The following document will guide you through the End of Year procedure for MCS DataCenter.
Warning!
Please read the following document in its entirety before attempting the End of Year procedure.
Microsoft Task Scheduler
MCS Software highly recommends disabling ALL scheduled jobs in the Microsoft Task Scheduler, especially enrollment system updates, prior to running the End of Year process. Please confirm this is complete prior to proceeding further. You should consider re-enabling scheduled jobs when you initiate the Beginning of Year process. For more information, refer to the Beginning of Year documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
You must be logged in as a user with sufficient privileges for creating a database on the SQL Server. The user admin has this level of permission by default (unless the user was modified by your SQL Server Administrator).
When should I run my End of Year process?
Running the DataCenter End of Year process is recommended once you are finished retrieving payments from your Online Payment System (such as MySchoolBucks) and are ready to begin performing End of Year procedures in supporting applications such as Newton Cafeteria Management.
Do I need to be running a particular version to perform an End of Year?
Version 5.1.3 or higher is required to run the End of Year process. The current version number can be located by looking in the upper left of the application.
Are there any changes I should know about in the latest version of DataCenter?
No. There are no changes in DataCenter.
Are there other considerations for running an End of Year?
1) Once the End of Year process has been run, all other applications that communicate with DataCenter will continue to communicate with the previous year's database until each End of Year process is performed. If any upgrades or setting changes need to be pushed out to these applications, you will need to login to the prior year's DataCenter database to affect these changes.
2) If you do not want SIS special circumstance in Franklin to import back in from the SIS file you must make sure the scheduled tasks have been disabled in the Microsoft Task Scheduler. Failure to first disable jobs in the MS Task Scheduler could result in the circumstances becoming re-enabled when the Franklin Beginning of Year process is run.
What should I do if I am unsure how to proceed?
In the event you have any questions or are unsure how to proceed before or during this process, it is recommended that you contact MCS Support for assistance.
Please note the following steps do not apply to everyone. The steps stating "Required" applies to all users.
Inactivate Schools, Grades, and/or Tracks (Optional - Newton and Franklin users)
Inactivating Schools, Grades, and/or Tracks will cause records to be inactivated and then permanently deleted during End of Year processes.
Open the Maintenance section
Locate and click on the Admin tab, then select the Maintenance option.
Disable Inactive Schools (if applicable)
Locate and click on the School Maintenance option.
For each school that is no longer active, click in the Inactive box. Then, click Ok.
Disable Inactive Grades (if applicable)
Locate and click on the Grade Maintenance option.
For each grade that is no longer active, click in the Inactive box. Then, click Ok.
Disable Inactive Tracks (if applicable)
Locate and click on the Tracks option.
For each track that is no longer active, click in the Inactive box. Then, click Ok.
Enable End of Year process (Required)
Step 1 - Open the District Setup section
Locate and click the Admin tab, then select the District Setup option.
Step 2 - Enable the End of Year process
- Your District should have an arrow pointing at the name and be shown highlighted in a different color. If you do not see it upon the window opening, use the scroll bar to locate it. If your District is not checked, click on it to select it.
- Next, select the Enable End-of-Year Process option. Then, click Ok.
Running the End of Year Process (Required)
Step 1 - Start the End-of-Year Process
Locate and click on the Admin tab, then select the End of Year Process option.
Step 2 - Read the Warning Message
A warning message will pop up stating the following message.
The end of year process will create a new datacenter database after backing up the old database.
All other MCS Software packages will then communicate to the OLD database until they perform an end of year process; at which time they will begin communicating with the NEW database.
You must be certain that you want to start a new school year before proceeding. Press <OK> to proceed with the end of year process; or, <CANCEL> to quit this screen without taking any action.
Read the warning and check the box declaring that you understand the procedure. Then, click Ok.
Step 3 - Run the Process
- Click Ok to run the End of Year process.
- A window will appear stating the process has been successfully completed. Click Ok to finish.
Exit out of DataCenter.
Creating a New School Year (Required)
Step 1 - Open the School Year Maintenance section
Login to DataCenter. Locate and click the Admin tab, mouse over the Maintenance option to expand the choices and select the School-Year Maintenance option.
Step 2 - Insert a new record for the upcoming school year
- Select the blank bottom row in the spreadsheet.
- In the column titled Description, enter information for the upcoming school year (e.g. 2015-2016 School Year).
- Enter the actual Start and End dates for the upcoming year in the cells provided. You should enter the days and months as two digits and the year as four digits (e.g. 08/01/2015).
- In the SchoolYear column, click on the cell to drop down choices and select the appropriate year. In the 2015-2016 school year, you would select SY2015_2016.
- You need to Attach to Database. Click on the cell to drop down choices and select MCS_DATACENTER.
- Click Ok to save the changes.
You have successfully completed End of Year processes for DataCenter.