aspects and name them as Spring, Summer, Etc.. In Bromcom, you can just tick the subjects and terms you want to generate columns for and it's generated in a few clicks. We then used a mixture of the Assessment result importer and marksheet imports to bring over a good few years’ worth of data. Data is only one aspect of the transition so the next hurdle is training. Our approach was to start with some in depth training ourselves, then we provided on site training to the schools using a copy of their data. This offered an element of familiarity during the process which proved to be really helpful. Bromcom were always on hand for site visits or via webinar so we had our hands held throughout. We also had one of our staff acting as a floor walker at each school when they went live, just to alleviate any little issues that cropped up. Once the staff were left to their own devices, we had a good amount of support calls and last minute requests - How do I generate this report for the Governors? etc.. If you can plan for this, perhaps roping in some tech savvy staff to help out during this period would be helpful. Have a think about all of your process based tasks in advance, things like Attendance or Behaviour followups. Plenty of schools like sending letters but this could be replaced with text/email/parent app so it's worth getting that clear with the admin team in advance. That way, expectations are managed and it can be part of the training process. I'd also consider hiding aspects of the system that staff won't need. We realised afterwards that built in reports can be hidden/shown at a role or individual level. Schools found it much easier when we limited the options to things they will be using on a regular basis. You can always expand this at a later date as Staff become more familiar with the MIS. Some other things to consider are any third party apps you use that link to SIMS. The more modern apps with web interfaces linked in pretty easily and you don't have to worry about services stopping on a creaky SIMS server. However, there were one or two that didn't link at all. To be fair to Bromcom, they are working hard to resolve this and I believe they have fixed one already. On that note, I've found them very responsive to changes/requests which is really refreshing. Regardless of this, I would definitely gather a list of any third party apps and ascertain whether they are still necessary or could be done via other means. We had some messaging products which could easily be replaced with the built in Bromcom messaging system and parent app. In all, we had the odd grumble along the way but in my mind, that's to be expected during a period of change. We're a few months into the launch and we're already starting to see the fruits of our labour. There's lots of exciting functionality that wasn't available to us before and staff are spotting further efficiencies as they go. Every time I speak to one of the Head's we're swapping tips and marvelling at what can be done. On that front, it's going to be really important to get the buy-in from the SLT at each school and possibly some representative business managers. Regardless of the product, if this decision is top down, it'll be harder to garner support from those that will be using it every day. The success of the transition often depends on this.

I had the same issue as above for a 2016 RDS Server, both SIMS & FMS would work in Install mode but not in Execute. It turned out to be down to how Terminal services redirects files into the user home rather than using the Windows directory. Additionally, I had to force the app to be run as 32bit. Both changes can be done via the registry. Browse to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal Server\Compatibility\Applications\ Create a key (directory) for each executable name (pulsar for SIMS and finance for FMS). Within each key, create a DWORD named 'Flags' and set the value to 408. When saved, this will appear as 0x00000408. For reference, here are the exported keys: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal Server\Compatibility\Applications\PULSAR]"Flags"=dword:00000408[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal Server\Compatibility\Applications\FINANCE]"Flags"=dword:00000408 The aforementioned combines two flags together. The 32-bit windows program flag (0x8) and the system Windows directory instead of user Windows directory for the GetWindowsDir flag (0x400). Hope this helps!

Regarding the procurement rules, I believe the issue arises because most LA's are paying for the licence en masse to obtain a discount. There's no information as to how the new licensing will be handled so if Schools were to go direct to CAPITA as opposed to via the LA/support team, then I assume they could carry out a basic procurement routine as with any mid value contract. Until we know the full details as to how the software is paid for and licensed, we're simply speculating.

Actually, scrap that, you could put the code you need to transfer into the worksheets within the project as opposed to the modules.

MrMat is correct but I believe the last statement raises complications unless Excel has Trust access to the VBA project object model enabled (in trust centre > macro settings). You may wish to open the reportdata then copy the data back into the template rather than the traditional CAPITA approach. There are a few things to overcome but it can be done.

Hi Jons, That screenshot is pretty out of date as you'd guessed. The Server name is indeed SERVER\SIMS2014 and I'm guessing your database name is SIMS. SQL management studio can confirm that though by expanding the database folder. If you have trusted access via SQL management studio, you may be able to reset the sa pass by expanding the security folder, going into logins, right click on sa and select properties. You can overwrite the password and click OK to save. Unfortunately, if the Trusted option in dbupgrade isn't working then you probably won't have any luck with the aforementioned. Worth a try anyway. If not, can you go to services and check what user account the following service is running as: 'SQL Server (SIMS2014)'.

