Tech Forum

Posted: **Thu May 17, 2007 11:25 pm**

MLS is a wounderful tool compaired to the old MISsoftware. I have a suggestion and was wondering if programmers are considering adding this fix to the next up comming MLS version.

After year end we can only set donors to invisible. Would it be feasible to add a remove button here?

I have two reasons for this. First when one adds a donor if one makes a spelling mistake or enters something wrong and then adds the donor one cannot remove the incorrect donor. One has to then add the donor again. The second reason is MLS is not removing the donors at the start of the new year for members that have moved from unit.

Our Donor Name List is getting very large. I have noticed it contains names from donors that have moved out of the unit more then two years ago. Plus their are many duplicate names and misspelled names. Also their is a mixture of all caps and some first letter capatilized only. Ficticious example: LUNCHBOX, JOE & JANE and some are Lunchbox, Joe.

Would it possible to consider adding a remove button so clerks can clean up the Donor Name List? This can then be done when the new year starts. A remove button will also allow duplicate donors and misspelled donors to be removed.

I do not see a down side to adding a remove button for the add/update donors. Am I missing something?

Thank you.

Posted: **Fri May 18, 2007 8:29 am**

Good suggestion. I'll make sure that the MSR (membership statistical records) department reviews this thread as they are in control of what gets added or fixed in MLS.

Tom

Posted: **Fri May 18, 2007 11:13 am**

Mr. Techno wrote: I do not see a down side to adding a remove button for the add/update donors. Am I missing something?

In the mean time, I think there might be a button or function to merge donors. I there is such a function, you may be able to create one "Bogus Bogosity" donor and merge the others with it, which would effectively remove them from the donor list.

Posted: **Sun May 20, 2007 8:04 pm**

I believe what you are seeing is a combination of MLS's structure (one database rather then one database per year) and the record keeping rules which are something like 3 years plus current year (US rules). I don't think you can delete a donor if they've had any transactions in that time period.

Combining bogus entries may help.

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:32 pm**

Mr. Techno wrote:One has to then add the donor again.

I am a ward financial clerk. Some sisters in our ward (including my own wife) have changed their name due to marriage. I've wanted to update the donor list accordingly, but MLS doesn't allow modifying names on the donor list, nor does it allow adding a person again under their new name (it complains that there is already a donor with that membership number in the donor list). So I am forced to remember the maiden names for several sisters when entering their tithe slips.

Mr. Techno, were you able to add a person to the list with a corrected name? I would love to know how!

Posted: **Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:32 pm**

[sorry to fork the thread-- thought I'd reply to gwilliams]

If you relink the donor record with the membership record, doesn't it fix the name as well? (I know if updates the address info.)

If my memory is failing me on that, couldn't you:
1) add a new donor record, but mark it as "not a member" so that you can fix the names
2) merge the old donor record with the new donor record (being sure to keep the NEWER record
3) link the merged record back to the member record.

Posted: **Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:30 am**

unixguy, thanks for the suggestions. I will try them at the next opportunity.

Posted: **Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:35 am**

As far as I can tell, you can update donor names by clicking on the name of the donor on the Add/Update Donors page and changing the Donor Name line and hit Save. I've done this in my ward without any problems, it just confirms the name change.

Posted: **Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:44 pm**

Our main financial clerk tried both methods suggested above, but said neither worked to rename a donor. Sorry, I don't have the relevant error messages (if any), but I can attempt it again myself on Sunday.

Posted: **Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:47 am**

gwilliams wrote:Our main financial clerk tried both methods suggested above, but said neither worked to rename a donor. Sorry, I don't have the relevant error messages (if any), but I can attempt it again myself on Sunday.

I think we are talking two different things. The add/update Donors section does allow you to update donors names. Users to MLS acts like it allows editing but does nothing after you update the information. I have entered a JIRA bug for the developers to look into the problem.

Tech Forum

Add/Update Donors & Donor Name List

Add/Update Donors & Donor Name List

Updating Donor Names