AnyComms Plus and SAP
Integration
Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC)
Joanna Preston
Sarah Sewell
Background
• In 2011, BCC had been using AVCO’s AnyComms
software to securely transfer files between our 230+
schools and the LA for over 10 years
• The system was being used across Children and
Young Peoples Services, Finance and Human
Resources, transferring in excess of 20,000 files a
year
• Figures for that academic year, suggested that file
volume had increased by over 15% and rising
• Each time we wanted a new file type sent to
schools, had to get IT to write a new script
• Chance phone call with Jeanette at Southampton
resulted in a demonstration of AnyComms Plus
• Immediately saw the huge potential of the new
version, but we realised could have a problem with
Finance files particularly VAT
• Decided we needed a phased approach to move all
schools and those teams in the LA currently using
the system onto AnyComms Plus
• School Management Support Team would be first to
send and receive files such as the School Census,
SWF Census, FSM Eligibility Checking files, Data
Analysis files etc
• All other files, including VAT and Reconciliation
files, to be sent via the “old” file transfer facility
Initial Timeline
October
2011
Piloted new system with 15 schools,
including a mix of different school types,
sizes etc
Nov 2011
Series of presentations/demonstrations to
schools about new system
December All schools asked to nominate a user for
2011
each of the 3 roles Admin/Office,
Headteacher and Bursar/Finance
January
2012
All schools asked to send their School
Census via AnyComms Plus (only 2 used
the “old” system – 1 PRU and the other
sent it on both!)
Sending VAT Files to LA
Using old version of AnyComms
• School placed all files needed for the VAT
return into their LEA Outbox
• Script had been written that merged the
files and then archived them after sending
the single VAT return file to the LA
• Once VAT file received by LA, another
script “bundled” all the school files together
to create a single file for importing into SAP
Sending VAT Files to the LA
Using AnyComms Plus
• Process of creating VAT Monthly Return files by schools
within FMS not changed. The destination directory where
these files are saved from FMS remains as S:Drive | SIMS
|Transfer |Out
• Schools need to transfer the 3 or 4 files that make up their
VAT return, which will then be automatically imported into
SAP as a single file
• The system is set up to check the file names and the
number of files a school is trying to send. It expects
the following files to be transferred together
• VAT
• BK1 and/or BK2
• Petty Cash
Sending VAT Files to the LA
• If a school tries to upload a different type of file they
get an error message. They will also get an error
message if they try to send the wrong combination
of files, for example if they try to send the VAT and
BK1 file, but not the Petty Cash
• Originally schools need to remember to archive their
files before next VAT return, but their IT Support
have written a script that now does this for them
VAT files found via the
Browse button and File
Type VAT selected
VAT files sent successfully
– note receipt is for the
single merged VAT file
received by SAP
To view transferred files, choose
View File Transfer Records from
home page
To see which individual files were
included in the single merged file
received for SAP, click on the arrow
beside the VAT file name to see
detail in description box.
Sending VAT Files to the LA
• Email notification to schools confirming file has
been sent
• Files on the AnyComms Plus Server merged into
a single file and then transferred to the SAP
System on a daily basis by means of an
AnyComms Plus client
• Client automatically transfers files at 6.30am each
morning
• Similar process also used to merge individual
school Imprest and Invoices into single file which
is then transferred into SAP
Other benefits ….
• Automated AnyComms client also means files can
be sent out to schools
• Examples include
– HR Changes file
– PN41 file
– SAP reconciliation
• LA Team creates files for all or a group of schools
which are then automatically transferred next
morning
• Once client has transferred the file(s) then
automated email sent to schools
• Full audit trail of file transfers, can view either
individual transfers or collective view of all transfers
Monday 23rd April
• After extensive testing of these
procedures, agreed to move ALL secure
file transfers onto the AnyComms Plus
website
• Old system “turned off” on this date so if
schools tried to use the File Transfer
icon on their desktop, files were not
transferred and they saw an error
message
Progress to date ……….
Files being sent between schools and
the LA via AnyComms Plus….
• School Census Returns
• School Workforce Census
Returns
• PRU Census Returns
• FSME Checking Files
• FFE Funding (3&4 year old
funding claims)
• Early Years Census Returns
• KS1 Results
• KS2 Results (Teacher
Assessments)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
EYFSP Results
CASPA Data
Yr1 Phonics Check Results
DR/CR List
VAT Files
Invoices
Imprest (Petty Cash
Claims)
• Admission Allocations
• September Guarantee
Also all performance and contextual data analysis provided by
SMST containing pupil level data
What next…..?
• Encouraging all our Early Years settings to use
AnyComms Plus to send and receive their EEF
claim forms – not quite as straightforward as
working with our schools!
• Other teams within LA interested in using
AnyComms Plus – already had meetings with
SEN and Child Protection colleagues
• Currently updating user details for all our schools