MLS Migration

From LDS.org Help Site

Some of the reporting features of MLS (Member and Leader Services) have already migrated to the Leader Portal. Eventually all of the functionality of MLS will be migrated to the Leader Portal.

Transition

The goal of the first MLS transition phase, which was released as part of lds.org in Oct 2010, is to provide leaders and clerks access to selected reports and information including:

• Action and Interview List
• Attendance Rolls
• Birthday List
• Callings and organization lists
• Church disciplinary council processing
• Endowed adult lists
• Individual Ordinance Summary
• Key Indicators (a report new to the Leader Portal showing Quarterly Report data trends over time)
• Members Moved In
• Membership Record
• New Member Report
• Quarterly Report
• Temple recommend lists
• Unit Statistics
• Ward Directory

Except for Church disciplinary council processing, these are view-only reports and lists. The ability to process updates will be supported in future releases.

The second phase, scheduled for release during 2011, will include the ability to update callings, organization, and membership information (such as recording priesthood ordinations); access to forms; and Application to the First Presidency functionality.

Future phases will support member donations, unit budgeting and finance management, temple recommend activation, and Seminary and Institute enrollment and reporting.

Home and Visiting Teaching will also be addressed, but through a separate effort.

Because the transition will take time, and because some areas of the world may not have online access, classic MLS (the program installed on clerk computers) will still be in place for several years and will continue to receive periodic updates. (In fact, clerks can use both the classic MLS software and the Leader Portal, because in both instances, the information is read from or written to databases at Church Headquarters.)

Personalization and Access Control

One unique aspect of the Leader Portal is the way it personalizes and controls access to information based on your calling. This personalization is achieved through a web access management (WAM) layer that looks at your calling. Callings are recorded in a Church Headquarters database known as the Church Directory of Leaders and Organizations (CDOL).

Based on your calling in CDOL, WAM determines what information can be made available to you (based on Church policy). For example, a bishop and ward/assistant ward clerk can view a person's Membership Record or Individual Ordinance Summary, but bishopric counselors and the executive secretary cannot. This role-based access allows members to see information only relevant to their callings. They do not have to wade through menus and screens that pertain to other stewardships, nor does an administrator need to configure their login with a specific role.

Speed

The transition of MLS to the Leader Portal will not only provide convenience for remote access (for example, from home), but also faster turnaround. For example, with classic MLS, requesting a membership record required the membership clerk to submit requests using name and birth date information. If the information could uniquely identify a member, the membership information was returned to you with the next MLS send/receive. If the request did not identify a member, additional Church Headquarters and local unit contact was needed.

When membership record request functionality is available in the Leader Portal, you'll be able to request membership records online. If your initial request does not find the correct membership record, you will be led through a series of steps to refine your search and provide additional information to identify the correct record. All of this will happen in real time rather than requiring you to click Send/Receive and wait.

Remote access

Another benefit of the Leader Portal is remote access. If your meetinghouse or your home has Internet access, any room can be a clerk's office. This will enable leaders to use these tools and resources to assist with their callings at their convenience. Leaders will no longer be dependent on access to the clerk’s office and a single unit workstation. If your meetinghouse doesn't yet have Internet access, see the Meetinghouse Internet instructions.

Security

Moving MLS data and functionality online no doubt raises security concerns. In addition to calling-based access management to safeguard data, all information in the Leader Portal is encrypted through SSL. Rather than http://, the Leader Portal pages begin with https://, which indicates the SSL encryption. As information is sent and received from one server to another, SSL not only encrypts the information, it verifies the information is sent to the right server (rather than being spoofed).

As more MLS functionality is added to the Leader Portal, the information and instructions here will expand. If you have feedback or questions about the Leader Portal, you can post them on the LDSTech Forum. You can also contact Local Unit Support.