Using the Nova-T to SQL Link to Populate School Census Class

Using the Nova-T to SQL Link to Populate

School Census Class Activities in SIMS

Capita Children’s Services, Franklin Court, Priory Business Park, Bedford, MK44 3SG

Tel: 01234 838080 Fax: 01234 832082 http://sims.capitaes.co.uk

Revision History

Version Change Description Date

3.0 Updated to include changes in the School Census Spring 2011.

10/01/2011

© Capita Business Services Ltd 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, photocopied, stored on a retrieval

system, translated or transmitted without the express written consent of the publisher. Microsoft® and Windows® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft

Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Capita Doc Ref: NT_SQL/HBK/100111/AW

Providing Feedback on Documentation

We always welcome comments and feedback on the quality of our documentation including online help files and handbooks. If you have any comments, feedback or

suggestions regarding the module help file, this handbook (PDF file) or any other aspect of our documentation, please email:

[email protected]

Please ensure that you include the module name, version and aspect of documentation on which you are commenting.

mailto:[email protected]�

C Contents

01 Getting Started with the Nova-T to SQL Link .................1

Introduction ................................................................................... 1

Where to Find More Information..................................................... 1

Permissions Required ..................................................................... 2

Course Manager.............................................................................. 2

Process Flow Chart ......................................................................... 2

02 Exporting from Nova-T6 ................................................ 3

Selecting the Appropriate SPL File .................................................. 3

Setting the External Subject Code................................................... 3

Entering the Class Activity Codes.................................................... 4

Preparing for the Export from Nova-T to SQL.................................. 4

Exporting from Nova-T to SQL ........................................................ 5

03 Using the Nova/SQL Transfer Wizard ............................ 7

Using the Nova/SQL Transfer Wizard ............................................. 7

Viewing the Class Activities in the School Census Return ............. 11

Appendix ..................................................................... 13

Class Activity Codes...................................................................... 13

Resources ..................................................................................... 14

Getting Started with the Nova-T to SQL Link 01

Using the Nova-T to SQL Link to Populate School Census Class Activities in SIMS 1

01 Getting Started with the Nova-T to SQL Link

Introduction ................................................................................... 1

Where to Find More Information..................................................... 1

Permissions Required ..................................................................... 2

Course Manager.............................................................................. 2

Process Flow Chart ......................................................................... 2

Introduction

This document is for Primary, Middle and Secondary schools who are completing the School Census return in SIMS and wish to use Nova-T to set up the class activities. The process of entering the required DfE Class Activity Codes as Standard Subject Codes is described in the following sections.

Performing this process enables the School Census Calculate All Details process in SIMS to locate the correct class activities. The class activities are then displayed in the Activity column of the Classes panel on the Census Return Details page.

Where to Find More Information

For more information about Nova to SQL data transfer and full details about completing the Curriculum Matching wizard, please refer to the Nova-T handbook. For more information about School Census returns, please refer to the appropriate School Census handbook.

A wide range of documentation is available from within SIMS via the Documentation Centre and can be accessed by clicking the Documentation button on the SIMS Home Page. The range of documentation includes handbooks, tutorials, mini guides and quick reference sheets. Once open, click the appropriate button (e.g. Handbooks), then navigate to the applicable option.

References to any other documents mentioned in this handbook can be accessed from the Documentation Centre unless otherwise specified.

Online help can be accessed by pressing F1 or clicking the applicable Help button.

Additional supporting documentation can also be found on our SupportNet website (http://support.capitaes.co.uk) by clicking the Documentation button on the SupportNet home page. To access Nova-T and School Census documents, entering Nova-T and CENSUS11 respectivly in the Text Search field then click the Search button.

http://support.capitaes.co.uk/�

01 Getting Started with the Nova-T to SQL Link

2 Using the Nova-T to SQL Link to Populate School Census Class Activities in SIMS

Permissions Required To export from Nova-T to SQL you will need to be a member of one of the following user groups in System Manager:

Curricular Manager

Timetabler.

Course Manager It is essential for schools with Post 16 provision to ensure that the dates of students’ assignments to courses are accurately maintained. This means that from the start of the school year, the export from Nova to SQL must be as accurate as possible, particularly in terms of the assignment of class levels, and that changes to class membership, in so far as they reflect learning aims, are faithfully recorded. For more information, please refer to the Managing Courses in SIMS handbook.

