Improving the speed of archiving academic reports in a hosted environment: A step-by-step guide

Owned by Nirmal Vyas
Last updated: Oct 24, 2024 by Andrew Rose
3 min read

Our new feature enhances the speed of printing student reports in a hosted environment. Synergetic now detects if it is running in a hosted environment and optimises the process by generating, combining, and optionally storing reports directly from the hosted file system. This guide will help you configure and utilise this feature for efficient report management.

What is a hosted environment?

A “hosted” environment refers to setups where Synergetic’s main application (SynMain) is accessed via remote technology, such as Citrix or Amazon AppStream. These technologies allow users to run applications on remote servers while interacting with them as if they were running locally on their own devices.

Understanding the feature

How does Synergetic behave differently for hosted environments?

  • When running in hosted mode Synergetic will generate and combine reports in a temporary work area on the hosted environment. The resultant generated file(s) will be then copied to the archive path.

  • When not running in hosted mode Synergetic will generate and combine directly to the archive path (as it always has).

Do I have to tell Synergetic if my site is hosted?

  • No, Synergetic will automatically detect if it is running in a hosted environment. When detected, all report generation, combining, and optional storage will be handled directly from the hosted file system.

How do I know whether Synergetic is running in hosted vs non-hosted mode?

  • Synergetic will display an information symbol indicating it is running in a hosted environment and processing reports using the optimised method as shown in the screenshot below

    image-20241024-032635.png
    Image depicting the Information that Synergetic is operating in hosted mode

What if Synergetic isn’t detecting the right mode?

  • There is a new configuration key, StudentReportsPrint|Archive|HostedMode, which allows you to override the default behaviour. This key can be adjusted based on your specific needs and preferences.

  • The key takes three values:

    • Y - force hosted mode processing

    • N - force on-premise mode processing (non-hosted)

    • Blank - When set to blank, Synergetic will determine the environment and process accordingly.

image-20241024-030330.png
Image depicting the Key in Configuration Maintenance

User facing changes

  • New tick box for storing individual class reports

    • A new tick box appears on the report printing screen, asking if you wish to store individual class reports in the archive path.

 

 

If ticked: Individual class reports are stored in the archive path. Combined reports are stored in the ‘Complete’ subfolder of the archive path. This is how the feature always operated in the past.

If not ticked: Only combined reports are stored under the archive path, and the ‘Complete’ subfolder is no longer used. This option is slightly faster in a hosted environment as it avoids downloading individual class reports. It is also useful in a non-hosted environment when the individual class reports are not needed in the archive.

Please note that individual class reports are not stored in the Synergetic database, only combined reports are.

Testing and validation

  • If you are running on a hosted site, you may wish to verify that Synergetic is detecting this, and override the config key if it is not

Communicate with your community

  • Inform users: Notify staff and relevant stakeholders about the user facing changes described above

For further assistance or detailed instructions, please contact our support team.