Online donation Gift Comments field vs. Reference field in RE db view

Hi there,

I'm having an issue with data export data inconsistency due to the RENXT online donation “Gift comments” field being the same as the RE db gift “Reference” field. Seeing the inconsistent data type/purpose in the same field drives me bonkers.

The “gift comments” field as used for online donation forms is necessary for exports sent to fundraisers, but then it is cluttered with “Reference” information they don't care about. The “Reference” field as we've used it in db view is important for finance, but then it is cluttered with donor gift comments. I either have to manually clean these up every time I send an export to one group or the other OR keep it as-is with the result that both Finance and fundraisers become blind to the info in the column because it so often doesn't apply to them.

I've considered creating a “Gift comment” attribute to use on the Online Donation form instead of Blackbaud's Gift comment/Reference field. But since NXT calls the field “Gift comment” with a cute little comment bubble icon, that would be too confusing! (I could see the next data admin coming in and saying “why in the world wasn't she using what is already there??” ?)

I did change the field name/label in RE database from “Reference” to “Comment” in an attempt to completely re-label what that field will be used for in the future. But since RE automatically enters certain info in the Reference field for EFT transactions and pledge payments, I don't have full control over changing the purpose of the Reference field. And besides, the field box is so tiny in db view that it seems meant for a purpose that requires brevity.

Is anybody having this issue?

Is there a business rule that I can change so the auto-generated EFT or pledge installment (“Ins of…”) info goes into a different field or gift attribute?

Thanks!

(I couldn't find another discussion post about this, but if there is one please just point me to it!)