Global Add a Default Set?

Jen Claudy

Anyone know of a way to globally add an existing default set to a query of records?  I have default sets already set up for our Addr/Sal fields, and the Constituent records were added, but not with the Addr/Sal fields populated.  I was just wondering if there's already a way that I just don't know about to do a Global Add of a Default Set.  It would save me some time and make it less of a bang-head-here moment next time I discover this has happened...plus I'm always looking to learn something new!  Otherwise, I'll just push through manually (there aren't enough to warrent Export/Import, because it's been a while and I'd have to repeat figuring out exactly how to do it with the Addr/Sal Format IDs and all).



I did discover how to put Today's Date in a Default Set, though, so I'm already ahead of the game this week in learning something new!  (F5 in the Date Field while in the Default Set parameters window...it says it at the bottom of the screen, I just never noticed/read the whole thing because I knew the first 2...lesson learned, I hope.)

Gina Gerhard

Jennifer - The way I look at default sets, it's just a shortcut for adding specific data to a record.  So couldn't you just globally add the data that is missing on those records?



I have developed 'partial' default sets to add commonly missed information on records.  Some of these are specifically to add missing addressee/salutation formats, and that's all they do.  I can then just open the record, apply the default set, and move on to the next one, etc.  So it's still quicker than manually entering the data onto each record.



For addressee/sals, I try to always ask staff to check the values that are dropped in by default -- my default sets only drop in the 'standard' Mr. and Mrs. values -- if constituents have different last name, for instance, that would need to be adjusted.  So globally adding or using default sets for addressee/salutations isn't always going to select the correct one?

JoAnn Strommen

I use global change to add add/sal if they are overlooked in constituent entry.  Have a global change format set up for each of our default types.  I prefer that over importing for my needs.



Or if # of records needing default, I'd do as Gina suggests and open each record and use add default set optoins.

JoAnn Strommen

Additional note: I actually have several default sets to use if needed including one for different last names, female HOH....  As we're very small RE user, it works for us - it does require diligence to change to desired set.  "F" key will use last set used.

Jen Claudy

Thanks, ladies.  That's what I'm doing for my "manual" process.  Just opening each record in my query and using Shift+F2 to load the Default Set.  We have 13 Additional Addr/Sal entries that are added to every Constituent Record, and I have 10 Default Sets for different situations (different lastnames, wife as HOH, deceased spouse, nicknames, etc).  This particular query of records is all the same...no spouse names at all, so they all need the same Default Set.  Just thinking it'd be nice to tell RE to add this Default Set to this Query of records and be done...and sometimes things like this are possible, I just don't know they exist!

 

Ryan Hyde

With the query pulling the types of records you're indicating, you should be able to just do a global change of those records to add the specific addressee and salutation. You'd want to do a constituent global change, pipe in your query, and then add "primary addressee" and "primary salutation," setting each one to whatever your standard single addressee/salutation settings should be. Note: when you pick an addressee salutation this way, your options will all be using dummy names like "William Smith" or "William and Margaret Smith," but those names are just examples. I'm sure you were aware of that though.

Jen Claudy

Thanks, Ryan.  However, because we have 13 Additional Addr/Sals, and Global Change will only allow one at a time, I'd need to run 13 Global Changes, which for the number of records to be changed, isn't worth it.  That's why, when doing the initial clean up 4 years ago, I used Global Change to wipe out all of the existing Addr/Sals and then used Import to put the new setup in place...much simpler when dealing with 30k+ records.  But it's been long enough that I would have spent more time resurrecting my Import files, notes, and process, that it isn't worth it. 

Ryan Hyde

Aha, now I understand what you mean by "default set"! Yes, doing that via import would be the most ideal way to set it all up. But if you're not super comfortable with imports and your number of constituents isn't all that big, then yeah, one-offing them may be easiest. 



If you want to do the import though (and again, you probably already know this stuff, but for posteriety's sake), if you go to Config > Addressees / Saltuations, right click on the blank space on the screen and select Print > Addressee/Salutation report. This will show you the numerical code associated with each addressee and salutation type. Then you can use the code in columsn in a .csv file that map to each addressee/salutation type you need. 

Gary Parratt

We do an import for The defaults. The best bet is to create the perfect record and using import Constituent_Addressee/Salutation but "Create Import file" using a query that finds only the perfect record.

Basically you dont need the name in a field you need the Addressee/Salutation number.

I think the import would look a little like:

<Constituent ID>, <Add type>, <Add Number>, <Add Type>, <Add Number>

12345, "Formal Addressee", 50, "Infornal Addressee", 34



"Formal Addressee" is one of the types - 50 is the record line for buidling the name, on our system it relates to "Title Firstname Lastname"

And so on, you can import them all on one line for each Constituent, as long as when you match the field in the import you make sure in the fields tab that the columns relative to each other have the same extension "column".

If you need a little more information/detail let me know.