Database Management And Cleanup Tips In Raiser's Edge

Database Management And Cleanup Tips In Raiser's Edge

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Raiser's Edge databases are a tricky thing to keep clean. It's similar to keeping your bedroom clean when you were a kid (some of us still are big kids); there are tons of places to hide things, and sometimes no matter how much cleaning you do, sometimes it still looks cluttered.

Here are a few things to consider re: database management and cleanup:

Have scheduled cleanup tasks (a.k.a. "integrity checks") that you do on a regular basis. Some tasks will need to be addressed monthly, while others quarterly, or yearly.
Your constituents have the right to see what's in their record (at least in Canada). So, while everything is important, anything that is sent to constituent by mail, email, or web, should be prioritized in your cleanup efforts. This includes, but not limited to: name (addressee/salutation), address, gift details, etc.
Clean up parts of Raiser's Edge that directly affect the most users/constituents before others. I know each DBA out there (including me) has their pet projects, but it's for the greater good.

Want more tips? I'm leading an interactive webinar called 30-Minute Tips & Timesavers on December 20th at 1pm ET where you can learn more about database management and cleanup tips from me and other Raiser's Edge users.

News Raiser's Edge® Blog 12/04/2017 11:30am EST

Added by Chris Geady

7 Comments

Chris Geady Mar '19

Spring cleanings are awesome. Pick a "slower" time of the year (I know, haha!) and go for it.

Lynn Jones Mar '19

Good tips. We need to do a spring cleaning here.

Austen Brown Jun '18

Thanks for these tips! Prioritizing cleanup tasks is always a never ending struggle.

Chris Geady Dec '17

Thank you to everyone who attended this webinar! As promised, here is a list of the questions that were not addressed in the webinar today. Click on the link below:

https://community.blackbaud.com/events/item/2/1585

Chris Geady Dec '17

Hi Josh, Thanks for posting. The time is intentionally set at 1pm ET so that west coast customers in North America can join during their business hours. Please do register for the webinar, and it'll email you a link to the on-demand recording. Our apologies that we won't be able to change the time. Cheers, Chris

Josh Smith Dec '17

This looks like a very interesting webinar! It's a shame that the 6pm UTC start time makes it impractical for anybody in Europe to take part.
Have you considered running this in the morning in EST? That way it would be convenient for both American and European users. Thanks.

Kimberley Cote Dec '17

Thanks for these quick tips, Chris, looking forward to your session on the 20th. Curious if others have an annual maintenance plan that lays out when they focus on certain clean-up activities.