Common Data Migration Queries

To help you once you've had your data migrated to Arbor, we've listed some of the most common questions and answers below. 

Questions related to all MIS systems

Do we migrate past and future records? 

We migrate all records regardless of when they occur.

What file types should backups be?

Backups are always .bak file types (unless zipped). DMS files are either .zip or .7zip.

What if we store numbers with +44 type codes?

They will still be migrated and are all stored as international codes.

Will telephone numbers still migrate across if they have spaces (ie. 07751 91 91 91)?

Yes, they will still be migrated, spaces are ignored. 

Do we migrate SEN types?

SEN type information doesn’t show in the student profile but should be included in the migrated data so a custom report can be created to check this.

Why can't I take registers from a registration event?

If registration sessions are recorded as events these will need to be scheduled into the timetable as a course by going to: School > Timetable > Timetable Administration > Schedule Registration Sessions. The events will then need to be removed from Timetable Slots to prevent timetable clashes. Once done, test that a form tutor can take their register. If registers are required for other event types you will need to either create an intervention or a course for these.

Migrating from SIMS

Some of the SIMS documents types are .TIF - Can we import them? 

Arbor doesn't support these file types, so these will not be migrated.

Do we import consent types, if so, which types?

We import any user-created consent, as long as it has been set up in the consents area in SIMS. You can see how to check the consents here: Consents

How are emergency contact priorities migrated?

If the number is the main number in SIMS, we rank it as priority 1 in Arbor. 

What flags a person as a contact for a student, when migrating from SIMS?

The following logic is used: 

• If in SIMS they are priority 1 then they become a Primary Guardian
• If they are marked as having parental responsibility or receiving correspondence and they aren't marked as having a court order, then they will also be a Primary Guardian. 

How do we create business roles from SIMS?

• If you store contracts for staff in SIMS, we take the name of the Post Reference and Code and map it to the closest Business Role in Arbor.
• If schools do not store Contracts in SIMS we cannot apply this same logic because we do not have Post Reference details for them.

You can learn more about how we migrate Business Roles from SIMS here: Migrating Business Roles from SIMS

You can see how to find and amend business roles after them migration here: Adding a Business Role to a member of staff

Where do quick notes end up?

These are migrated as a pinned Pastoral note on a student's profile