Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT® Total Web Solution – Upcoming Releases - 06/13/2024

Dan Hout-Reilly

Is anyone else frustrated with the communications from Blackbaud regarding the NXT role out? The emails are starting to sound threatening rather than informative, today's in particular. Some how BB has managed to provide, at the same time, too much deadline-driven communication and too little detailed communication. BB seems to be pushing this role out, without laying out a game plan to address the improvements to the existing NXT functionality requested and needed by users, and without having trainings in place for users to learn how to use the to-be-rolled-out NXT functionality. It's obvious that BB is rolling out a product that isn't even developed yet (and therefore not yet tested).

Jeff Trzaska

@Dan HoutReilly

Absolutely. Especially with importing with large batches and journal entries. The journal entry batch creator didn't work until our IT department figured out the solution to the “This doesn't work in Internet Explorer” error/bug. Even so, it hardly works for our needs. From looking at the forums we are not alone. We are getting to Panic Mode considering our financial software provider is behaving like ransomware without the customer service. If you do ask customer service the answer is always, “IDK LOL! Have you tried looking it up yourself?”

We use database view to import invoices and such via a CSV file. BB and FE NXT have no solution for it and yet they're shutting it all down with no support.

Did you know this is a service we actually pay for?

We are looking at alternatives, but there is no way to switch in time for the pending, deliberate disaster.

Mark Young

@Dan HoutReilly
Well said. I opened a Case yesterday and (again) highlighted my concern that the Excel Add In to import JE will not work for attributes. In the case documentation, I was told that the database import process will remain open until this is addressed and that there was no timeline to shut-off the database import. Today, I received an update on the timeline for Total Web Solution and it indicates that journal entries go live in August.

Leonie Philip

@Dan HoutReilly
Hi All, I’m sorry for you’re the frustrations you’re feeling over this large, phased approach we’ve taken for our journey to Total Web Solution (TWS). I just wanted to reassure you that this is the same email format and communication we’ve been sending for the last few months, and the only thing that’s been changing is the rolling 3 months of information – so no changes to attempt to sound threatening, just being consistently informative of these upcoming database view shut-offs in advance so you can prepare.

In addition, I just wanted to address some of the specific concerns, you’ve pointed out. As Dan said, import in database view is not going to be shut off before we have full import capabilities in webview – so you won’t lose that access and only have the JE Excel Add-in option. We would never take away your ability to import in any of the subledgers fully! Also, the shut-off date for JE's in database view may be moved out if we don't have the right features released for everyone to absorb them at that time (we have done this with a few features already communicated for earlier shut offs, so we are actively listening to your feedback and pivoting, as needed since our first communication on this in April of 2023). We’ve recently had a lot of improvements released around Journal Entry and more are rapidly in the works -- check out this blog for more details. Dan even recently made a post to talk about some small improvements that went a long way for him! So, more goodness to come!!

Also, if you check out the resources that are linked from that email, which admittedly is in summary and hence the link to the Total Web Solution page for more detailed information, you can access a ton of resources to help you adopt webview functionality. If you access the headers for the subledgers on that page that say “In addition to reviewing the following list, you can also watch <general ledger> videos” you are taken to individual Knowledgebase articles which have full lists of microlearnings, short recordings, full courses, and webinars all related directly to the content in webview that we’re communicating is moving to TWS. So you can learn and explore the new workflows rapidly from there. We’ve even made a lot of options (linked in your email) for Blackbaud University completely free that would normally require a paid subscription in addition to the large free library of eLearnings we already have. The reasoning for this is to directly help you access information and training within webview! We’re also doing live webinars every month on the exact upcoming topics for database view shutoffs, so please make sure you’re taking full advantage of all these resources and opportunities.

If you’d like to connect with our product management team and give more details about your needs related to specific features, please sign up for discovery conversations so we can ensure your specific use-cases are documented. We’d love to hear more from you!

