Batch PDF processes

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Insight has a batch pdf feature, which can be used to upload, convert or email documents. Conversion allows existing word documents in SIMS to be converted to a pdf format. The upload process can be used to upload several pdf documents to SIMS at once, from a folder. The email process is used to send copies of the pupils' reports to their parental contacts.

Configuration

For the batch processes to run the IIS server will need to have Microsoft Word installed and have two accounts created - one which has full access to run the batch processes (referred to as Account1) and another account used to authenticate users when they need to use the batch processes, but without giving them access to your server (referred to as Account2).

Account 1

On the IIS server create a local, machine administrator called "Account1" (you can actually call it what you like, it will continue to be referred to as Account1 here), and make sure it has log in to console rights. Domain admins and power users etc. will NOT be suitable. You will not be able to do this if your Insight IIS server is also a domain controller. Make sure the password for Account1 never expires and can't be changed.

Next install Word 2010, or alternatively Word 2007 with the save as PDF add-in which can be accessed here: 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF. If your operating system gives you a choice, you should always install the 32 bit version of Microsoft Word.

Log in as Account1 and run Microsoft Word. Enter initials where requested, agree to any licencing terms or activation processes, decide whether to post errors to Microsoft experience, activate over the web, etc. until you can just start Word and have it load up a blank document each time you run it, logged in as Account 1.

Next, click Start - Run and then either DCOMCNFG.EXE, or if you have a 64bit server, MMC comexp.msc /32. In the Component Services window, expand: Component Services > your server > DCOM Config. Look down the list for “Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document”, “Microsoft Office word 97-2003 Documents” or the APPID {00020906-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}.

Dcomconf2.png

Right click on the relevant node and select Properties, then the Identity tab. Now select “This user” and enter the [machinename]\Account1 details. Click OK to close the dialog.

Those steps have created the environment needed for the batch PDF processes. When users run the Conversion process, they will be prompted to provide a username and password. Giving users the login details for Account 1 is undesirable, as they could potentially use these details to login to the IIS server. Instead, you should create a second limited account for users, so that the IIS server can authenticate them.

Account 2

On the IIS server create a local, machine administrator called "Account2" (you can actually call it what you like, it will continue to be referred to as Account2 here) and deny it log in to computer rights. This account can now be used when you come to run the conversion process, and by denying login you can give it to an administrative Insight user, without them being able to actually use it to log in to the server.

Preferences

Insight now needs to be given the account details of Account1. Log in to Insight and go to Manage > Preferences > Batch PDF conversion. Enter the username and password of Account1 then click the Update button at the top right.

Usage

To use the features of the batch PDF processes, go to Manage > Batch PDF processes. The options at the top of this page allow you to select the process that you want to use.

Convert, Remove and Email

To convert existing Word documents to PDF format, select the "Convert documents to PDF" option from the top of the page. This process will convert documents from each pupil's linked documents. If you have previously converted documents to PDF format and now want to delete those PDF documents, select the "Remove previously converted documents" option instead.

If you already have PDF documents linked to pupils in SIMS then you can email these documents to the pupils' contacts by selecting the "Email PDF to users" option.

Next you will need to enter a date range. Only documents that were uploaded to SIMS during this date range will be uploaded/removed/emailed.
Note: if you have Word documents in SIMS and you want to email them to parents, then you need to first convert the Word documents to PDF, then email the PDFs to parents. The date range for the Conversion process should cover the date where the Word documents were first uploaded to SIMS. The date range for the Email process would be the date where you converted the documents to PDF.

You can process either report documents (AM Individual Reports, Profile Reports, or PARS Student Reviews) or General Documents. If you are processing general documents, then you need to include one or more keywords (if using more than one keyword, separate the words with a + symbol and no spaces) and Insight will only process the General Documents that contain all of the keywords you specify.

Gendocuments keywords.jpg

Now you need to choose the pupils whose documents will be processed. If you are converting or removing, then the pupils you select will have their documents in SIMS either converted or removed. If you are emailing, then the documents will be emailed to all of the contacts in Insight for each of the pupils you select.

To select the pupils, first filter the list using the bars at the top of the table so that you can see only the pupils that you want to deal with. Then click on the pupil at the top of the list so their name is highlighted then scroll to the bottom of the list, hold down the shift button on your keyboard and click on the pupil at the bottom of the list. This should select all of the pupils in the list.

Finally scroll back to the top of the page and click the begin process button, which is at the top left and looks like two pages with a cog.

Upload

Archive

Running the conversion process

At this point, you can attempt a conversion! Still logged in as Admin, click on Manage – Batch PDF Conversion. Select the earliest and latest dates for those reports you would like considered, and select the relevant students from the list below. You can use the filters, and shift- or ctrl- clicks here. Click on the toolbar icon that looks like two pages with a cog. When you are prompted for credentials, enter the username and password for Account2 (remember you can distribute this if needed) and click OK.

You will see a popup detailing the conversion process, and when it is complete, a summary will be displayed.

If you are using this process it is advisable to also set the Role options for end-users to show only PDFs, thereby hiding the original documents from them.


Upload

If you would rather upload existing PDF documents to the SIMS Document Server, or other documents which you will then later convert to PDF, you should use then Upload tab. To perform the upload, you will need to have to hand a ZIP file containing all the documents to upload. Each document must have something in its file name which can identify a student, which can either be their UPN or Admission number.

On the Upload tab, click the Add button and browse to your archive file. When the files are uploaded to SIMS, they will be given the Summary you specify. It is good practice to name the uploads in a consistent and conventional way, so it is easy to pick out the files uploaded in this manner. Additionally, when choosing which documents Insight will display, you may need to specify a phrase which marks out the documents.

Select the field used to identify students, from either Admission number or UPN, and go on to define how this data is represented within the file name. You can choose from a character offset, where you know the data will be at a certain position, or by use of a separator character. For example if your file names follow the convention of REP001234FredBloggs.PDF, you would select a Character Offset of 4. If your file name looks more like Fred_Bloggs_001234.PDF, you would select a Separator character of "underscore", and a field index of 3, as the Admission number is in the third "block".

Click on the toolbar icon that looks like two pages with a cog to begin the upload.

You do not need to do the Word configuration if you only need to use the Upload feature, but if you later need to convert to PDF, it will need to be done.