Process Flow Chart

Indicate which Subject Code is to be used (in Nova-T)

Enter the Class Activity Codes (in Nova-T)

Prepare for the Nova to SQL Export (in Nova-T)

Start the SQL Export Process (in Nova-T)

Select a Date Range (in Nova-T)

Log into the SQL database (in SIMS)

Complete the Nova/SQL Transfer wizard (in Nova-T)

View the results of the transfer in the School Census return (in SIMS)

Exporting from Nova-T6 02


02 Exporting from Nova-T6

Selecting the Appropriate SPL File .................................................. 3

Setting the External Subject Code................................................... 3

Entering the Class Activity Codes.................................................... 4

Preparing for the Export from Nova-T to SQL.................................. 4

Exporting from Nova-T to SQL ........................................................ 5

Selecting the Appropriate SPL File

Open Nova-T6 in the usual way then select the correct SPL file. If you are unsure of which SPL file to select, please consulted your school’s Timetabler.

Setting the External Subject Code

Before performing the transfer to SQL, you must specify which of the External Subject Codes you intend to use (i.e. Ext#1, Ext#2 or Ext#3).

1. In Nova-T, select Tools | Set Subject for Statistical Returns to display the Set Subject for Statistical Returns dialog.

2. Select the External Subject Code that is going to be used for the export to SQL then click the OK button to close the dialog.

Any codeset can be chosen. However, you may wish to consult the timetablers, as they may already be using one of the code sets, e.g. for reporting or analysis.



Entering the Class Activity Codes

It is necessary to associate a School Census class activity code with every subject in use in Nova-T. Please refer to the Class Activity Codes on page 13 for a list of the activity codes that should be used.

1. Select Plan | Subjects to display the Add/Edit Subject dialog.

2. Enter the appropriate activity code, e.g. Accounting comes under the Mathematics or Numeracy category (MA), for each subject in the Ext# column (usually Ext#1). Use the column that you selected in the Set Subject for Statistical Returns dialog.

3. When you are satisfied that all the codes are correctly entered, click the OK button to close the Add/Edit Subject dialog and prepare for the export to SQL.

Preparing for the Export from Nova-T to SQL

There are several circumstances that can prevent you from performing a transfer from Nova-T to SQL. To avoid some of these conditions and other potential errors:

ensure that you have set up the new Academic Year in SIMS if you are sending next year’s curriculum plan and timetable to SQL for the first time.

ensure that the Document Management Server (DMS) is active. Select Tools | Setups | Document Management Server in SIMS, then click the Test server connection button.

Exporting from Nova-T6 02


Exporting from Nova-T to SQL

The export from Nova-T to SIMS process should be performed by the Timetabler (or the person who normally exports data to SIMS). The data should be exported from the correct SPL dataset using an appropriate date range.

1. Select Data | Export Curriculum and Timetable to SQL… to display the Export Curriculum and Timetable to SQL dialog.

2. Set the date range for the exported data (usually today to the end of the school year) then click the OK button.

3. If required, enter the SQL database login details in the User Name and Password fields.

4. Click the OK button to display the Nova/SQL Transfer wizard.

More Information:

Using the Nova/SQL Transfer Wizard on page 7



Using the Nova/SQL Transfer Wizard 03


03 Using the Nova/SQL Transfer Wizard

Using the Nova/SQL Transfer Wizard ............................................. 7

Viewing the Class Activities in the School Census Return ............. 11

Using the Nova/SQL Transfer Wizard

Before the Nova/SQL Transfer wizard is displayed, a series of validation checks determines whether it is possible to continue with the matching process. If any of the information supplied by Nova-T is invalid, this information will be displayed in the Submitted Parameters panel of the Welcome page and you will not be permitted to continue with the transfer process. Instead, you should cancel from the wizard and resolve the issues.

For guidance on the meaning of any error messages and advice on how to proceed please refer to the Nova-T handbook.

Once the issues have been resolved, you can restart the Nova/SQL Transfer wizard.



1. Click the Next button to display the Submission Summary page.

The Submission Summary displays the results of the initial matching process, based on the curriculum plan supplied by Nova-T and what already exists in SQL.

The Merge Report panel indicates in the Linked column the number of blocks, groups, classes, etc. that were successfully matched, and in the Unlinked column the number that were not successfully matched (either because they are new and do not exist in the SQL database, or because neither the primary nor the secondary link mechanisms were able to locate a matching item).

NOTE: You should not expect to see any unlinked items reported unless this is the first export to the Academic Year, or if new classes have been added since the last export.