Understandably, you've made several assumptions based on my last few posts but I doubt the reality will match up to them. There's more than one way to skin a cat and you've probably got a bad impression of how things are done. I respect your opinion and I understand your concerns but I can assure you that we have the bases covered. In terms of SOLUS3, it's not necessarily the only way forward as there's alternatives such as virtual desktops or hosted SIMS. Nonetheless, you're right and it will be shut off in summer next year so everyone needs to have a plan for what they'll be doing next. My last post was to put things in context for ITGuy as to why there may be backlash against SOLUS3.

FYI just checked for reference and the Spring dbupgrade is 2.30.2.0

From memory, EAL permission is grouped with ethnicity. If all of that area is greyed out then yes it's down to permissions. If it's purely the EAL dropdown then it could be something else but I would only expect to see the latter on a new database.

Do you mean you've created a permissions group with access to that area?

Hi Jons, the dbupgrade.exe is deployed from the SIMSSQLApplicationsetup.exe in the SIMS Setups directory. Assuming the file is up to date and relevant for your version of SIMS, run the exe to update your SQL binn folder. However, it sounds like the real problem is that you can't login to SQL/Dbupgrade. Rather than trying combinations of SQL instance and database name, you can confirm those by checking the Connect.ini file which is usually stored within the main SIMS directory. Report back if you can't find this file as there are plenty of ways to obtain the info. Try running the patch again with the correct instance/db name and see how you go. If it still fails, then you may want to try and reset the SA pass via a script. However, bear in mind that there may be other services relying on that password so you need to check the impact on backups and so on. On that note, I'd check through the scheduled tasks to see if there's some old batch files that mention the SA password.

I understand how UAC works and I have my own reasons for choosing to disable it. I come from a different perspective because I support multiple sites that I don't necessarily have control of. One issue I have with UAC on a standard account is highlighted by the original poster. People will enter admin credentials to 'resolve' issues. The end result for me is schools thinking that is it's normal for this to happen, not to mention the numerous copies of connect ini's in users virtualstore directories which all generate support calls. If I had total control of a network then I'm sure I'd adopt the same stance as yourself, not to mention being more of an advocate of Solus3. I made a mistake by posting on this thread as I think my view is blurred by what works from a service perspective. You may disagree with me but hopefully you can appreciate where I'm coming from. Yes, SIMS upgrades are only 3 times a year and in a controlled environment there's no fuss. For those that don't have a problem with Solus3, I would make the assumption that you work directly for a school or group of schools. The reason I say this is because it's a difficult implementation for a support team to simply swallow up as part of standard operations and the lack of control or access to networks is extremely prohibitive in this project. There are issues which would affect support teams much more than individual sites so bear that in mind when you read the gripes people have. Any minor complication is magnified 100x.

I assume you're talking about UAC? If they are a standard user then it's arguably not an issue as they can't elevate anyway. If they have admin rights then that's another story of course. If it's the latter and they need admin for something other than SIMS then keep UAC on but fix the permissions for the SIMS directory.

Few things to recommend - Disable UAC Disable Zone Checking (Open File Security Warning - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Help Forums) Ensure the SIMS users have modify permissions for the local SIMS directory and C:\Windows\SIMS.ini

You need to do some more digging as to who you're paying the license (annual maintenance) to. The LA can usually offer a discount as they have bulk bought via CAPITA. Unless One Education were formerly the LA team, I doubt you will be paying the license fee to them. Comparing SLA costs from different SIMS Support teams isn't black and white. You need to look at what's included, what they can offer and the quality of their service. Without any idea of the size of your school, whether that includes the annual maintenance and what services you're receiving, it's hard to say whether you're paying over the odds.

I've not come across this before but could it be related to a timeout? Might be worth adding the old CommandTimeout line at the bottom of your connect ini. The following is a good place to start: CommandTimeout=100000

Agreed. Even via the CAPITA transfer tool, don't even bother!

Hi Andy, Most of the Academy Conversions I've seen have kept their SIMS database and used the name change patch to allow changes to DFE code and establishment name. I used to be wary of what is often a new establishment (DFE code) laying claim to the historical data of the source school but after discussions with the DFE, they allowed access to the historical data for 'as long as necessary'. On the contrary, FMS databases are always fresh for obvious reasons but the access to old data is allowed.