Install SIMS Auto Link

This installation must completed by an IT Technician from your organisation. These instructions are for an organisation with SIMS hosted locally on site, and do not work for an organisation using SIMS hosted centrally, for example, by Local Authorities. If you do have SIMS hosted locally, you must have access to your host machine to complete the installation.

The SIMS application automatically transfers student data from SIMS directly into IRIS ParentMail and updates every night. It does not change any of your data in SIMS as it only transfers data one way, which means you need to keep your SIMS data up to date.

Requirements
Microsoft Windows	7 SP1 or 8 or 8.1 or later	32-bit or 64-bit
Microsoft Windows Server	2008 R2 SP2 or 2012 or 2012 R2 or later	64-bit
Microsoft .NET Framework	4.6.1 or later	depends on operating system
Microsoft SQL Server	2012 or later	depends on operating system
Capita SIMS	7.156 or later

Activate SIMS Auto Link in IRIS ParentMail

1. Log in as the main administrator on the host machine or SIMS server directly, then log in to IRIS ParentMail as the Administrator.

   You need to be able to write to your c:\drive to complete this installation successfully.

2. Select Settings > MIS Link.

3. The MIS Link page is displayed. Select MIS Link from the drop-down list, then select Save.

   

4. In Sims Installations Only, select Report Exporter Installer.

   Select Enable Autolink to generate your API Key, which is needed later in the process.

Installing the SIMS Auto Link Application

1. When the Report Export Installer is downloaded, open and run the file.
2. View and accept the terms and conditions.
3. Confirm the install path, which must be C:\Program Files\ParentMail\SIMS AutoLink\
4. Select Install, then when the install is complete, close the install wizard.

5. In IRIS ParentMail, select Imports > Create Import, select Downloads.

   

6. Download the required .rptdef files, then save them to C:\Program Files\ParentMail\SIMS AutoLink.

   If you are not using Parents’ Evening Manager on IRIS ParentMail, you only need the staff export.rptdef and student parent export.rptdef files.

   

Configure the IRIS ParentMail – SIMS Auto Link Application

The following steps only apply when installing the SIMS Auto Link Application for the first time.

1. Select Start >Config Manager.
2. Select File > Run the setup wizard.

3. Select Run Complete Setup.

   

4. Select Create a new configuration.

   

5. Select the three dots (…) to generate a new Site ID, then select Next.

   You can create your own ID, but the easiest way is to let us generate one for you.

   

6. Select he three dots (…), find and select C:\Program Files\ParentMail\SIMS AutoLink, then select Next.
7. Save the logs to your C:\ drive, then select Next.
8. Select Yes to add a new organisation, then select Next.

9. Enter the API key (to find your API key, in IRIS ParentMail select Settings > MIS Link, then copy and paste the code), then select Next.

   When you are copy the API Key, make sure you do not have any spaces before or after the code as this stops Config Manager from running the reports.

   

10. Open C: drive > Program Files > SIMS, then find the connect.ini file.

    The connect.ini file may redirect you to another file path on your system, for example, S:/SIMS. If this is the case, go to this drive and find the connect.ini file, which has the information you need.

11. The Server and Instance is displayed as the server name. Copy and paste everything that appears after the equals character, for example, SIMSNET2K8\SIMS.
12. The Catalog name is displayed as the database name in the connect.ini file.

13. Add your SIMS Username and Password, then select Next.

    The SIMS user that you assign to the Auto Link must have the following permissions:

    • Third Party Reporting
    • Personnel Officer
    • Admin Assistant

    

14. Enter the following details to add a new report definition.

    You only need to add all four reports if you are using Parents’ Evening Manager. If not, you only need to download the Student Parent Export and Staff Export.

    • Name — must be entered as one of the following: 

      Make sure that you do not have a space before or after as this causes errors.

      • PMX2 Student Parent Export
      • PMX2 Staff Export
      • PMX2 Class Teacher Export
      • PMX2 Tutors Export
    • Type — enter csv

    • File — locate the files in C:\Program Files\ParentMail\SIMS AutoLink

    

15. Enter the following details to define the report type:

    The Type Name and Type Signature must match the provided options. Make sure you do not have a space before or after as this causes errors.

