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Profiles World

Site Specific Notes

Data Maintenance

In addition to viewing constituent data, the Profiles World is also the location for entering and editing data.

The process of adding data to your database follows three very general steps:

  1. Verify that the information is not already present in the database.
  2. Assign the information to the appropriate fields within a row.
  3. Insert the row into the database, or update an existing row with the newly assigned information if the row already exists in the database.

Each data table uses a Data Maintenance form to assign the information to the fields in a data row. That form is essentially the same whether you are inserting a new row or editing a row that already exists in that table. Data Maintenance forms will vary from table to table however, depending on the fields that are contained in each data table.

This topic begins with a general discussion of the components of a Data Maintenance form and the standard techniques for using these components for data maintenance. It continues with instructions for creating a new row of information for a constituent, editing an existing row of information, and deleting existing rows from Millennium. This topic concludes with discussions about linking Millennium data rows, and instructions for linking Millennium data rows using the Link and Link to Existing system functionality.

Data Maintenance Forms

Objects corresponding to the fields in the data tables display on Millennium Data Maintenance forms. These objects might include text boxes, text boxes with calendar controls, list boxes and check boxes. What objects display on a particular Data Maintenance form depends on the system definitions (that is to say, data type, length, and purpose) of the fields in the data table that is being maintained.

In general, each text box and list box on a Data Maintenance form is labeled. Each label will have one letter that is underlined. This underlined letter functions as the Hot Key for that particular box.

Navigation within a Data Maintenance Form can be accomplished via the label Hot Keys, the [Tab] key, or by mouse.

Text Boxes

The text boxes on a Data Maintenance form are classified as Free, Date/Datetime, Money or ID text boxes.

Free Text Boxes

Free text fields are used by the system when there is no potential for standardizing the data that will be entered in that field. For example, in an Address row, there are a reasonably limited number of possible states and countries that might be used, but a nearly endless number of street names. Therefore, the street lines in the Address fields are free text, but the Country and State (Places) are driven by a lookup table. Free text boxes are used to enter and edit free text field data.

Free text boxes will accept any characters that you choose to enter. This includes upper case and lower case alphabetic characters, numbers, other special characters, as well as wildcards. The length of a free text box is an indication of the maximum length for the data field to which it is 'attached'.

Enter Data in a Free Text Box:

  1. Tab to the text box or position the mouse in the box and click, to position the cursor in that text box.
  2. Type the data as you want it to appear, using standard keyboard conventions (Home, End, arrow keys, etc.)

  3. Tab to or click the next text box.

    OR

    Click the Insert, Update, or Cancel button, as appropriate.

Edit Data in a Free Text Box:

  1. Tab to the text box or position the mouse in the box and click, to position the cursor in that text box.
  2. Highlight the portion of the data that you want to replace, using standard keyboard conventions (Home, End, Delete, arrow keys, etc.) Type in any data, until the text box shows the data as you want it to appear.

  3. Tab to or click the next text box.

    OR

    Click the Insert, Update, or Cancel button, as appropriate.

Although the database itself will accept any character in a free text field, the Data Maintenance forms that are used to edit data rows may not display the following characters or text that follows these characters: < > & ". Single quotes may be used without problems.

Each data table has a comment field, 4000 characters long, that is a free text field. Text containing formatting characters such as tabs, line feeds and carriage returns can be entered into a comment field. However, your site may choose to remove this formatting from any text that is entered into any comment field. Do so by setting the Remove Formatting from Comments option to No on the System Options page.

If it is determined that a free text box must contain data before a row can be created or updated, a red asterisk (*) will display with the text box label. If that required field remains blank upon Insert or Update, a message will state 'Please enter this required information before continuing'. Click OK. The cursor will be placed in the required field to allow you to enter the require data into that field. A free text field is defined as 'Required' through the Custom Display Designer.

Date/Datetime Text Boxes

Many fields in Millennium are of the date/datetime (Oracle/SQL) data type. A Date/Datetime object is used to enter and edit date/datetime data. This object is comprised of a text box and a calendar control. Dates can be entered directly into the text box or selected from the calendar control.

To select a date from the calendar control, click the control. The control will display the current month, day and year by default. To use a day in the current month and year, click the desired day. To use a date in a different month and/or year, use the horizontal arrows to 'turn the calendar pages', or use the vertical arrows to select the desired month and year from drop-list boxes. Then, click the desired day. The Date/Datetime text box will auto-populate with the date that you have selected.

If you choose to enter the date directly into the Date/Datetime text box, date formatting rules will apply. Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle handle dates differently. However, Millennium expects all dates entered to conform to the same formatting rules regardless of the database engine in use at your institution. In fact, the system will not allow a data row to be inserted or updated unless the dates are in proper Millennium format.

