Fitnessgram: Fitnessgram Support: Technical FAQs

Fitnessgram Frequently Asked Questions for Technical Staff: District Version

Skip to: Installation | Troubleshooting | Data Management

Installation Sales Representative in order to make the additional site purchases for Fitnessgram 8.x. After making that purchase you can notify Technical Support and we will pull the original invoice number and the new invoice (having these invoice numbers on hand will be beneficial to provide to the Tech Support agent) and combine the licenses for you. We will reset the original invoice number then after additional sites have been added to it, and then you can go back to www.Fitnessgram.net and generate your license file again.

Q: What is the database capacity for Fitnessgram 8?

A: The Small Area Network (SAN) version of Fitnessgram 8.x has a 2GB disk data limit; this will be the determining factor in considering how much data you can store.

There is no defined database size limitation when using the District version of Fitnessgram 8.x and Microsoft Server, but with an extremely large database or extremely large numbers of records you may see performance affected.

Note: The default install will create the database with 50MB of storage. We cannot determine the exact size your database will be, but do recommend that you monitor its performance and adjust the size as needed.

Q: How many concurrent users will each network version support?

A: The following concurrent user limitations for the MSDE database and the database are as reported by Microsoft.

Small Area Network (MSDE): Microsoft reports the MSDE database supports up to 5 concurrent users performing save functions at one nanosecond at a time. If more than 5 users are performing that same function at that exact nanosecond, the other users function will queue and be processed in the next moment. This process typically occurs in fractions of a second and is usually unnoticed in regards to overall performance.

District ( Database): Microsoft reports a 700MHz processor can handle 700 connections on well and that each user needs 40-128KB of RAM memory. With the minimum requirements for the user set at 512 MB of RAM and the processor at 1GHz the user typically will not experience any performance issues when using Fitnessgram 8.x on the District version.

Q: Do I have to have a server dedicated to the Fitnessgram 8.x application?

A: There is no need to dedicate a server to the Fitnessgram 8.x application. The Fitnessgram 8.x program can be installed on any Server meeting the minimum requirements, but we suggest not installing it on your production server. If you have a Server dedicated to curriculum applications that would be an ideal location for Fitnessgram 8.x.

Q: How should I set up my Microsoft server?

A: Follow Microsoft's instructions for setting up a Server. You will need to allow "mixed mode" authentication (also labeled " Server and Windows"). You should also set up network protocols to allow TCP/IP communications to clients.

Q: Should I use the Backup Utility within the program to backup my database?

A: District Microsoft Server customers will use their regular procedures to back up the Microsoft Server Fitnessgram 8.x database. District technical staff will be responsible for the backup and restore of the Fitnessgram 8.x database. The backups need to be done at the server level and not at the client level.

Installation Tips

Be certain of the SA password before installing.
Disable the Antivirus software during the installation (it can be immediately re-launched after install).
Installation should occur on the server console, not remote access.
Make sure current Service Packs for the Operating System and Server have ¬been installed.
Verify the static IP address before installing the clients.
Check the network connections and make sure it is not set to auto negotiate the connection and disable the power save features on the server NIC.
If the installation fails, was there a prior installation attempt? Was the FG8user account and the FG8 Database removed before attempting to install again?

Q: It looks like my FG8 database was created but not the Server account. The installation fails.

A: This issue typically occurs when installing Fitnessgram 8.x on Server 2005. This problem is likely related to a password setting.

When FG8 District is being installed the setup process creates a Server (not domain) account with a password with 4 or 5 characters. When 2005 Server was previously added to a Windows Domain, it inherited the Security Policy settings for passwords (e.g., min number of characters typically set to greater than 5, etc.). If the password settings require a password of 6 characters or more, the FG8 installation process will create the database, but will not be able to create the Server account. The installation fails with no intuitive error message displayed.

There are a couple of ways to get around this issue.

Option 1 - preferred by system administrators.

Remove Server from the Domain (done on the Server itself). It can be configured to run within a uniquely named Workgroup. The Workgroup name cannot be same name as the domain or any other computer name.
Configure the now standalone Server 2005's local security policy to accept a 1 character password (or something less than 4 characters).
Remove all FG8 files including FG8 database.
Reinstall FG8 District.
If successful, the Administrator can then have the Server 2005 server re-join the Domain.
If not successful, contact Technical Support for further assistance.

