SIMS: what to check if the SIMS Extract Tool is not running successfully

If your SIMS Extract Tool is not running successfully this article takes you through how to check your setup and resolve the most common issues.

Check your SIMS User Permissions

Check the SIMS user entered on the SIMS Extract Tool has been set up with these permissions:

- School Administrator
- Third Party Reporter
- Personnel Assistant

There is more information on this here: SIMS: Checking that you have the correct permissions for your SIMS.

Have you entered the correct System Name and API Key?

These details are entered on Step 1: Get Data from SIMS in the Extract Tool.

You can obtain the correct System Name and API Key from Tes Parents' Meetings via Settings > SIMS Integration when you are logged in as an Administrator .

Can you log into SIMS on the same computer?

On the computer that you have the SIMS Extract Tool installed on, check you can log into SIMS directly, using the same SIMS Username and Password that you entered in the Extract Tool. If you are unable to log into SIMS please check the details in SIMS and also the install of SIMS on your PC - you will need to contact your SIMS Support Team if you are unable to resolve any of these issues yourself.

Is you SIMS installed locally in the school or hosted elsewhere?

If your SIMS is hosted please see SIMS: Information on Hosted SIMS for guidance.

Check your SIMS.ini file

The SIMS.ini file on your computer should have a line similar to the one below, the directory must point to the correct SIMS.NET directory:

SIMSDotNetDirectory=C:\Program Files (x86)\SIMS\SIMS .net.

Check the location of your Document Server

Check the correct location has been set for your document server in SIMS. You will need to contact your SIMS Support Team if you are unsure on this.

Is the date format correct in the Extract Tool ?

Check the format of the Effective Date showing on Step 1: Get Data from SIMS in the SIMS Extract Tool, this should in the format DD/MM/YYYY as below.

You will need to update the date format settings on your PC if this is not showing correctly. Please contact your local IT Team if you are unsure on how to set this.

Is the time on your PC correct?

Check that the time on your computer's clock matches the time shown on this website https://time.is/.

If the time is ahead or behind this can cause the sync to fail and you will need to update the time on your computer's clock. If unsure how to do this please contact your local IT Support Team.

Checking you have fixed your issue

Once you have found and resolved the cause of your problem, check that the sync runs successfully by running the SIMS Extract Tool again manually.

If you still encounter errors please contact SchoolCloud's Support Team by clicking the Contact link at the top right of this page, or call us on 0333 3443403 (Monday-Friday 08:45-17:00 UK Time.