prevent duplicates in self serve upload by matching on member ID

Planned

Sue Ponsford

August 21, 2014 18:43

If I had one wish for databank it would be the ability to run a list, download it into excel, delete records from there, and them upload a contact note to those records remaining- days or even weeks later.  As it is, when we send a fundraising letter (most often) we then go back in and add the contact note manually.   (We alter our lists quite a bit after they are run – they are circulated to everyone)

So, we'd want the system to use the member ID to recognize the member ID and not create a new record when we re-upload the list. 

4

• Official comment

  

  Marcos Lopez-Carlson

  December 16, 2015 21:13

  Thank you for your input on this request. We recognize that this would be a beneficial and user feature and are putting it on our development roadmap. We do not yet have a timeline for this feature, but it is one we are pursuing.

  This post will be updated when more information is available.
• 

  Aviva

  December 15, 2015 17:24

  YES! This is a significant problem for us. When we have large mailings, the weird workaround that the Databank offers is too cumbersome and time consuming.
  
  FYI, here is their answer to this problem:
  
  

  Do you have a saved search that you can replay, or would it be simple to redo your search query from scratch? If so, then all you will do once you have those members selected is go to Members->Tag Selected, and enter the criteria to add a contact record to those members.

  If you did not save your search or it is too difficult to replicate the exact search you used for your mailing, let me ask then if you still have the Member ID column in your Excel file? If the IDs are there, then here is what you can do:

  1. Copy the Member IDs
  2. Open another Excel document, right click in the first cell and paste special to "transpose" - this will paste your member IDs in a row instead of a column.
  3. Save the Excel doc as a CSV file
  4. Use Wordpad or another text editor to open your CSV file. You should then have a list of comma separated member ID numbers.
  5. In Databank, go to Search->Personal. At the bottom of the Personal table, there is a section called Record with a Member ID field. You can either enter in a single ID number or, below that, enter a comma-separated list. Here you can copy and paste your member IDs from Wordpad up up to 200 at a time.
  6. Click Find and you will have the members from your mailing list as your selection - you can then follow the Tag Selected instructions above to add a contact to those member records.

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