Option 2

Have Administrator reduce the minimum number of characters required for passwords to something less than 4. This operation will not impact any user accounts within the domain.
Remove all FG8 files including FG8 database.
Reinstall FG8 District
If successful, the Administrator can then increase the minimum number of characters required for passwords to what it was previously.

Q: Why do my services keep stopping?

A: You need to make sure you have the FG8Server service set to restart automatically. You can also check your Event Viewer logs to see if they indicate what is causing the services to stop and if there are other errors on the server.

Another reason the services will stop is if the Fitnessgram8.lic file is edited in any way.

Q: My license file has been edited and now the services won't start. How do I correct this?

A: You will need to locate the original license file and replace the one in the C:\Program Files\FG8Server (default location) folder on the server. Stop and restart FG8Server services.

Q: How do I add more sites to my Fitnessgram8.lic file?

A: You will first need to contact your

Note: When generating the license file to add sites, you must select the school names that were on your original license file in the exact order and placing the new schools at the bottom of the list.

Q: I need to reinstall Fitnessgram 8.x. What steps should I take?

A: First you should always make a back up of your database. Then follow these steps:

Run the Fitnessgram 8.x Installer
Select to Uninstall Fitnessgram 8.x
Open Server Enterprise Manager:
1. Drill down the instance where FitnessGram 8.x is installed
2. Open the databases folder and delete the FG8 database if it is present
3. Open the Security folder and highlight Users
4. Delete the FG8 user if it is present
Reboot the machine and go through the install process again.

Q: I have client machines throughout the district and I do not want to physically to go to each one to install the client. Is there an easier way?

A: Here is the information you need for an unattended client install:

Unattended Installation of FitnessGram 8.x
-auto /client host
(Ex: X:\FitnessGram 8.x Client Installer.exe auto /client 192.168.20.102)
[no prompts, immediately install the Client (and Java 1.6.0_01) pointed to the specified IP address or host name]

Unattended Upgrade to FitnessGram 8.x
-auto /update
(Ex: X:\FitnessGram 8.x Windows Updater.exe -auto /update)
[no prompts, immediately update to 8.x]

Unattended Uninstallation of FitnessGram 8.x
-auto /uninstall
(Ex: X:\FitnessGram 8.x Client Installer.exe -auto /uninstall)
[no prompts, immediately uninstall FitnessGram]

Troubleshooting Data Management

Q: I am getting a connection error when I try to access the Teacher or Student version of Fitnessgram 8.x.

A: If an error message appears while trying to access the Teacher or Student version of Fitnessgram 8.x on the client machine, go to Start/Programs/FitnessGram 8/FitnessGram 8 Client (Teacher) or Fitnessgram 8 Client (Student) and right click. Choose Properties and the Shortcut tab. Look in the Target: field and confirm the TCP/IP address and that the port being used is 31047.

If all of these things are correct then most likely the issue is related to the NIC. Try the follow:

Disable the work flow control on the NIC.
Update the drivers on the NIC.
Set the checksum offloading to 'None' and restart the FG8server services.

Q: Client gets error that the server cannot be found.

A: If an error message appears stating the Fitnessgram 8.x Server cannot be found or is not available, go to the machine with the Fitnessgram 8.x Server. Right click the My Computer icon. Select Manage and when the Computer Management screen comes up, expand Services and Applications.

Select Services and look for the FG8Server in the list. Look at Status to see if it is "Started". If it is not started, highlight FG8Server and select Restart the Service (XP) or go to Action on the menu and select Start (2000).

Scroll down the list and find MSSERVER. Check that the service status is "Started". If not, highlight it and do the same as for the FG8Server.

Q: How do I restart my FG8Server services?

A: If the FG8 Server Services are not restarting automatically, then perform the following:

Right click on My Computer
Click on Manage
Go into Services
Find FG8server service
Right click and chose Properties
Click on the Recovery tab
You will see options for first failure/second failure or subsequent failures
Check the first failure box option to restart service
At the bottom of the box it gives you a time frame enter 10 minutes

Q: What if I continue to get error messages during my installation of Fitnessgram 8.x?

A: If your installation of the Fitnessgram 8.x Server or Client is failing and you have not been able to resolve it, you can click Details at the end of the setup when it indicates failure and copy all the text listed there and send to Human Kinetics Technical Support to trouble shoot.

