What sync rules are
Sync rules decide how changes move between Almabase and Raiser's Edge after you are connected—so you are not only doing a one-time import; you are choosing how ongoing updates behave.
Rules apply in two directions:
Almabase → Raiser's Edge (changes made in Almabase that should update RE)
Raiser's Edge → Almabase (changes in RE that should update Almabase)
For each type of data (shown by entity in your Sync Rules screen), you set behavior for three situations:
Situation | Meaning |
New information | Something is added that did not exist before on the other side. |
Update to existing information | A value that already exists is changed. |
Removal of information | Something is removed or end-dated so it should no longer apply. |
For each of those situations, and for each direction, you choose one of:
Rule | What it means for admins |
Do not update | Do not apply this change through sync (the other system is left as-is for this case). |
Review before updating | The change is queued for you to approve or reject before it writes to the other system. For changes flowing from Almabase to Raiser's Edge, the Data Inbox groups similar queued changes into patterns so you can approve or ignore them in bulk rather than one record at a time. See Data Inbox: Review Data Changes for details. |
Automatically update | The change is applied without manual approval. |
When this kicks in
After the database is connected, sync is turned on for your site.
Whenever a relevant change happens—either someone updates data in Almabase or data changes in RE (depending on direction and your rules).
Not during the very first mapping-only phase before rules matter; it matters once live sync is part of your workflow.
Default rules (typical starting point)
Almabase sets defaults so day-to-day RE updates flow into Almabase, while writes to RE from Almabase stay controlled.
Defaults (each entity/data category):
Almabase → Raiser's Edge: Review before updating
Nothing is written to RE from Almabase without your review, which helps protect the integrity of your RE database.
Raiser's Edge → Almabase: Automatically update
When RE is updated, Almabase stays in step with the latest RE information without you approving every field.
You can change these on a per-entity and per-situation basis as your team's process evolves; your Implementation Specialist can recommend settings for your policies.