SIMS: Sync is not running successfully

If you have noticed (or been advised) that your SIMS Sync is not running successfully this article takes you through how to check your setup and resolve some common syncing issues.

Is there a cover clash in SIMS?

If a cover clash in SIMS is detected when the Room Booking System SIMS Client runs the sync will not complete successfully and no cover/closure will be added to Room Booking. To check if this is the case please follow the steps below.

1. Open the Room Booking System SIMS Client from the Windows Start Menu on the computer where it is installed (normally your SIMS server) and click on Open Log.

   

2. Scroll down to the bottom of the log where you will find the details of the most recent sync.

3. Check for an error advising of a cover clash - it will look something like this:

   

4. If an error was detected, log into SIMS and go to Tools > Cover > Detect Timetable Changes to resolve.
5. Once the clash has been resolved in SIMS you can then either wait for your next scheduled sync to run, or follow the steps in the section below to run it manually.

Your scheduled sync is not running?

The sync with SIMS normally runs daily in the early morning via a Windows scheduled task. However you can also run it manually at any time and if this is successful it suggests that any problem is with the scheduled task itself (in which case see the Check the set up of the scheduled task section below). If the manual sync also fails this indicates a wider problem, possibly with the set up of the Room Booking System SIMS Client, or issues with data in SIMS.

To run the sync manually:

1. Open the Room Booking System SIMS Client from the Start Menu on the computer where it is installed (normally your SIMS server) and click on Run Now.
2. The sync will now start in a command window (black background with white text). This process normally takes a couple of minutes. The contents of the window will be similar to this:If the Room Booking System Settings details are incorrect, the content will look similar to this:
   If you see this error please skip to the Have you entered the correct System Name and API Key? section of this article.
   
   If the SIMS Settings are incorrect, the output will look similar to this: 
   If you see this error please skip to the Check SIMS user? section of this article. 
3. As an administrator you can check if the sync has been successful by going to Settings > SIMS Integration where the last successful run date and time is shown:
4. You can also see if the sync has been successful by examining the log file. This contains all the information from the sync and can be accessed from the Room Booking System SIMS Client by clicking Open Log:Scroll down to the bottom of the log and you will find the details for the latest sync run. If the run has completed successfully this will look something like this:If there has been a problem with the sync this file provides further information to help identify the failure.

Check the set up of the Scheduled Task

To check the set up of the scheduled task:

1. Open the Room Booking System SIMS Client from the Start Menu on the computer the SIMS Client is installed on (normally the SIMS server). Click on Schedule Settings:
2. Check that Enable scheduled task between 1-2 am is ticked:
3. Check that there are details entered in the Username and Password fields under Windows User Account:Ensure that this Windows User Account has access to the SIMS Directory, and that the password does not expire.
4. If those details look correct, open Task Scheduler on the computer and check the Last Run Time and Last Run Result for the RBS SIMS Sync task. A successful sync will have a Last Run Result of 0x0.
   
   A Last Run Result of 0xE0434352 means the Windows User Account used to run the sync doesn't have Modify permissions on the following folder:
   
   C:\ProgramData\Room Booking System Ltd\SIMS Client
   
   Once that permission has been added the sync should run successfully.

Verify proxy settings

To verify the proxy settings:

1. Click on the Proxy Settings button:
2. Ensure that the radio button next to Auto-Detect is selected - or if you would like to manually enter the details, select Manual and then enter the relevant detail in the Address field that will be displayed:
3. If you would like to verify using default network connections select this option. If you would like to enter specific details leave this unselected and you can then enter the username and password that will appear below it.
4. Click on Test Internet Connection. If the application is able to connect to the Room Booking servers a success box will appear. If it is unable to connect an error box will appear. Please check your details at this stage as the sync will not work if unable to connect.
   
   You may need to allow access through your firewall for https://api.roombookingsystem.co.uk

Have you entered the correct System Name and API Key?

To check this follow the steps below:

1. You can obtain the correct System Name and API Key from Room Booking via System Settings > SIMS Integration when you are logged in as an Administrator.
2. To check the correct details have been entered on the Room Booking System SIMS Client, select the relevant system name in the client and click Edit:
3. Ensure that the correct details have been entered under System Name and API Key. If these are incorrect, update the information and then click Save.

Are the SIMS Database details correct?

If you upgrade your server, you may need to also update the details in the Room Booking System SIMS Client. These can be checked as below:

1. Highlight the relevant system name on the Room Booking System SIMS Client and click Edit.
2. Check the Server Name and Database Name appear correctly.
   
   You can click Auto Detect SIMS Server/Database and this will automatically read the details from the SIMS connect.ini file.
3. If any details have been updated on this screen click Save.

Check SIMS User 

The SIMS User details entered into the Room Booking System SIMS Client are used by the client to log into SIMS and obtain the data to be synced. If they are incorrect, or that user does not have the right permissions, the sync will fail.

1. Check the SIMS user entered on the Room Booking System SIMS Client has been set up with these permissions:
   
   - School Administrator
   - Cover Manager
   - Third Party Reporter
   
   Please refer to the Creating a SIMS user account with the correct permissions article if you are unsure how to set these permissions.
2. Check if you can log directly into SIMS itself from the computer on which the client is installed, using the same SIMS user details. If you can, then the wrong username or password details may have been entered in the client and you can go to step 3 below. If you cannot log in to SIMS directly, there could be a problem with the installation of SIMS on the server.
3. Ensure the SIMS username and password entered on the Room Booking System SIMS Client are correct by clicking Edit on the relevant System on the Client and checking the contents of the Username and Password fields under SIMS Settings:
   If they are incorrect, update them and click on Save.

Has your Timetable been set up and applied in SIMS?

If you are receiving errors relating to the set up of your timetable in SIMS please check the timetable has been set up and applied in SIMS by following the steps in this article Preparing for the new academic year (SIMS).

Check your SIMS.ini file

Your SIMS.ini file 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.

Checking you have fixed your issue

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

If your issue was related to the set up of the scheduled task, check after the next scheduled sync to see if it ran successfully - either by looking on Task Scheduler for a Last run result for RBS SIMS Sync of 0x0, or in Room Booking under System Settings > SIMS Integration for an updated last successful run date and time.