Dates may be entered either alphabetically or numerically. If dates are entered alphabetically, they are entered using the following format:

Mmm(space)xx,(space)xxxx

where Mmm is a standard three alphabetic character abbreviation for the month (only), and x represents any numeral. Leading zeroes are optional when entering the day. The century is optional when entering the year. If you enter only the last two digits of a year, values less than or equal to 40 are interpreted as 20yy and values greater than 40 are interpreted as 19yy. You must type the century if you want something other than this interpretation. The comma is also optional, and the system will ignore capitalization.

Acceptable entries for the date July 1, 2014
Jul 01, 2014
JUL 01, 2014
jul 01, 2014
JUL 1, 2014
jul 1, 14
Jul 1 14

If dates are entered as numeric 'strings' with separators, you must use slashes (/), hyphens (-), or periods (.) to separate the digits into month, day, year. Day and month leading zeroes can be omitted. If you enter only the last two digits of a year, values less than or equal to 40 are interpreted as 20yy, and values greater than 40 are interpreted as 19yy. You must type the century if you want something other than this interpretation.

Acceptable entries for the date July 1, 2014
07/01/2014
07-1-2014
7.01.14

Dates may also be entered as numeric 'strings' without separators, using four, six, or eight digits. If four digits are used, they will be interpreted as a year. If six or eight digits are used, they will be interpreted as year, month, day. Leading zeroes must be used for the month and day.

Acceptable entries for the date August 1, 2014
20140801
140801

The system will verify that the date entered in the Date/Datetime text box is valid (for example, June 31, 2014 is an invalid date)and in proper format. If a date is invalid or improperly formatted, a warning message is given when you attempt to insert or update the data row. You must enter a valid, properly formatted date, or clear the contents of the Date/Datetime text box in order to proceed.

Money Text Boxes

Many fields in Millennium have a data type of money/number (SQL/Oracle). A Money text box is used to insert and edit Money data. When data is entered into a Money text box, the system interprets it as currency, and formats it with the dollar sign and decimal places when that data displays. The decimal point, if the amount you are entering has no cents, and trailing zeroes are optional during data entry. Commas and dollar signs are not permitted in data entry but the system will use them appropriately when that data is displayed.

Acceptable entries for the amount of $1,000.00
1000
1000.00

ID/Name Text Boxes

Many fields in Millennium are used to hold the ID Number of another constituent. An ID text box on a Data Maintenance form is used to collect information (the ID number or name) about the other constituent. The system will interpret the data that is entered in an ID text box in the same way that it interprets the information entered in the ID/Name text box on a standard Search Millennium Database form. You can enter either the exact ID Number (you may drop any leading zeroes) for the desired constituent, or you can enter the complete or partial name of the constituent (using the format, Last Name/First Name(space)Middle Name;Suffix).

The following would all be valid entries to identify a constituent, John Q Public, Jr. whose ID Number is 000123456. What the system will do with each entry is also noted.

Entry What the system will do
123456

The system accepts the ID Number and Inserts the row
Public/J

The system would return John Q. Public and also James R. Public
Public

The system would return John Q. Public, and also Public Water Works.

The following entry would not be a valid entry to locate the constituent described above.

Entry What the system will do
Public/Johnathon The system will not find any matches.

You may also use wildcards to help search for an ID or Name.

When you click Insert to put the row into the database or Update to replace existing information with new, the system will search the database to locate an exact match to the information entered in the ID text box. One of several possible results will occur.

Additional details about searches, customizing search screens, search displays, and customizing search display screens may be found in the topic Search Millennium Database.

Lookup Table List Boxes

Many data fields in Millennium tables are controlled by, or reference, a lookup table. This means that the field will only accept entries from a set of defined entries in a lookup table. These entries have been previously defined by your institution. In general, the entries (rows) in a lookup table each have a field for a Code (up to six characters), one for a Value (up to sixty-five characters), one for a Group (up to sixty-five characters), some for security designations, one to mark the entry as Active or Inactive, and some other system-use fields.

As a general rule, when one of the rows in the lookup table is identified as acceptable data for a field in one of the data tables, only the Code is actually stored in the data table row. When data is displayed, the system will 'look up' that Code and display the Value (and sometimes the Group) that corresponds to the Code that was stored. For instance, an Address row includes a field for the Address Type, which is driven by the Address Type lookup table. The Address row will store the code for the Address Type (such as 'a') but when displayed, will show the value (Home).

The Standard Lookups topic further discusses how Millennium's standard lookup tables are structured. The Lookups topic further details the nature of lookup tables in general as well as the specific nature and purpose of all of Millennium's lookup tables.

