August 2008
It's August, and we're well into those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer or so i'm told- those days of query and exports and batch. In this month's edition, we'll discuss making the most of summary filters, exporting the same field multiple times, and saving time with recurring batches. We also have news about Knowledgebase and credit card processing. Have a suggestion for a future issue? Let us know by emailing usersedge@blackbaud.com.
The Raiser's Edge 7.85 is Available
We released The Raiser's Edge version 7.85.5026 on 23 July, 2008.
- Review the release notes for new features, including the ability to organize queries and make attributes inactive.
- Review the release readme for issues addressed.
- Review the installation instructions (BB202814).
- Download The Raiser's Edge version 7.85.
Before updating, check the system recommendations.
To be notified when a new version or patch is released, subscribe to our software update notifications. To do so, click your name at the top right of any Blackbaud web page and then select View Subscriptions. Mark the checkbox next to each publication or notification you wish to receive, and then click Submit.
Credit Card Changes That Impact You
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is a set of requirements developed by the major credit card companies to enhance credit card data security. All organizations that process, store, or transmit payment card data must be PCI-DSS compliant or risk losing their ability to process credit card payments. Beginning in October 2008, any organization that requires a new Merchant ID (BB490176) from credit card companies must be PCI-DSS compliant. As of October 2009, all organizations must be PCI-DSS compliant to process credit cards.
In the coming months, we will provide ongoing updates about how you can become PCI-DSS compliant on our new PCI Compliance blog as well as in our newsletters.
Making the Most of Summary Information
A common request in The Raiser's Edge is to group constituents based on their cumulative giving. This can be accomplished by creating a constituent query and querying on Summary Information, Summary for Gift, Total Amount of Gifts. In addition to being able to query on constituents whose giving is greater than, equal to, less than, or between certain amounts, you can use the Filter tab to select additional criteria, such as Fund or Gift Date, to limit the gifts the query considers. Read more.
Exporting the Same Field Multiple Times
In Export, you may need to export a field such as phone number or total giving multiple times with different criteria. To do so, highlight the name of the export (or "New Export" if it has not been saved) in the right frame of the Output tab, and then double-click on the field. On the new criteria screen that appears, adjust your export output. Read more.
Sometimes it's Good to Repeat Yourself
Recurring batches are a great shortcut for payroll deductions. Rather than re-enter the same gift data month after month, mark the Batch is recurring checkbox on the Batch Header tab to make any batch a recurring batch. When you commit the batch on subsequent occasions, you will be able to add, edit, and delete gifts. You'll never have to start from scratch again! Read more.
Customer Support Guide Updated
Read our Customer Support Guide for the latest, up-to-date information about Support, including our current organization chart, tailored phone menu descriptions for each maintenance plan, and frequently asked questions about cases. To share the guide with other software users at your organization, download the PDF by right-clicking the link and selecting Save Target As. You can also access the guide from the right sidebar on our website's Support pages.
We hope the guide will be a helpful resource for you. If you have any comments or suggestions for other topics to include, please email feedback@blackbaud.com.
From the Forums
What criteria do you use for duplicate individual and organization searches? Ryan Abbott of Whizz-Kidz in London, England, posed this question on The Raiser's Edge Forum.
If you'd like to share the criteria you use, reply to Ryan.
Forum Ratings
Whenever you read a forum post, give it a rating to let the rest of the user community know how helpful you think it is. You can rate the post from one star to five, based on whether you find it poor, fair, average, good, or excellent.To rate a post, place the cursor over the rating stars box, then click and drag your mouse until the appropriate number of stars are lit. You will earn one point for each post you rate. The poster will earn ten points for each rating star awarded to the post.
It only takes a moment to rate a post, and the more you rate, the higher your Forum ranking!
Recent Popular Forum Discussions
The following topics sparked recent discussion among forum participants. Visit the forums to post a question or share your thoughts with other members of the nonprofit community.
Answers to July's FAQs
The articles we include in The User's Edge each month are in Knowledgebase and in The Raiser's Edge FAQs, both of which you can access from the Support menu on our website. The FAQs page has been redesigned based on your feedback to include only the most frequently asked questions. Thanks to everyone who submitted their feedback. Here are the questions you asked most frequently in June:
- How to install or update The Raiser's Edge: BB202814
- How to import constituent name, address, and phone numbers including multiple phone numbers and email addresses (includes sample data file): BB5765
- Why are there duplicates in the query results and how to remove them: BB61118
- How to prepare donor acknowledgement letters (thank you letters): BB519
- How to query on constituents' total giving within a date range: BB339158
Only Suggestions Start with "Unable to"
In response to your feedback, we have standardized the titles of Knowledgebase solutions that are suggestions. The benefits of this change are two-fold:
- If a Knowledgebase solution title begins with "Unable to," you automatically know it’s a suggestion.
- Issues documented in Knowledgebase are more descriptive because "unable to" is reserved for suggestions. For example, instead of searching by "Unable to print letters," you can enter your exact issue, such as "Mail icon is missing."
We are listening to what you have to say. Check out our Software Suggestions page to see which of your ideas we have implemented.
If you locate a suggestion, check to see if it also contains an alternative solution that may enable you to accomplish your objective. For more information and a video demonstration (WMV 3.8MB) of Knowledgebase, visit Knowledgebase Help.
Customer Support HoursJust to note, Customer Support will be closed Monday, 25 August.
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