How to keep the Event Unit data table from getting out of control

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Julie Hiland
Julie Hiland
Ancient Membership 10 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®: General Discussion
We are a large healthcare orgnaization, with multiple hospitals each doing 1-2 events per year. We have one centralized RE database, and I have found that our "Event Units" data table is out of control.  Several reasons:


1) The name of the sponsorship levels change based on the theme of the event. For example, the $2,500 sponsorship one year is called "Ruby Sponsor" and the next year "Crusader Sponsor". 

2) The sponsorship levels might increase.  For example, the "$2,500 Sponsor" one year is "$3,000 Sponsor" the next year.

3) Clearly, as you can see from #1 and #2, we bounce between named sponsorships and amount sponsorships in RE.

4) The data table is not ordered by alpha, because... as it is now, when new units are added for a particular event, we have found it beneficial to keep the levels for that event together. Mainly because the data table is so long, and it's hard to filter queries/exports/reports with such a long data table.


How does your organization use the Event Unit data table? How do you keep it organized? How do you rein it in??


Thanks!
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  • Julie Hiland
    Julie Hiland
    Ancient Membership 10 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic

    Julie Hiland:

    We are a large healthcare orgnaization, with multiple hospitals each doing 1-2 events per year. We have one centralized RE database, and I have found that our "Event Units" data table is out of control.  Several reasons:


    1) The name of the sponsorship levels change based on the theme of the event. For example, the $2,500 sponsorship one year is called "Ruby Sponsor" and the next year "Crusader Sponsor". 

    2) The sponsorship levels might increase.  For example, the "$2,500 Sponsor" one year is "$3,000 Sponsor" the next year.

    3) Clearly, as you can see from #1 and #2, we bounce between named sponsorships and amount sponsorships in RE.

    4) The data table is not ordered by alpha, because... as it is now, when new units are added for a particular event, we have found it beneficial to keep the levels for that event together. Mainly because the data table is so long, and it's hard to filter queries/exports/reports with such a long data table.


    How does your organization use the Event Unit data table? How do you keep it organized? How do you rein it in??


    Thanks!

    Not sure why this posted under the OLX category. I have re-posted under Optional Modules.

  • Michelle Collins 2
    Michelle Collins 2
    Ninth Anniversary 10 Comments 25 Likes Facilitator Level 2

    Julie Hiland:

    We are a large healthcare orgnaization, with multiple hospitals each doing 1-2 events per year. We have one centralized RE database, and I have found that our "Event Units" data table is out of control.  Several reasons:


    1) The name of the sponsorship levels change based on the theme of the event. For example, the $2,500 sponsorship one year is called "Ruby Sponsor" and the next year "Crusader Sponsor". 

    2) The sponsorship levels might increase.  For example, the "$2,500 Sponsor" one year is "$3,000 Sponsor" the next year.

    3) Clearly, as you can see from #1 and #2, we bounce between named sponsorships and amount sponsorships in RE.

    4) The data table is not ordered by alpha, because... as it is now, when new units are added for a particular event, we have found it beneficial to keep the levels for that event together. Mainly because the data table is so long, and it's hard to filter queries/exports/reports with such a long data table.


    How does your organization use the Event Unit data table? How do you keep it organized? How do you rein it in??


    Thanks!

    Hi Julie,


    I experienced the same thing when I inherited my current database. I went through all of the past event units and made the one-time registration types Inactive. You can do this under Configuration - Tables - Event. It does mean that you will need to do the clean-up after each event, but it will keep things under control moving forward.


    I also have a couple of Event units that I have given generic names to - ie. Ticket, Table that I am able to use over and over. I simply update the unit prices from one event to the next.

  • Amanda Gerard
    Amanda Gerard
    Eighth Anniversary 10 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic

    Julie Hiland:

    We are a large healthcare orgnaization, with multiple hospitals each doing 1-2 events per year. We have one centralized RE database, and I have found that our "Event Units" data table is out of control.  Several reasons:


    1) The name of the sponsorship levels change based on the theme of the event. For example, the $2,500 sponsorship one year is called "Ruby Sponsor" and the next year "Crusader Sponsor". 

    2) The sponsorship levels might increase.  For example, the "$2,500 Sponsor" one year is "$3,000 Sponsor" the next year.

    3) Clearly, as you can see from #1 and #2, we bounce between named sponsorships and amount sponsorships in RE.

    4) The data table is not ordered by alpha, because... as it is now, when new units are added for a particular event, we have found it beneficial to keep the levels for that event together. Mainly because the data table is so long, and it's hard to filter queries/exports/reports with such a long data table.


    How does your organization use the Event Unit data table? How do you keep it organized? How do you rein it in??


    Thanks!

    Hi Julie, 


    I have also experienced this when I took over our database. I went through all of the tables under configuration and made many of the entries Inactive. We made more general table entries going forward. For example, instead of $2,500 Ruby Sponsor, we said $2,500 sponsorship, that way it can be used from year to year in RE and it's based on dollar amount instead of a specific name.


    Amanda

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