When a new constituent is added to Raiser's Edge NXT — whether it's a recent graduate, a new donor, or a newly entered parent record — that person doesn't automatically appear in Almabase. The integration between the two systems syncs changes to existing records (like updated emails or new addresses), but it doesn't watch for brand-new constituents in your database.
To bring new people into Almabase, you need to pull them in. There are two ways to do this:
a one-time data pull for immediate needs, or
a recurring pull that runs on a schedule and automatically picks up new additions.
Most institutions use both — a one-time pull for the initial load or a batch of new records, and a recurring pull to keep things current as new constituents are added over time.
This article walks through both methods, explains what data comes over during a pull, and covers common questions about how new constituents flow from RE into Almabase.
How It Works
Why new constituents don't sync automatically?
The ongoing sync between Almabase and Raiser's Edge NXT is designed to keep existing records in sync — when a constituent's email changes in RE, that change flows to Almabase (based on your sync rules). But the sync doesn't monitor RE for newly created constituents. This is intentional: most institutions want control over which constituents appear in their Almabase directory, rather than having every new RE record show up automatically.
To bring new constituents into Almabase, you pull them in using a list or query from RE.
Method 1: One-time data pull
A one-time pull is the most common way to bring in a batch of new constituents. You select a list or query from RE that contains the records you want, choose what data to include, and start the pull.
Step by step:
Go to Settings → Database
Open the Sync Data tab
Under One-time data pull, select your list or query from the dropdown
Choose the pull action:
"Create and update" and "Create only" — These actions will pull new constituents from RE NXT to Almabase.
"Update only" — will only pull existing constituents.
Select the entities (types of data) you want to include
Give the pull a name so you can find it later in your pull history
Click Start pull
The pull runs in the background. You can close the browser and come back — progress is tracked in the pull history on the Sync Data tab. When the pull finishes, you'll receive an email notification with a summary of how many records were processed and whether any errors occurred.
Tip: Data pulls take time. Each record takes a few seconds to process, so a list of 1,000 constituents takes roughly 1–2 hours. A list of 5,000+ can take most of a day. Start large pulls well before you need the data — ideally the day before.
Method 2: Recurring pull
A recurring pull runs on a schedule and automatically brings in new constituents from the same list or query each time it runs. This is the best way to keep Almabase up to date as new people are added to your RE database over time.
How recurring pulls work:
You set up a recurring pull by linking it to a list or query in RE and choosing a frequency: daily, weekly, or monthly
The pull runs automatically at 7:00 AM in your institution's timezone
Weekly pulls run on Mondays; monthly pulls run on the 1st of each month
Each time the pull runs, it checks the list or query for constituents that don't already exist in Almabase, and creates profiles for them
Recurring pulls are set to Create only by default — they bring in new people but don't modify records that are already in Almabase
Setting up a recurring pull:
Go to Settings → Database
Open the Sync Data tab
Under Recurring data pull, click to set up a new recurring pull
Select the list or query you want to pull from
Choose the frequency — daily, weekly, or monthly
Select the entities to include
Give it a name and save
Once set up, the recurring pull runs on its own. You can see past pull results in the pull history, and you'll receive an email notification after each run.
Tip: Use a dynamic list or query in RE — one that automatically includes new constituents when they're added to your database. That way, the recurring pull picks up new people without you needing to update the list manually.
What data comes over during a pull
When you run a pull, you choose which types of data (entities) to include for each constituent.
Important: Pulling data into Almabase doesn't make it visible to everyone. Visibility for each field is controlled separately in your profile settings. Personally identifiable information like email and phone is always private by default.
What happens after new constituents are pulled in
Once a constituent is created in Almabase through a pull, they become part of the ongoing sync. From that point forward:
Changes to their data in RE (updated address, new phone number, etc.) flow to Almabase based on your sync rules — automatically, through the Data Inbox for review, or not at all, depending on how you've configured each entity.
Changes made to their profile in Almabase (a new email collected through the directory, for example) can flow back to RE, again based on your sync rules.
Whether the new constituent is automatically listed in your member directory depends on your site settings. There's a toggle under site settings — Automatically list new users in directory (Y/N) — that controls this. When enabled, any new user added to Almabase will be visible in the user directory and map. When disabled, new profiles are created but not listed until you choose to list them.
FAQs
What's the difference between a one-time pull and a recurring pull?
A one-time pull is a manual action — you select a list or query, choose your options, and run it once. A recurring pull is automated — you set it up once with a frequency (daily, weekly, or monthly) and it runs on its own, checking for new constituents each time. One-time pulls can create, update, or do both; recurring pulls only create new records by default.
I just added 50 new graduates to RE. How do I get them into Almabase quickly?
Make sure those records are in a list or query that Almabase can access. Then go to Settings → Database → Sync Data and run a one-time pull using that list or query. Select Create and update as the action and choose the entities you need. For 50 records, the pull should complete in a few minutes.
I have a recurring pull set up, but a new constituent I added to RE yesterday isn't in Almabase yet. Why?
A few things to check. First, is the new constituent included in the list or query your recurring pull uses? If you're using a static list, you need to add them to it manually in RE. Second, when is the next scheduled run? Daily pulls run at 7:00 AM in your timezone, weekly pulls run on Mondays, and monthly pulls run on the 1st. If the pull hasn't run yet since you added the constituent, they'll come in on the next scheduled run.
Can I run a recurring pull immediately instead of waiting for the next scheduled time?
You can run a one-time pull using the same list or query at any time. This won't affect your recurring pull schedule — the recurring pull will still run at its next scheduled time and skip any records that were already created.
What happens if a constituent is in RE but I don't want them in Almabase?
Don't include them in the list or query you use for your pull. The pull only brings in constituents that are in the selected list or query — it doesn't pull your entire RE database. Use a list or query that filters for the population you want in your directory.
Will a recurring pull update existing records, or just create new ones?
Recurring pulls are set to Create only — they bring in new constituents but don't modify records that already exist in Almabase. If you want to update existing records with the latest RE data, run a one-time pull with the Create and update option.
What if the same constituent appears in multiple lists I'm pulling from?
That's fine. If a constituent already exists in Almabase (from a previous pull or any other source), the system recognizes them by their RE database ID. With Create and update, their data will be refreshed. With Create only, they'll be skipped.
How do I know which constituents were brought in by a specific pull?
Every pull session asks you to give it an internal name. To find the constituents from a specific pull, go to Data Studio, add a filter on List Name, and search for the name you gave the pull session. All constituents that were part of that pull will appear in the results.