Raiser's Edge®-ResearchPoint® Integration Tips: Part 1 - Configuring The Integration

As a Strategic Consultant with Blackbaud Data Intelligence, formerly Target Analytics®, I am frequently asked about the Raiser's Edge®-ResearchPoint® integration. I wanted to take this opportunity to compile my favorite tips to share to help you on how to successfully sync data between your Raiser’s Edge® or Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and your ResearchPoint® databases. The following are the key steps to setting up and using your integration with my tips and favorite links included along the way. In Raiser's Edge®-ResearchPoint® Integration Tips: Part 2 - Using the Integration, will discuss tips on using the integration once it is setup.

Step #1: Link your Raiser’s Edge and ResearchPoint Databases
Generating the Database Key is a one-time setup by a RE administrator who has access to ResearchPoint. Occasionally the link gets broken and you will need to re-enter the database key into ResearchPoint. Follow the PART 1 steps in this Knowledgebase article to find or generate the database key.

Step #2: Each user who needs to sync data between Raiser’s Edge and ResearchPoint must to enter their login credentials to ResearchPoint to be fully integrated.
Although each user will need to enter their username and RE7 Authentication password into ResearchPoint’s integration credentials, they may need assistance from an administrator with access to database view Admin > Security to reset the password.

Follow the PART 2 steps in this Knowledgebase article to find your enable the RE7 Authentication and enter a new complex password. Check out the helpful screenshots in this article.

Tip #1: Resetting the RE7 Authentication password WILL NOT affect your login to Blackbaud.com or RE NXT web view.

Tip #2: You will not need to remember this password after it is updated in the Raiser’s Edge-ResearchPoint integration.

Tip #3: If you attempt to sync a record and receive an error with “Invalid username or password”, you may need to repeat this process to reset your RE7 Authentication password and re-enter it in the integration credentials.

Step #3: Configure which fields sync to and from Raiser’s Edge and ResearchPoint.
This step takes a little more thought and strategy. Reflect on the following questions:

• What type of data should your users see in RE NXT?
  • Which models should you select? Check our the “Suggestions for RE and RP Integration” for more tips on which models to select!
  • If you have the Prospect Research Management (i.e. RE: Search) module, then do you want to view any confirmed wealth data? If so, which data points are most useful?
• What information should update from RE to ResearchPoint?
  • My advice is to choose everything! Constituent information will only update from RE to ResearchPoint, not the other way around. This keeps RE as your database of record for constituent contact information.
  • If you use assigned solicitors/fundraisers, which solicitor/fundraiser type would you like to sync? Remember that RE will always be the most up-to-date database to view fundraiser assignments, but it can be helpful to also view in ResearchPoint.
• What additional RE information should you view in ResearchPoint?
  • My advice is to leave these all checked.

Here are some resources to help you make these decisions:

• What fields integrate between ResearchPoint and The Raiser's Edge Knowledgebase article
• Customer Success Enablement Session Data Analytics: Where do my results go in Raiser's Edge NXT?
• Customer Success Enablement Session ResearchPoint: To Sync or Not to Sync That Is the Question

Tip #1: You can hide select Ratings from all users in web view, but still have access to it in database view on a constituent record or for reporting purposes (e.g. Query and Export).

Tip #2: If you sync a model/rating or other wealth data and later change your mind, ratings can be globally deleted!

Tip #3: If you are syncing a lot of records, for example over 50,000 records, consider unchecking everything except the first tab of the integration (models and wealth data) to speed up the syncing process. Remember to check these boxes back once you finish.

Step #4: Perform a test sync to confirm your settings.
Sync one record (ideally one with all your model scores and some confirmed wealth data) and view it in RE to see what it looks like before syncing all your records. If there is something you don’t want to view, delete the Rating(s) or wealth data from the RE constituent record and update the integration field configuration in ResearchPoint.

Tip: If your ProspectPoint® Target Gift Range (TGR) and/or Affluence Insight™ Wealth Segmentation ratings come over as a text rating, you may want to update the rating’s data type before you sync all of your records. Check out the “Raiser’s Edge-ResearchPoint Integration: Convert Text Data Type Rating to Tables” blog post for more details.


In Raiser's Edge®-ResearchPoint® Integration Tips: Part 2 - Using the Integration, we will review tips and tricks on:

• How to create a refreshable research list of records to sync to RE
• How to, when, and why to split a research list
• How to review and manage exceptions from the syncing

If you would like to learn more about the integration, I recommend the following resources:

• Blackbaud University’s Raiser’s Edge NXT: Basics of ResearchPoint Integration on-demand training
• Data Analytics: Where Do My Results Go in Raiser's Edge NXT?

Do you have other tips for setting up the Raiser's Edge-ResearchPoint integration that I missed? Please share it in the comments below!