Advice on Systems Configuration

In cases where routines are taking ages, here is a list of things we have found which might improve matters

  1. Apply general maintenance patches 22573 and 20647 using dBUpgrade.

    1. Patch 22573 will re-index all the tables in the SIMS database and patch 20647 will update the SIMS databases internal statistics table (applying this patch will take a while). This can sometimes have a significant effect on the performance of database queries.

    2. With all patches, it is important to apply these when all users are logged out of SIMS and once a backup has been taken of the database.

  2. Run Tools | System Diagnostics | Database Diagnostics in SIMS

  3. Run Tools | Validate Memberships in SIMS

  4. Check that you're using the correct edition of SQL Server and have applied the latest service packs: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321185

  5. Check that your memory settings are correct for SQL Server.

    1. If you have more than 3 GB in your server, then you may need to configure the memory settings of both the operating system and SQL Server.

      1. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190731.aspx

      2. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190673.aspx

      3. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179301.aspx

      4. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178067.aspx

      5. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190730.aspx

  6. Check other processes that are running on the server

    1. Particularly if you are using SQL Server to host other databases (e.g. Sharepoint, MOM, other 3rd party programs etc...). These will be using resources required by the SIMS Database and will have an impact on the performance of SIMS .net.

  7. Archive previous years’ attendance marks in SIMS

    1. Run the Archive Attendance Marks in SIMS routine through Tools | Housekeeping | Archive Attendance Marks | Archive. This will allow you to archive attendance marks for each academic year, excluding the current and last academic years.

    2. Once you have selected the required academic years through this routine in SIMS, you must run the ArchiveAttMarks.exe tool as a scheduled task through Task Scheduler. The exe will be installed to your SIMS SQL server folder.

  8. Network Issues

    1. It is advised to check if there is any performance difference when running SIMS.net on the actual SIMS Server itself. If there are no performance issues when running on the server, this can indicate networking problems.

  9. Shrinking the SIMS Log File (SIMS LDF)

    1. ShrinkDBLog.zip will need to be unzipped onto a local drive on the machine SQL is installed.   

    2. Open up Command Prompt and then change the current directory to where the ShrinkDBLog.bat tool is stored, e.g.

      1. CD C:\ShrinkDBLogFolder

    3. And then type: 'ShrinkDbLog {Server}\{Instance} {DatabaseName}' into Command Prompt. A proper example is:

    4. ShrinkDblog AdminServer\SIMS2016 SIMS

    5. This will truncate the .LDF file and set the recovery model to 'Simple'.

    6. click here to download a zipped copy of ShrinkDbLog 

  10. Remove Home-Page widgets for all users

    1. An issue has been identified where home-page widgets have been responsible for slow SIMS .net performance. This is because home page widgets refresh at a set period (every 5 seconds, or 30 seconds etc). Therefore as a last resort we would advise customers to remove all home-page widgets (Attendance and Assessment home-page widgets in particular) for each user of SIMS .net.

    2. Home page widgets can be centrally managed through 'Home Page Groups', which can be accessed through: SIMS .net > Routines > Home Page > Home Page Group Configuration - and - Local Home Page Configuration. The refresh rates of the home page widgets can also be setup and managed centrally with these groups, through the same routes in SIMS.

  11. Low disk space

    1. If the server is running low on hard drive space, e.g. on the drive where Microsoft SQL Server has been installed to and/or the drive where the SQL databases are hosted, then this can impact the performance of the server and therefore impact the performance of SIMS .net for users.

  12. Restrict log file growth

    1. The maximum size and growth of the SIMS log file can be restricted. Where SIMS functionality requires the log file to grow (e.g. end of year procedures are being carried out, data is being added to the application), timeout and performance issues can arise if the log file is set to a restricted size and won't allow the data to be added to SIMS.

    2. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and expand 'Databases'. Right click on the SIMS database and select 'Properties', a new window will appear. Select 'Files' and this will display the two database files: the database and the log.

    3. For the sims_LOG, go to the Autogrowth/Maxsize column and click the dial button (if you cannot see the button you will need to expand this window). Clicking the button will produce another window. Ensure 'Enable Autogrowth' is ticked. For the File Growth we recommend this is set to 'In Percent - 10'. Then, select 'Unlimited' for the Maximum File Size.

    4. Click OK to close the window as well as the other. The log file will no longer have a restricted growth and should improve the performance of SIMS.