Online Express donations are coming in but we are in "read-only" mode and migrating to hosting

Lisa Suenaga

What are the best practices for this situation?

We are moving to hosting and awaiting Blackbaud (BB) to notify us when our hosted db is ready and live for accessing. I also have to create new BBMS accounts since we are merging four db into one db. Although we are in "read-only" mode, as one with supervisory rights, I am still able to do gift entries, changes, inputs but will have to duplicate and manully make those changes/entries in the new hosted db.

Since this and any future credit card transactions come through via Online Express which is still via the current BBMS accounts, do we:

 

1. Download and process the online gift as normal via batch but not commit the batch; and then
   1. Manually re-enter into the new hosted database after the new BBMS accounts are setup?
   2. Process normally and replicate in same batch # when the hosted db is live? Or
2. Hold off on downloading the online express donations?
3. For the parent (main database), hold off or download the OE gift? If we download, this will impact our reconciliation with Accounting since they match or reconcile by batch numbers, gift date and gift type as well as the amount.

Please advise.

Chris Martin

Hi Lisa. This is a pretty situation-specific topic, so we may need to take this offline to get you the exact answers you need.



But one important thing to keep in mind is that your Online Express account is tied to your Site ID and your Site ID can have one or more BBMS accounts. If your plan is to continue using your existing Online Express account with your new merged RE database, then your new RE db will have to use the same BBPS account that you have saved in Config > General in the RE database associated with your Online Express account today. If you do that, then you'll be able to enable your existing Online Express account for use with your new RE database.



The best practice here in terms of timing is to do the following:

1. Download / process / commit all pending OLX transactions (donations/events/membership/email signups)

2. Go into "read only mode in RE"

3. Don't click to download transactions in OLX again until after your RE db is back online



Your OLX web forms will continue to be perfectly functional during the RE db downtime and you'll be able to download all transactions once your OLX account is connected to your new all-in-one database.



Thanks!