This article will walk you through the steps on how to pull constituent data from Raiser's Edge NXT into Almabase. We'll cover three different scenarios:
The Initial Data Pull
Step 1: Authorize connection with Almabase and Blackbaud.
Please refer to this article on how to connect both systems: Connect Raiser's Edge NXT with Almabase
Step 2: Choose your connection to facilitate constituent sync
The Blackbaud user connection that you added in Step 1 will be available in the Connection to RENXT dropdown field π
Select the connection to facilitate sync between the two systems from this field. The red dot next to the field name will turn green once you're successfully connected.
Step 3: Scan your database
Click the Start Scan button to begin the process. The system will analyze your database to understand how you've organized default and custom fields for constituents in your database.
After finishing this step, you can then choose the specific data that you would like to include on Almabase.
Note: This step could take some time to complete. No constituent data will be exchanged between the two systems at this stage.
Step 4: Setup your database on Almabase
(a) Enter the school/college name as defined in your RE.
In this field, enter the exact name of your school/college as it is saved on your database. The names you list here will be used to identify when constituents studied or worked at your institution.
This step helps the system differentiate between the constituent's primary education at your organization and other education.
Please note: If you have saved your school/college name under different names on your database (for example, Regency University and RU), you can add those names as a comma-separated list here.
(b) Select Solicit Code for Email Preferences on Almabase
Solicit codes are a constituent's rules of contact (such as not calling after 8:00 pm or on weekends). This helps tailor communication to honor their requests.
(c) Choosing fields to include in Almabase
Here, you'll be shown a list of all the fields you have on constituent records in your database. You can select the ones you'd like to pull into Almabase and leave unchecked the ones you do not need.
The fields you select here will form the structure for every constituent profile you pull into Almabase.
Step 5: Review a sample profile
To review a record, click on the Review a Profile button and pull in a constituent record from your database.
To pull a single record, click on the 'Select Record' button and search for a constituent record by using their name or using the system record ID for the constituent on RENXT.
Note: Under the 'Review' tab, click on 'What should I review?' to understand the important points to note before proceeding to pull the list of constituents from Raiser's Edge. We recommend going over at least five sample records and reviewing them before initiating the complete data pull.
Step 6: Pull Data into Almabase
This is the final step, where you begin the data pull. We use Lists created on RENXT to pull in constituents from your database. As a prerequisite, create a List on RENXT with all the constituents you want on Almabase added to it.
Before hitting Start Import, review & confirm the checklist shown on your screen - this helps ensure you have followed all the required steps and are ready to import the data into Almabase.
Highlight all the steps and click on the Start Import button. (see the steps below π)
(a) Select the Create/Update Records option and click on Next.
(b) Select the List name and choose the Data Entities to be pulled.
Select the List you created on Raiser's Edge earlier and provide an internal name to the List.
Then select how the records should be uploaded. In the drop-down menu, you will find three options.
Create and update: Perform updates on existing constituents in Almabase and create new constituents if they don't exist.
Only create: Create a constituent on Almabase only if it does not already exist. We will ignore if the constituent exists on Almabase.
Only update: Update a constituent on Almabase only if it already exists. We will ignore it if the constituent does not exist on Almabase.
In the next step, please verify the fields from which you wish to extract data during this data pull session π
Click on Pull Data into Almabase to start creating profiles on Almabase.
Note: Depending on the number of constituents being pulled, it might take a few hours for the data pull to finish.
Resolve Errors and Resync on Almabase
Once the Data Pull is complete, the system may show you an Error Sheet under the Sync Data tab if there are errors that need to be fixed for records.
It would look something like this π
Fixing errors:
Constituents/records with similar errors will be grouped/categorized together. You can fix such errors on your database and click on the Resync Constituents button to pull these records successfully.
For unique errors, records will be listed on a table. Read the error message and update the constituent on Raiser's Edge to rectify errors. Once the error is cleared, simply click Resync.
Performing Subsequent Data Pulls
Once the initial data pull is finished, the preferences you have configured in steps 1 to 5 will be saved for all future data pulls.
For any subsequent data pulls, you can skip all previous steps and directly proceed to Step 6: Pull Data into Almabase to easily import a fresh list of constituents into Almabase.
Pulling Data for Individual Constituents
If you only need to pull a small number of constituents, there's no need to create a list on Raiser's Edge NXT and go through the entire process. Simply navigate to the Review tab in the sync settings and click on the 'Select Record' button.
You can search for a constituent by their name or using their system record ID from Raiser's Edge NXT and directly pull them into Almabase in a few seconds.