Documentation

Debmedia School ERP documentation

How to install, set up and use the program every day and through the school year, and how to look after it. For the full list of screens see the screen-by-screen guide.

Start hereInstallRequirements and setupStep 1First startSign in, licence, shop detailsStep 2Set up the shopRates, items, users, numbersEvery dayA day in the shopSelling, buying, closingSafetyBackup and restoreKeep your data safeStuck?TroubleshootingCommon problems and fixes

1. Overview

Debmedia School ERP is an offline Windows program for schools. It runs on one PC and keeps its data in a local database file on that PC. It covers the school's work from the first inquiry to the alumni list: admission, the student record, attendance, the timetable, exams and report cards, fee collection, accounts, library, transport, hostel, staff and payroll, messages to parents and the reports a principal and an accountant ask for.

The side menu has Dashboard, Students, Admission, Attendance, Academics, Examination, Fee, Accounts, Library, Transport, Hostel, HR, Communication, Inventory, Reports, AI Tools and Settings, with about 90 screens in all. Every screen opens in a tab, and Ctrl+K finds any screen, report or student (see Search Everything).

The program is a Windows desktop application written in VB.NET on .NET 8 with one local SQLite file. There is no server to install, no cloud account and no subscription, and nothing is needed from the internet to admit students, collect fees, take attendance or print report cards.

2. Requirements and install

  • Computer: a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, 64-bit. One PC runs one school.
  • Installing: run the Setup file. It needs no administrator rights for a personal install, adds a Start Menu entry (and a desktop icon if you choose) and an uninstaller. The .NET runtime is included in the package.
  • Microsoft WebView2 Runtime: free, and already part of Windows 11 and of current Microsoft Edge. It is used by the activation window only.
  • Printers (optional): an A4 printer for receipts, report cards and certificates; a card printer if you print ID cards.
  • Your data: kept in the folder DebmediaSchoolERP inside your Windows user profile (the AppData Local folder). Uninstalling the program does not remove it.
  • Code signing: the Setup file is not code-signed yet, so Windows may show an unknown-publisher warning. Choose More info and then Run anyway.

Windows 10 PCs with an old WebView2 runtime and every printer model have not been tested.

3. First start and activation

  1. Activation. The program is a trial of five starts. Each start shows an activation window with your machine ID and a box for the licence key. Enter the key you were given to unlock the program for good, or choose Continue Trial while starts are left. Licence status is always shown under About and Licence.
  2. Sign in. The first user is admin. The program makes you choose a new password straight away. See Sign In.
  3. Setup wizard. On first use enter the school's name, address, board, the academic session dates and the first details. These can be changed later under School Profile.

4. Setting up the school

Do these once, in this order.

  1. School Profile: name, address, board, affiliation number and logo for receipts, report cards and certificates.
  2. Classes and Subjects: the classes (provided from nursery to Class 12) and the subjects with their marks. Add the sections of each class.
  3. Fee Structure: the fee groups, the fee types and the amount and due date for each class.
  4. Employees: teachers and staff with department, designation, joining date and salary.
  5. Roles and Permissions and the Users screen: one user for each person, with a role that allows only what they need.
  6. Chart of Accounts: check the accounts and enter opening balances if you are moving from another system.
  7. Students: add them with New Admission one by one, or when the admission season begins use Admission Process.

5. A day in the school

  1. Start at the Dashboard. See fees collected, defaulters, attendance and what needs attention, and act from the cards.
  2. Mark attendance for the classes, and staff attendance with Staff Attendance.
  3. Collect fees. Find the student, tick what is being paid, take the payment and print the numbered receipt (Fee Receipt). Part payments are allowed. Follow up with Fee Dues and Defaulters: tick students, send reminders or print demand letters.
  4. Handle admissions. Record inquiries and follow-ups, and take each one through Admission Process.
  5. Send messages. Queued messages go out from the Message Centre through your own SMS gateway, e-mail server or WhatsApp account, or by one click through a link.
  6. Back up. A backup is taken automatically each day; see Backup and Restore.

A wrong receipt is never edited away: cancel it with a reason, and the dues are restored.

6. The school year

  1. Timetable. Build it with the Timetable Generator, adjust and save.
  2. Exams. Plan an exam in Exam Planning, lay out the date sheet with the Exam Routine Generator, enter the marks, process the results and print the report cards.
  3. Payroll. Mark staff attendance, then process the month's payroll and print the salary slips.
  4. Year end. Run Student Promotion to move students to the next class and the new session. Passing-out students become alumni. A promotion can be rolled back within seven days.
  5. Documents. Print ID Cards and Certificates and Letters whenever they are needed.

7. Reports and books

There are more than 40 reports in the Report Centre, with Excel and PDF export (for example Student Reports and Fee Reports): students, fees, attendance, exams, accounts, HR and payroll, library, transport, hostel and inventory.

The accounts side has income, expenses, vouchers, bank accounts with reconciliation and the usual statements. Fee receipts post to the books automatically (see Income). The program does not file any tax or government return.

8. Decision tools

The Decision Centre and the question box are rule-based tools that work from the school's own data on your own PC, with no internet. The Teacher Assistant builds worksheets, MCQ sets and question papers from the school's own question bank. A connection to an outside AI service can be set in the integration settings; that connection has not been tried with a live account.

9. Users and security

  • Passwords are stored as salted hashes. An account locks after repeated wrong passwords, and the program signs out after the idle time you set.
  • Roles carry view, add, edit, delete, print and export rights for every screen (see Roles and Permissions). Changes are written to an audit log that cannot be edited (see Audit Log).
  • Identity numbers such as Aadhaar are stored encrypted. This only protects against casual browsing of the data file; it is not a substitute for keeping the computer and the backups safe.

10. Backup and restore

All data is one SQLite file. Backups are copies of that file, taken automatically once a day and on demand, optionally protected by a password. A restore takes a safety copy of the current data first. Backup and Restore shows where the files are; copy the backup folder to a pen drive or cloud drive now and then, because a backup on the same disk does not protect you from a failed disk.

11. Troubleshooting

  • The licence check could not be completed. Install the free Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime from Microsoft and start again.
  • Windows warns about an unknown publisher. The Setup file is not code-signed. Choose More info and then Run anyway.
  • A message stays in the outbox. Its channel is not set up in the message settings. Set it up, or send it with the link button.
  • A student has no fees. The fee structure of the student's class has to exist for the session; fees are assigned from it.
  • A transfer certificate is refused. The student still has dues (fees, library books). Clear them first; the principal can override.
  • A screen is missing from the menu. The user's role does not allow it. Change the role under Roles and Permissions.

12. Limits

  • One computer per licence. Several computers cannot share one database yet.
  • No parent or student app, no online fee payment, no GPS tracking of buses, no biometric or RFID attendance import and no cloud sync. Photos are chosen from a file; there is no webcam capture.
  • No separate branches with separate data.
  • Sending by SMS, WhatsApp and e-mail needs the school's own gateway or account and has not been tried with a live account.
  • The decision tools are calculated rules; a connection to an outside AI service has not been tried with a live account.
  • Screens, receipts and certificates are in English, and amounts use the rupee by default. Another currency or language needs the editions on the Gulf and International pages.
  • Payroll uses the salary structure you set; it does not apply statutory PF, ESI or tax rules for you.
  • Printers have not been tested on every model; Windows 10 with an old WebView2 has not been tested.
  • The Setup file is not code-signed.

13. Support

Open a ticket at debasisbhattacharjee.com/support or write to hello@debasisbhattacharjee.com. Please include a screenshot of any message you see.

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