How to handle 2 digit dates in the Description field in Attributes when org is over 100 years old

Kim Raftery

I work for a YMCA camp that is over 100 years old.  We have been tracking people's camper years as a 2 digit date in the Description field of Attributes.  The problem is that we are coming up on an overlap between 1918 campers and 2018 campers.  Does anyone have any advice on how to manage this?  My first thoughts are either to go into the few records we do have and change them to 19XX, or if I should figure out a way of tracking 1900s campers as one attribute and 2000s campers as another attribute.  Any other ideas?

Lee Newcomb

Kim Raftery:

I work for a YMCA camp that is over 100 years old.  We have been tracking people's camper years as a 2 digit date in the Description field of Attributes.  The problem is that we are coming up on an overlap between 1918 campers and 2018 campers.  Does anyone have any advice on how to manage this?  My first thoughts are either to go into the few records we do have and change them to 19XX, or if I should figure out a way of tracking 1900s campers as one attribute and 2000s campers as another attribute.  Any other ideas?

You can set the Description field to be data type "Date", or use the Date field of your "YMCA camp" attribute.  E.g.,

    YMCA camp   7/1/1918    5/3/2018    desc. field with init. day & Date of input

or

    YMCA camp   Yes    7/1/1918           desc. Yes attended with Date field the init. day

This may require exporting existing attrib's & importing to a modified or replacement attrib.  Sugg. always tracking full dates when possible.

Jen Claudy

I would create a new Attribute, as Lee described (either make the Description Field be a date field or use the Attribute Date Field).  Then export the data from the current Attribute (with Constituent ID), and import back to RE as the new Attribute.  Spot check and run queries to be sure you have the same number of records with the new Attribute as you do of the old, then delete the old Attribute.  I don't believe RE will let you change the field type of the Description when there is existing data in the database.  And it may not work as expected if it does.

Kim Raftery

Jen Claudy:

I would create a new Attribute, as Lee described (either make the Description Field be a date field or use the Attribute Date Field).  Then export the data from the current Attribute (with Constituent ID), and import back to RE as the new Attribute.  Spot check and run queries to be sure you have the same number of records with the new Attribute as you do of the old, then delete the old Attribute.  I don't believe RE will let you change the field type of the Description when there is existing data in the database.  And it may not work as expected if it does.

Thank you Jen and Lee.  I will try that.

 

Christine Cooke 2

Kim Raftery:

I work for a YMCA camp that is over 100 years old.  We have been tracking people's camper years as a 2 digit date in the Description field of Attributes.  The problem is that we are coming up on an overlap between 1918 campers and 2018 campers.  Does anyone have any advice on how to manage this?  My first thoughts are either to go into the few records we do have and change them to 19XX, or if I should figure out a way of tracking 1900s campers as one attribute and 2000s campers as another attribute.  Any other ideas?

I would do a housekeeping sweep and turn all two digit years into four digit years and be done with it.

Heather MacKenzie

Kim Raftery:

I work for a YMCA camp that is over 100 years old.  We have been tracking people's camper years as a 2 digit date in the Description field of Attributes.  The problem is that we are coming up on an overlap between 1918 campers and 2018 campers.  Does anyone have any advice on how to manage this?  My first thoughts are either to go into the few records we do have and change them to 19XX, or if I should figure out a way of tracking 1900s campers as one attribute and 2000s campers as another attribute.  Any other ideas?


Ditto on making your 2 digit years into 4 as the others have recommended, and I'd also like to add that I think it's pretty awesome you have a camp that is that long-standing!