For annotations, how to query on Display annotation automatically

Gina Gerhard

Does anyone know how to query on whether an annotation is checked 'Display annotation automatically' ??

I want to find all annotations in my system that are not checked to automatically display.

Melissa S Graves

While it is not something you can query on you can get the information from export.


So simply query on anyone who has an annotation.


Put that query into export and export the annotation and annotation auto display fields.


I am not sure if you can then re-import that information with the checkbox checked but that would be the best next step if doable.

Brenda Heyer

Hi,

I see Annotation in query under the constituent table.

Thanks,

Brenda

Gina Gerhard

Melissa Graves:

While it is not something you can query on you can get the information from export.


So simply query on anyone who has an annotation.


Put that query into export and export the annotation and annotation auto display fields.


I am not sure if you can then re-import that information with the checkbox checked but that would be the best next step if doable.

Melissa - Thanks, I just did what you describe and this unearthed a rather interesting clean-up situation.  I have merged hundreds and hundreds of organization records in RE over the years and it turns out that if the merged record had an unchecked annotation I didn't realize it was there. So this unchecked annotation now shows on the newly merged organization record, still somewhat invisible because it is still unchecked, and now I can't really tell if it went with the older or the newer record!  I just found a couple of hundred of these ....  


So I'd encourage anyone to check for any annotations that are unchecked to display inadvertently -- and make sure they are checked to display (if that's indeed your intention) to ensure they are visible in the system as you work with them over the years.  I can't really imagine why you would want an annotation to not pop-up up, but unfortunately  the default when you create an annotation is that it is unchecked --

Gina Gerhard

Brenda Heyer:

Hi,

I see Annotation in query under the constituent table.

Thanks,

Brenda

Brenda - That's the text part of the annotation only and not the checkbox that makes it automatically pop-up or not.

Karen Stuhlfeier

This is interesting. I created a query of records with annotations and exported it and found that I had a few records that didn't have the box checked. Why would you want an annotation if it didn't show up when you open the record? I didn't have many so I manually checked the box. If you have a lot I suppose you could change those records through import. I'm not a fan of annotations. 


 


 

Gina Gerhard

Yes, why would Blackbaud make 'unchecked' as the default here??  Just doesn't make much sense ....


I find that less experienced staff enter these but don't realize they have to check the box -- and since you can't easily audit on this state of 'checkness' they remain unchecked and hence virtually useless since they're not popping up!!


We actually use them for somewhat important purposes in our organization -- so it's actually been a bit of an issue for us.

 

Karen Stuhlfeier

Yes, it shouldn't even be an option!





Gina Gerhard:

Yes, why would Blackbaud make 'unchecked' as the default here??  Just doesn't make much sense ....


I find that less experienced staff enter these but don't realize they have to check the box -- and since you can't easily audit on this state of 'checkness' they remain unchecked and hence virtually useless since they're not popping up!!


We actually use them for somewhat important purposes in our organization -- so it's actually been a bit of an issue for us.

 

 

Karen Stuhlfeier

 I'm not even sure that you can update it through import? I've been looking. If anyone see's where that can be done please let us know.

 

 

Brenda Heyer

Gina Gerhard:

Brenda Heyer:

Hi,

I see Annotation in query under the constituent table.

Thanks,

Brenda

Brenda - That's the text part of the annotation only and not the checkbox that makes it automatically pop-up or not.

Thanks Gina! I thought part of the original question was that this could part of a record could not be queried on.

 

Melissa S Graves

In my initial look yesterday I was unable to see where it could be changed either by import or global change. :-(

Karen Stuhlfeier:

 I'm not even sure that you can update it through import? I've been looking. If anyone see's where that can be done please let us kn

 

 

Peter Gulka 3

Gina Gerhard:

Yes, why would Blackbaud make 'unchecked' as the default here??  Just doesn't make much sense ....

People get annotation blindness if there are too many. I used to work at an organization where one staff person thought certain data was valuable but didnt know where to put it. She would put them in annotations, so almost every record in the database had some kind of popup with useless information, and peopel stopped reading them at all. 


Annotations should only be used if that is key information that requires action immeditaly upon opening the record. In my humble opinion they are overused. If it is not something that needs to be known right away, it should go in a Note.


Forcing the annotations to always popup, I think might train people to put more info in the Notes rather  than unchecking the box. But hey man - I jsut work here. 

Gina Gerhard

Peter - I totally agree, that's actually what I'm doing right now - responding to complaints that there are too many pop-up annotations!  


But to find that there is no helpful functionality in query, global add/change, or imports as tools to help us do any cleaning/management -- is a little underwhelming.  So I'm tackling these in bunches, doing most of the work manually.

Melissa S Graves

UGH  Sorry Gina. At least you were able to get an export of all of the annotations so you know what needs cleaning!