Dan Hout-Reilly

@Leonie Philip Thanks for your response, Leonie. While I appreciate you taking the time to reiterate Blackbaud's talking points, I do not believe Blackbaud is addressing the heart of the matter, which is, despite bombarding me with information, I feel unprepared for this transition. The training resources that are linked from the Total Web Solution page appear to be for areas that have already been rolled out, not for areas and processes that will be rolled out in the next few months (e.g. AP approval rules, accounts receivable). If the training for the areas and processes to-be-rolled-out is there, its not easily located.

By pointing out that the emails haven't actually changed, you have highlighted to me that either the emails were always threatening or that the looming deadline is making me feel threatened more so than previously. I believe it may be both. The more that is rolled out, the more inquiries and requests there are on this platform for product improvements that seem to go unaddressed by Blackbaud (other than saying to create an “Idea”, to contact support, or by providing an inconvenient work around).

You indicated that import in DB view is “not going to be shut off before we have full import capabilities in webview". While this statement is supposed to be comforting, its confusing, since the emails indicate that “the Financial Edge NXT total web solution will be fulfilled by the end of this year, removing access to database view.” The two statements appear to conflict one another. You also indicated that database view functionality is extended for some items. Will database view be available after year end for functionality that is not yet in NXT? And, if so, who gets to decide which functionality warrants this? I assume it won't be the users.

I previously signed up for the trials of AR, with no response from Blackbaud. I will sign up for the discovery conversations (though I beleive I may already have).

Lastly, I noticed that your response did not address whether NXT has already been fully developed and tested.

Anthony Block

@Dan HoutReilly

I agree with all the statements regarding the shortcomings of NXT vs database view. I'd like to address the other issue with it - usability. Data entry in NXT is a horrible experience. Web-based field entry is so much more difficult than in the database format. The steps in posting a journal entry are much more difficult. Printing the journal entry report is kludgy. And the performance time is ludicrous. I've had it take up to a full minute to verify a simple journal entry. That same lag time is present in other simple, routine tasks such as creating a new invoice. I'm no programmer but it seems to me that this is probably due to some base level architecture issue.

The question I have is what drove this decision to fundamentally change the user experience? Was it to make it look pretty and make it work on phones? An “improvement” process that alienates it's users is not a well thought-out change.

We are all-in with Blackbaud products. We were sold a totally different bill of goods when the NXT products were rolled out (not to mention the ON- line of products now called K-12 which has it's own set of issues) and we decided it would be easier to just go along with the conversion than look at a new system for everything. I wish we would have rethought that. Changing to a new system in a school of over a thousand students would be very difficult but I'm considering it more each day. And we've been a Blackbaud customer since the DOS days.

Leonie Philip

@Dan HoutReilly

I understand how that can feel overwhelming. I'm going to have the team follow up with you individually so we can address your concerns and leave you feeling better prepared.

None of this is easy and i want to thank you for your support and collaboration.

Jennifer Hughes

@Dan HoutReilly

I agree with all of these statements and am also experiencing concern and anxiety over the communications received this week about removing access to database view for items that are not even built out completely in our environment. For example, purchase orders. The timeline for purchase orders is July and as of today (mid-June) there is still no way to print a purchase order in webview. That does not give me confidence. This is a critical financial process that we depend on and I want to test and see that things exist before being given deadlines of when my access will be removed.

Also, the data entry is not a good experience. Entering invoices, vendors, and other routine records takes longer and requires more keystrokes. Simple things like being able to check the remit to address when you are entering an invoice can not be done and are routinely required in Accounts Payable. Vendors have multiple addresses and addresses change, so I shouldn't have to leave the invoice record mid-entry, go into a vendor record, confirm the address, go back into the invoice record and select the address sight unseen and hope it's the correct one. I have written and voted on multiple ideas for this to be added to webview but feel this should have been in place from the start as it is in database view.

I feel it would be appropriate to allow us as the customers to have enough time to see the product fully built out, test it, train employees and feel comfortable before we are forced to have our access to the database view removed due to the significant dependence we have on this program to keep our accounting systems functioning.

Shelley Napper

@Anthony Block my understanding is the database view runs on citrix, which is expensive.

Erin Robinson

@Jennifer Hughes I agree with this. The purchase order roll out seems very premature and rushed. Not having the printing option is what I am worried about as well. We have to be able to print for our processes here.