    • Type Name — must match the report Name from the previous step

    • Type Signature — copy and paste the Type Signature from this guide or within ParentMail > Settings > SIMS Auto Link

      • PMX2 Student Parent Export — 2f07016ca2b646c327020ae97e2d9252
      • PMX2 Staff Export — ecdc2d99d90ba8cf982a95b2d3132f5d
      • PMX2 Class Teacher Export — 4410e1f9d45349369ba17551e9295ade
      • PMX2 Tutors Export — 8eb4b7b2349f18470197168c54d2a0c9

    

Repeat the Add Report step for each report definition required for synchronization.

16. When you have finished adding reports, select No to continue the set up.

17. Confirm your configuration in the end step and finish the configuration wizard.

    You must save the configuration for the settings to take effect (File and Save).

18. Make sure that the ParentMail SIMS Auto Link Report Exporter service is running in Services Manager. To check this, go to Tools > Services Manager.

Optional Configuration Options

Proxy

If you are using a proxy, you need to configure the IRIS ParentMail – SIMS data Auto Sync application with your proxy settings. To check if you have a proxy, go to Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings > Advanced, where if the proxy server has been set up, details are displayed. If advanced is greyed out, it means you are not using a proxy and can ignore this step.

If your organisation is using a proxy, you need to select Enable and Bypass for local addresses. You then need to copy and paste the proxy addresses and ports from your advanced LAN settings into the Proxy dialog.

FireWall

The Auto SIMS data application uses port 9002 by default, so your FireWall needs to allow traffic through this port.

Verify Connectivity and Manual Data Synchronisation

1. When everything is configured, on the School Details page, select Ping to verify your connectivity with IRIS ParentMail.

   If Last pinged at populates with a date and time, then connectivity has been established.

2. When connectivity has been established, select Sync to manually request a data synchronisation. Last synced at populates with a date and time the sync completed.

   

3. Select Imports in IRIS ParentMail to confirm if the data has been processed.

Troubleshooting

When you have selected Ping, a date and time are displayed. If the time and date are not displayed, you need to go back to your log files and investigate where the Auto SIMS link has broken.

If your Auto Link is unable to ping, sync, or import, follow these steps to resolve the problem:

• Are you receiving an error message when you run the installer? — is displayed if you do not have microsoft.net framework 4.6.1 or higher on your computer. Download the framework for free, which takes around 5 minutes and your computer needs to be restarted after.
• Have you set the base location to C:\Program Files\ParentMail\SIMS AutoLink?
• Have you checked your reports? — the name of the reports needs to be exactly the same as it is on the instructions with no spaces or additions. Make sure they are saved in the base location C:\Program Files\ParentMail\SIMS AutoLink.
• Have you checked your SIMS login details are correct and that your account has the relevant permissions required to run the report? — the account must have Third Party Reporting, Personnel Officer, and Admin Assistant permissions.
• Is the SIMS database location correct? — when viewing the details in the connect.ini file, it might display a redirect to another location.
• Do you require a proxy server set up? — to check the details, select Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings > Proxy Server. (You might need to check your advanced proxy settings if the option is selected, but no address is displayed).

1. When you have completed all of the above, select File > Save in the configuration manager.

2. Select Ping, then Sync.

   If a date and time for both options is not displayed, locate the log file and log a support ticket (a Service Cloud account is required) with the file attached. Typically, the file is located in C:\logs\parentmailreportexporter and is named with today’s date.

   If a date and time stamp is displayed, log in to IRIS ParentMail, then select Imports > Imports. The file names of all your imports are displayed. If your Auto Link is working correctly, a new import for today is displayed with (autolink) next to it.

   If a new import is not displayed, log a support ticket (a Service Cloud account is required) so our Support Team can help check what the fault is and direct you to the fix or select Live Chat to contact the Technical Support Team.

3. When you finish the setup wizard, if you are unable to save the configuration, you need to make sure you have permission to save in the ParentMail folder on the C Drive on your computer. Select Start > Computer > C:/ > Program Files, right-click on ParentMail, then select Properties > Security > Advanced >Change Permissions> Add. Enter everyone in the object name, select check names, then select OK. Select Apply, then OK on the open security windows. You can now go back to the configuration manager and retry to save the configuration.