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User Import CSV: Applicant changing email breaks link to application responses

Tamara Tsang

Does anyone else have this trouble with their student emails? Because email addresses aren't static, and students can change them, the user import csv is constantly creating new records or failing to link to previous responses because BAM's import setting require BOTH the UID and email.

Is it possible to just use the UID header, since it is unique and remains constant throughout their academic career? Did Blackbaud consider this option?

Has anyone figured out a way to prevent the duplicates or mismatched data from changing email addresses? You can't stop students from changing their preferred email. :/

I've got over 80,000 records now instead of 65K because this keeps happening. NOT to mention they look unqualified on many opportunities because their data is sitting on prior email combos. :(

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Crystal Bruce

Hi @Tamara Tsang - I am checking with my team on this!

Tamara Tsang

Thanks! I keep wondering if I can just use a blank on the email import setting, and leave the UID one….but afraid that might not work! Maybe I'll try that in my test instance!

Crystal Bruce

Hey @Tamara Tsang just wanted to see how things were going with your testing and if that worked!

Tamara Tsang

It doesn't work without both. Customer support told me that if the UID is correct though, the email address should overwrite versus creating a new record. Not sure if that is true or not given the number of additional records I'm seeing, but I have cycle management in less than a month, so thankfully I'll have a clean slate to work with. :)

Victor Swindell

I know in the past I've had to ask BB support to change them on their end.
in a few years we are going to change the mail server part of our emails..and all the Student and Staff emails are going to change…and wonder how to best update them.

Mary Trautman

https://community.blackbaud.com/discussion/comment/311320#Comment_311320

@Tamara Tsang - this is correct, the email address in the import file should overwrite the email address in the user record, not create a new user record. I would provide our Support Team with a few specific examples so they can look into why duplicates are being created.

Tamara Tsang

I had provided samples in my initial support ticket, so that was taken care of. Becase Cycle Management is so close for me-1 week away. It doesn't make sense to fix things manually with "dnu's" on the duplicate accounts. I'm going to let CM wipe the slate clean and then disallow manual user imports. We have IDs with leading zeroes that the csv file keeps chopping off, even when sent as text, so only the api is safe to use. :/

Mary Trautman

Ahh! It's the missing leading zeros that did it!

Sounds like you have a good plan!