2. Click the Next button to open the Merge Curriculum page.

The Merge Curriculum page has two main sections. The panel on the left-hand side (Submitted Curriculum Plan) displays information exported from Nova-T, and on the panel on the right-hand side (Current Curriculum Plan) displays details of the plan in the SQL database, sometimes with proposed modifications.

The display on the left can be configured in several ways. When the Merge Curriculum page first appears, a filter Unlinked only is applied so that only unlinked items from Nova-T are shown (although the SQL information on the right is complete).



3. Click the Next button to proceed to the Verify Changes page. This page summarizes any changes that will be made to the curriculum plan in SQL as a result of the curriculum transfer.

4. Click the Next button to proceed to the Submission page.



This final page of the wizard enables you to confirm that you wish to continue with the transfer process.

NOTE: If you still want to check or edit any of the information to be transferred to SQL, you can click the Back button to navigate to the required page of the wizard. If you want to return to Nova-T to make changes there before going ahead with the transfer, click the Cancel button.

To proceed with the transfer process, click the Submit button.

The animated Nova logo indicates that the transfer is taking place.

The amount of time taken to complete the transfer process depends on a number of factors, e.g. how much data is being transferred, the processor speed, etc.

After a successful transfer, the following message is displayed:

‘Curriculum and Timetable submitted successfully. You must restart SIMS in order to make these changes available.’

5. Click the OK button then close Nova-T.

Viewing the Class Activities in the School Census Return

Now that the class activities have been set in Nova-T and exported to SQL, they can be displayed on the Census Return Details page in SIMS.

The following process assumes that the return has already been started. For information on creating a new School Census return, please refer to the appropriate School Census Spring 2011 Return handbook.

1. In SIMS, select Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census to display the Census Return browser.

2. Select the Term that the School Census is related to and click the Search button to display the associated return(s).

3. Double-click the required return to display the Census Return Details page.



4. Ensure that the Selected Period is entered in the Census Details panel.

5. Click the Recalculate button in the Classes panel to populate the Classes panel with the registration groups that have been set up in your pastoral structure and data exported from Nova-T.

The Activity column displays the activities that were previously set up in Nova.

The activity displayed for each class should be the one that the class will be engaged in at the selected period, i.e. the time on census day (based on the last digit of your DfE establishment number) that your school should run the return.

6. To edit the activity, click in the applicable Activity column cell then select the required activity from the drop-down list.

WARNING: If you click the Recalculate button, any manual changes made to the Classes panel will be overwritten. You should make a copy of the census return before proceeding. For more information, please refer to the appropriate School Census Spring 2011 Return handbook.

Appendix A


A Appendix

Class Activity Codes

The following table lists the two-character Class Activity codes that should be used for Primary, Middle and Secondary schools on the Add/Edit Subject dialog in Nova-T6.

NOTE: Primary schools should not use the GS, FL, PS or PL subject codes, while Middle schools should not use the TV subject code, as these are not valid codes for those school types in the School Census return.

Code Description

AR Art Craft or Design

EN English Literacy or Reading

FL Foreign Language

GP Group project work (including mixed activities in other categories and library work)

GS General Studies (Middle and Secondary schools only)

HU Humanities (including Geography History Economics or Business Studies)

MA Mathematics or Numeracy

MD Music Singing or Drama

OT Other

PE PE or Games

PL Personal Social or Leisure Education (Middle and Secondary schools only)

PS Private Studies (Middle and Secondary schools only)

RE Religious Education

SC Science

TE Technology IT or Computing

TV Watching TV or listening to Radio (Primary schools only)

A Appendix


Resources

To ensure that you have the latest support and updated information:

monitor SupportNet on a regular basis for any updates, issues and additional documentation (http://support.capitaes.co.uk). Enter either NOVA-T or CENSUS11 in the Site Search field and then click Go.

check the Service Desk’s dedicated website for links to solutions, documentation, etc. at the following address: http://support.capitaes.co.uk/solutions/menu. Once open, select the required topic from the list, e.g. School Census.

check the TeacherNet website http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/ims/datacollections/ and ensure that you have read and followed the guidance notes.

if necessary, contact your Local Support Unit in the usual way.

http://support.capitaes.co.uk/�

http://support.capitaes.co.uk/solutions/menu�

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/ims/datacollections/�

Date post:	11-Feb-2022
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	1 times
Download:	0 times

Using the Nova-T to SQL Link to Populate School Census Class

Documents