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Discuss where to obtain or how to fill out specific reports or forms.
RichardDavies
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Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:24 pm

#11

Post by RichardDavies »

I want to echo what others have said here about ways to reduce paper usage. I also feel that it would be much better if MLS just automatically stored all of the transaction reports, and membership update reports, etc. in some sort of electronic log/database in MLS. Clerks could then search/access this database as needed for reference purposes and print stuff as needed.

The current practice of being bombarded with 5-7 different prompts to print various reports and updates after every send/receive is very annoying and cumbersome. I find it very tedious and usually cancel most of the suggested printings. (For example, I couldn't care less if a member updates their e-mail address...)
jdlessley
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#12

Post by jdlessley »

RichardDavies wrote:I also feel that it would be much better if MLS just automatically stored all of the transaction reports, and membership update reports, etc. in some sort of electronic log/database in MLS. Clerks could then search/access this database as needed for reference purposes and print stuff as needed.
This would dramatically increase the size of MLS backup files. My files are too large as it is now. This solution only solves one only to create another.
RichardDavies wrote:The current practice of being bombarded with 5-7 different prompts to print various reports and updates after every send/receive is very annoying and cumbersome. I find it very tedious and usually cancel most of the suggested printings. (For example, I couldn't care less if a member updates their e-mail address...)
As a ward clerk who uses this information, I do care if a member updates their e-mail address. But I am in agreement that there is no need to print this type of record change activity. I use a process of first print previewing the record change to see if it is something important that needs to be printed. This is followed 98% of the time with a Cancel and then another Cancel.

I would agree that some better management of the automatic print notices needs to occur. Other MLS users will take the same approach to cancelling every membership record print notice. This could result in some useful notices going unprinted or even viewed.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
RichardDavies
New Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:24 pm

#13

Post by RichardDavies »

jdlessley wrote:This would dramatically increase the size of MLS backup files. My files are too large as it is now. This solution only solves one only to create another.
Hard drive storage is way less expensive than paper, ink, binders, and filing cabinets. (Plus it takes up a lot less physical space.) MLS could use some sort of cloud storage/backup service like Amazon's S3 service or Mozy's internet backup service to store the data for far less money than we spend on physical materials to print them out and store them.
jdlessley wrote:As a ward clerk who uses this information, I do care if a member updates their e-mail address. But I am in agreement that there is no need to print this type of record change activity. I use a process of first print previewing the record change to see if it is something important that needs to be printed. This is followed 98% of the time with a Cancel and then another Cancel.

I would agree that some better management of the automatic print notices needs to occur. Other MLS users will take the same approach to cancelling every membership record print notice. This could result in some useful notices going unprinted or even viewed.

You're right. This is one of my concerns too. We have multiple people who use MLS and although I currently follow an approach very similar to yours where I preview things to decide if they should be printed or not, I can not count on all other MLS users following the same convoluted process. Most will either print everything or cancel everything. I think there should be a setting in MLS to specify what things should be printed and what should not.

P.S. I'm curious why you care about e-mail address changes. If you use the ward directory tools to send e-mails, it will automatically use the current address. If you're using some other external method such as a personal e-mail account to communicate with them then I'd argue you should be receiving a notice of their e-mail address change via that system, not the church directory.
jdlessley
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#14

Post by jdlessley »

RichardDavies wrote:Hard drive storage is way less expensive than paper, ink, binders, and filing cabinets.
My concern about increasing the size of backups has nothing to do with hard drive space and absolutely nothing to do with actually printing those reports. I do not see it as a one or the other option. There are more options.

One reason I do not prefer using MLS as a storage repository is that MLS backups take a painfully long time as it is now. That is partly due to the size and partly due to the backup read and write methodology. Why unnecessarily increase that time?

Another reason is that backups are not just stored on the hard drive. When following policies and procedures removable media are used. Our backups currently approach 4Mb. This is after reducing them from the ridiculously large size of 17Mb and growing by deleting such things as printed UFSs, unneeded messages and the like. As long as the file size remains in a controllable size range then the removable media capacity does not have to become ridiculously huge. Nor do I have to use file management strategies to accommodate the limited number of files that can be stored.

The third reason is that most of those automatic print reports contain information already available in MLS. Storing them again is redundant.
RichardDavies wrote:MLS could use some sort of cloud storage/backup service like Amazon's S3 service or Mozy's internet backup service to store the data for far less money than we spend on physical materials to print them out and store them.
Offsite storage alternatives have been discussed in other threads. I do not want to get into that here and fork the thread. While electronic storage is most certainly cheaper than printing and storing those printed documents it is not necessary to print nor store those documents. There is no requirement to do so. If you want to print and store the documents it can be done electronically as a PDF document file. The only restriction is that if these files contain confidential information the files cannot be stored on the hard drive but must be stored on removable media and secured.
RichardDavies wrote:P.S. I'm curious why you care about e-mail address changes.
This is a topic for another thread. It has nothing to do with issues you cited.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
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