If we are not able to determine the source of the problem from this information there is another tool we may send to you to run in order to capture the point of failure on the install.

Q: What could be causing some of my teachers to experience an E_Fail error when running their stat report? Not all teachers are getting this error.

A: If a stat report fails to run for a district, have the teachers check the height and weight entered for each student on the score sheets. If the weight data for one student is unreasonable, such as 0 lbs, 5 lbs or 900 lbs, the stat report will not run. If there is a problem with height as in 0 ft the report will not run. The validity of the data is crucial to the stat report. In a district environment data of this type in a single school can prevent the district-wide stat report from running.

You can isolate where the data is located by running a stat report by school. The school the corrupt data is in will return the same error message. This will help in determining where to look to correct the problem. You can even take it down further by doing the stat report by Teacher.

Q: How often do I need to backup my data?

A: This should be determined by how often data is added to the FG8 program. Backup should occur anytime a teacher or student has entered demographic data or FG8 test scores. Most administrators have established protocols for frequency of backups based on what they know about the users in their school districts.

If teachers and students are entering data and the backup schedule does not protect the data then an export to FG8 will save the data for the teachers and should there be a problem with the server then the most current data could be imported back into the program when the server functionality is restored.

Q: I have several backups. How do I know which one to use?

A: Backups are done in order to protect the end user from losing data. A backup is meant to be used only in the case of a catastrophic event on the Server. At the time of such an event a database manager can do one of two things after the Server has been restored to full functionality:

Request the admin to restore the most recent backup for the FG8 database.
Ask the admin to do a clean install of FG8 with the current license file and then do an import of the most current FG8 exported .zip file.
Either of these steps will get the most current data back into the FG8 program.

Q: Can I export data from my student attendance program to import into Fitnessgram 8.x?

A: Yes, you can as long as you can get the correct format needed for importing into Fitnessgram 8.x. Custom Import files must be in a Comma Separated (delimited) text, format; these files will have either a 'TXT' or a 'CSV' extension. Files with an 'XLS' extension will not work; however Excel is capable of converting 'XLS' files to the 'CSV' format and then the 'CSV' format can be changed (renamed) to 'TXT'. You will need to make sure the file does not contain a header row.

Step 1. Select the type of import file. Your options are:

Custom Teacher Info (this file is used only to create Teachers and import their usernames and passwords if needed)
Custom Class Info
Custom Student Info (this file can be used to bring in Teacher names and Class names as well as all the custom student data) This is the most commonly used import file.)

Step 2. Select the Creation option. Your options are:

Teachers and classes must exist
Insert teachers and classes as needed

Step 3. Select a Match option. Your options are:

Assume students in file are new (students will be duplicated if they already exist)
Student first, last, birthday (students will not be imported if they already exist)
Student number (students will not be imported if they already exist)

Step 4. Tell Fitnessgram the order of the fields in the custom file. Use the "Add>>" and "<

NOTE: If the order of the fields in the right column does not exactly match the order in the import file, the import may fail or place data in the wrong fields.

Step 5. Select a date format

Fitnessgram 8.x is set up to accept six different date formats.

Note: The dates do have to be formatted with "/" marks separating day, month and year.

Step 6. Locate your import file(s):

Click the Browse button to navigate to the file path where your custom import file is located.

Step 7. Click Import to begin process.

Ethnicity Codes
The following codes are valid input for the Custom Import. Do not use the ethnic names, only the numeric codes. The import file containing ethnicity codes must EXACTLY match those listed below.

ETHNICITYID
ID NAME
000 - Unknown
100 - American Indian or Alaskan Native
200 - Asian
201 - Chinese
202 - Japanese
203 - Korean
204 - Vietnamese
205 - Asian Indian
206 - Laotion
207 - Cambodian
299 - Other Asian
300 - Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
301 - Native Hawaiian
302 - Guamanian
303 - Somoan
304 - Tahitian
399 - Other Pacific Islander
400 - Filipino
500 - Hispanic/Latino
600 - African American or Black
700 - White (not of Hispanic origin)
800 - Other
999 - Declined to state

Ethnicity codes for Texas PEIMS are:

ID NAME

23 - American Indian or Alaskan

24 - Asian or Pacific Islander

25 - Black, not of Hispanic origin

26 - Hispanic

27 - White, not of Hispanic origin

Available fields in Custom Import

Custom Teacher info

School id (must match the ID contained in the FG8 database, it is not recommended that you use this field) this is only recommended for the District version