Peter Gulka 3

Doing it in bunches is what we call "job security".

Gina Gerhard

Indeed!  And speaking of bunches --


I just did a major record deletion in RE (of over 15 years accumulation of old scholarship student records when we created a record for every applicant whether they got awarded or not) - over 15,000+ records!!


I had all the constituent IDs in a spreadsheet but since time had elapsed since they were entered, they might have somewhat 'normalized' - made a gift, attended an event, had wealth screening done, etc. -- so I had to run the IDs in another query with those criteria to make sure I wasn't deleting a record with something imortant on it (I kept finding more possible criteria so ended up with over 16 criteria lines).  


Did them in batches of 250-500 records at a time -- I had never actually globally removed records from RE so I was scared to do more at a time!  

Days .. and days .. and days ... BUT I'M DONE!!  Reduced our overall record count by around 20%

 

Donna Woods

Gina Gerhard:

Yes, why would Blackbaud make 'unchecked' as the default here??  Just doesn't make much sense ....


I find that less experienced staff enter these but don't realize they have to check the box -- and since you can't easily audit on this state of 'checkness' they remain unchecked and hence virtually useless since they're not popping up!!


We actually use them for somewhat important purposes in our organization -- so it's actually been a bit of an issue for us.

 

We had the same experience at my organization.  Staff were entering whatever they thought sounded good for an annotation, but in reality some of that information should have been entered on their RE record (for instance, someone added "her husband's name is Bob Smith".  So, we took rights away from our staff to add Annotations and now have to come to the Database team for evaluation and proper data entry.  :-)

 

Melissa S Graves

someone added "her husband's name is Bob Smith".  So, we took rights away from our staff to add Annotations and now have to come to the Database team for evaluation and proper data entry.  :-)

Cringe, cringe, cringe

Peter Gulka 3

These are why I day-drink. 

Gina Gerhard

OK, so let's start a "What's Your Worst Ever Annotation" contest  !!!

Multiple cringe-worthy entries are allowed!

Gina Gerhard

OK, here's a starter:

PAID IN FULL 

(that's it -- nice to have some context perhaps?? )


and another --

EXECUTOR OF HIS MOTHER

(not sure where the emPHAsis on the syLAbul might be ...)


Gina Gerhard:
OK, so let's start a "What's Your Worst Ever Annotation" contest  !!!

Multiple cringe-worthy entries are allowed!

 

Cathy Spencer

Gina --
Thank you for the laughter.  It was much needed! 

Denise Covington

Gina Gerhard:

OK, here's a starter:

PAID IN FULL 

(that's it -- nice to have some context perhaps?? )


and another --

EXECUTOR OF HIS MOTHER

(not sure where the emPHAsis on the syLAbul might be ...)


Gina Gerhard:
OK, so let's start a "What's Your Worst Ever Annotation" contest  !!!

Multiple cringe-worthy entries are allowed!

Here's one:  Waiting for replacement  check​


 

Melissa S Graves

Briefly looking at ours right now I see these horrible beauties


Do Not Call

Maiden name is XYZ

On all corresondence please address as:

Volunteered as class agent for 25th reunion

do not send pledge reminder for capital pledge



 

Peter Gulka 3

"Gave last year. Do not ask again."


Really? REALLY?

Gina Gerhard

There's a reason why people don't put their names on these ....

John Heizer

Gina Gerhard:
OK, so let's start a "What's Your Worst Ever Annotation" contest  !!!

Multiple cringe-worthy entries are allowed!

You guys got me curious so I just ran this Query:



Some of that garbage does have data underneath it, some doesn't.  None of the codes display in the annotation.  I'm assuming that someone has pasted the annotation from an RTF word processor.  Every one of them that I've opened so far that has data the information is useless ("Membership expires 2/10/08" etc.).

Peter Gulka 3

John I think I just had a stroke. 

Gina Smith 2

Stroke.  Me too.

Gina Gerhard

John - Welcome to the Club !!!!

Jill Freidmutter

Gina Gerhard:

Does anyone know how to query on whether an annotation is checked 'Display annotation automatically' ??

I want to find all annotations in my system that are not checked to automatically display.

For balance - a good use of annotations. I just learned about annotations a couple of years ago and found a wonderful way to use them. We have a constituent couple, husband and wife. The husband's name is spelled like a female name. Even through their salutation said Mr. and Mrs., when the intern wrote a thank you letter, they changed it to Ms. and Ms., thinking the one in RE was wrong. We received a call, and I promised the couple it wouldn't happen again. I made a note in their record explaining that XXX was a man. The next year a different intern did the same thing! We received another call from the couple. Argggg. Once I found out about annotations I made one for this record so anyone who opens it in the future will see the message not to mess with the salutation because it is a man and a woman. (And in case a gift gets entered in a batch without opening the record, I also make it a point to tell the story to every new intern.)