Details regarding SMART downtime on January 31, 2023
February 6, 2023
This message is to provide more information regarding the SMART system downtime experienced on January 31st, 2023.
Issue Description: During routine non-production work being performed on the evening of January 30th, human error
resulted in the non-production work being applied to the SMART (Statewide Management Accounting & Report Tool)
production environment.
Effect on the SMART: That error resulted in the removal of email addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers from
many tables in the system. SHARP (Statewide Human Resources & Payroll System) was not part of the initial issue,
although automatic syncing of some user information between SMART and SHARP added to the complexity of resolving
the problem.
Actions taken to restore service:
- After full identification of the impact to the system on the morning of January 31st, the Office of Accounts and
Reports and Office of Systems Management made the decision to remove user access to SMART at
approximately 8:15am so data comparisons could be completed with a static dataset. - Once the system and backup records were stable, user access was restored by 2:00pm. Each user profile
requires an email address, which is why users logging into the system prior to the data being fully restored were
directed to re-enter their email on their user profile. - Backup records of the system were used to complete the comparison and restore the missing data elements,
including email addresses that had not yet been entered by the user. - For some records, the comparison and restore was more complex and took more time but all data restoration
activities have now been completed.
Assurance: Please be confident that this issue was not the result of any malicious attack on State of Kansas systems.
Also, the issue did not affect any financial transactions. Measures are being put in place to prevent a similar issue from
happening in the future.
Safeguarding SMART and SHARP continues to be one of the highest priorities for the Department of Administration.
We apologize for the inconvenience the user community experienced.
Thank you,
The Office of Systems Management
The Office of Accounts and Reports