School name (this must exactly match the name of the school from the license file) this is only recommended for the District version

Teacher first name (maximum of 50 characters)

Teacher middle name (maximum of 50 characters)

Teacher last name (maximum of 50 characters)

Teacher username (maximum of 50 characters)

Teacher password (maximum of 15 characters)

Custom Class info

School id (must match the ID contained in the FG8 database, it is not recommended that you use this field) this is only recommended for the District version

School name (this must exactly match the name of the school from the license file)

this is only recommended for the District version

Teacher first name (maximum of 50 characters)

Teacher middle name (maximum of 50 characters)

Teacher last name (maximum of 50 characters)

Class name (maximum of 50 characters)

Custom Student info

School id (must match the ID contained in the FG8 database, it is not recommended that you use this field) this is only recommended for the District version

School name (this must exactly match the name of the school from the license file) this is only recommended for the District version

*Teacher first name (maximum of 50 characters)

Teacher middle name (maximum of 50 characters)

*Teacher last name (maximum of 50 characters)

*Class name (maximum of 50 characters)

*Student first name (maximum of 50 characters)

Student middle name (maximum of 50 characters)

*Student last name (maximum of 50 characters)

Student nickname (maximum of 50 characters)

Student username (maximum of 50 characters)

Student password (maximum of 15 characters)

*Student gender (valid input includes: M and F, or Male and Female)

*Student grade (K is used for kindergarten)

Student ethnicity (must be one of the values from the ethnicity

table above)

*Student birth date (must be in one of the following formats: MM/DD/YYYY,

MM/DD/YY, DD/MM/YYYY, DD/MM/YY, YYYY/MM/DD or YY/MM/DD)

Student number (maximum of 50 characters)

* These are required fields if you want Fitnessgram to create your Teachers and

Classes and import the students into the classes for you. To do this type of import

you will need to select Custom Student Data as your option.

Q: How do I get all my students moved at the end of the semester or year into new classes without having to move them all into Unassigned first and then having all the District Teachers move them into their classes?

A: You can use the Custom Import option to do three steps in one. You can promote your students, move them into the new classes and add new students with one file. This saves you multiple steps and lots of time.

This can only be done using the Fitnessgram 8.x version. You can verify the version installed by opening the Teacher edition and clicking on Help/About. The version number will be listed here. If it does not state version 8.x you will need to update the program.

The new Custom Import file should include School Name (if the entire District is in one Custom Import file), Teacher First Name, Teacher Last Name, Class Name, Student First Name, Student Last Name, Birthdate, Student ID, Student Grade, Student Gender and any other fields for Student Data you wish to import. The order is not important here as long as you select the correct order of fields that match your file in Step 4 during the Custom Import.

NOTE: If you are using the School Name field to identifying the school the student needs to be imported into, you will need to make certain to use the exact spelling of the school name as it appears in the Fitnessgram8.lic file or the import will fail. The school ID field selection within Fitnessgram 8.x refers to the ID associated with that school name within the Fitnessgram 8.x program not the school ID your District has assigned the school. It is better not to use this field in this import.

Once you have your file ready you will need to open the Teacher edition and click on File/Custom Import. On the Import Screen select the following options:

Step 1: Custom Student Data

Step 2: Insert Teachers and Classes as Needed

Step 3: Match Student First, Last, Birthdate ( Do not select Assume Students are New as this will import duplicate students that you will later have to file through to find the right student and manually delete all the others.)

Step 4: Select the order of the fields as they are in your file on the right hand side. Remove any unused fields.

Step 5: Select the format for the Birthdate

Step 6: Browse for your Import file

Step 7: Click Import (If you have separate files for each school and did not include a School name, then you will be prompted for which school to import the data into. If you did include school name this option will not appear.)

Q: Wouldn't it be easier to just move data between tables or delete data that is not needed from the tables?

A: The Fitnessgram 8 utilities were designed to be used to manage the data within the program the choice of using a database for the District install was based on the need for a robust databas¬e to handle significant amounts of Fitnessgram records. Change or deleting directly from the tables could cause the remaining data to become inaccessible to users of the program and possible corrupt the database to the point that it would not be accessible. In moving or deleting data from tables key fields of information could be destroyed and therefore access to other tables would not be possible and the program could fail to function properly.