SIMS: Preparing for the new academic year

If it's coming up to the new academic year and you need to make sure the new timetable is in place for SchoolCloud Room Booking this article shows you how to check everything is set up correctly in SIMS.

SIMS Timetable

Before a new timetable will show in Room Booking, that timetable should be set up and applied in SIMS. This can be done at any point after the last day of school in the previous academic year. If you need to do it before then, please contact SIMS directly for advice.

Checking the Academic Year

1. Login to SIMS as the same user used to run the sync and browse to Tools > Academic Management > Set Academic Year.
   
2. Check that the new academic year is showing as Current. If it is not then select the correct year from the list and click on OK.
   

Checking the Timetable has been Applied in SIMS

1. Browse to Tools > Academic Management > Apply Timetable.
2. The message below will appear on screen. You can select Yes to this as we are only checking the current set up before pressing the Cancel button. No changes will be made as long as you do not click OK on the Map calendar to timetable days screen which appears next.
3. Check the details on the Map calendar to timetable days screen are set up correctly. Ensure the Status column shows 'Full' for normal school days and the Timetable day column shows the correct day of the timetable cycle for the corresponding date. This is very important as the information on this screen is used by Room Booking to determine what timetabled classes to show on each date.
4. If all the details are set up correctly, click on Cancel to ensure nothing is changed in SIMS. 
   
   If the details are incorrect, you should consult with your SIMS Manager/Timetabler to correct things and then run the sync again to update Room Booking with the changes.

Sync from SIMS

Your system is normally set up to run an automatic sync from SIMS on a daily basis. By default this runs in the early hours of the morning, although you can change the time by editing the RBS SIMS Sync scheduled task in Task Scheduler.

You can run the sync any-time you like on-demand by running the Room Booking System SIMS Client from the Start Menu on the computer where this is installed (normally the SIMS Server) then pressing the  Run Now button.

You can check when the last successful sync was run by logging in as an administrator and browsing to System Settings > SIMS Integration.

Checking the Timetable is Correct

Once the information has synced from SIMS, login to the system as an administrator and browse to the Calendar page where you can check that the timetable is showing correctly for your rooms and that the system shows the correct week, if you run a bi-weekly timetable.