A Lookup Table list box is used on a Data Maintenance form to edit and enter the contents of a lookup-table driven data field. A Lookup Table list box is immediately recognizable by the designation 'CHOOSE', and the small, down arrow at the right of the box. When you click the arrow, a list of the active entries in that lookup table appears in a drop-down list.

Enter Data in a Lookup List Box:

  1. Tab to the first Lookup list box, position the mouse in the box and click, or use the desired hot key shown on the list box label, to position the cursor there. You will be aware that the cursor is positioned in a Lookup list box because it will be highlighted (by color). If the Lookup list box already displays data that you want to replace, it is not necessary to delete it before choosing a different table entry.
  2. Click the down arrow to view the entries. If there are more entries in the lookup table than will fit in the list box, a scroll bar will allow you to view all of the entries. Scroll to the desired entry. As your mouse pointer moves over the list, the entries will be highlighted. When the desired one is highlighted, click it to select it to the list box.

Alternatively, if you know the first character of the entry you want, you may type that character in the list box. If there are multiple items that begin with that letter, repeatedly type that same character until the desired entry appears highlighted in the list box. For example, if you want the entry, Kuwait and the countries lookup table also has an entry for Kenya, you would press 'K' twice to select Kuwait.) This behavior applies whether you are displaying lookup entries by Value or by Code.

Notes:

Check Boxes

Some fields in Millennium act as flags to indicate that a situation is or is not in effect. For example, there is a field in the Address table for each of the months so that you can indicate whether the Address is or is not valid in each. A labeled Check box (a small square, single character in length) object is used to enter and edit the contents of a flag-like data field. Check boxes behave as toggles which can be turned on or off. When the toggle is on, a check mark appears in the box and sets the contents of a data field to 'Yes'. When it is off, the box is blank and the contents of the data field are set to 'No'.

Enter Data in a Check Box:

  1. To place a check in a blank check box, tab to that box in the form. There will be an additional line around the perimeter. Click inside the box to place a check mark there.

    OR

    Position the mouse pointer in the square and click.

  2. To remove a check from a check box, tab to that box in the form. There will be an additional line around the perimeter. Click inside the box to remove the check mark.

    OR

    Position the mouse pointer in the square and click.

Validating data on data maintenance forms

Many of the data maintenance forms have data checking routines in place to insure that you enter data that conforms to database and common sense rules. An example of a database rule is valid date formats. An example of a common sense rule is no special characters in four digit year fields. If you enter data that does not pass a data checking routine, an error message is displayed. Close the message and make the needed corrections.

Caution! Firefox browser users: Firefox may show a Prevent this page from creating additional dialogs check box on the error message. If this check box is on the error message,do not select it! You could be by-passing important data checking routines and suppressing legitimate error messages. This may result in either generating SQL errors as the form attempts to enter invalid data into your database, or entering nonsense data into your database!

Insert a New Row into Millennium

To create a new data row of information for a constituent, there are three techniques. You may use either a standard Insert form, a Default Insert form, or a Prospect Management workflow. Standard insert forms are presented to you with no information filled into any of the text boxes, except for standard information such as dates that default to the current day's date. A Default Insert form has the same layout as the standard Insert form but when it is presented to you, any number of the text boxes will already contain the data that you previously assigned. A Prospect Management workflow is a one-screen data entry page that can be used to enter new prospects, proposals, planned gifts, and actions into Millennium.

Create a New Row Using a Standard Insert Form

  1. Access the constituent using the Search Millennium Database form.
  2. Use the Millennium Explorer to access the display of the particular table to which you plan to add a row and visually scan it to verify that the information is not already present. (It may be helpful to do this in the Short or Mini display mode.)

  3. Pass the mouse pointer over the edit button to the left of the name of the data table in the section header to access a context menu. Click Insert.

    OR

    Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit arrow button to the left of the display of any existing data rows from the desired table. Click Insert.

    OR

    Use the Insert hot key - Verify that the focus is placed somewhere on the Data Display area. Press the [ i ] key on the keyboard

  4. In the form that you accessed, use the Tab key, or position the mouse pointer and click to move from text box to text box to enter the data for this row. You may leave text boxes blank if you want, unless they are mandatory fields (a field that is driven by a lookup table which contains no blank entries). Continue until all information in the form appears as you want. See additional information in the topic, Using Forms.
  5. OR
    Click Cancel to remove the form from display without creating a new row. No data that you entered on this form will be added to the database. You will return to the previous display.

Create a New Row Using a Default Insert Form

  1. Access the constituent using the Search Millennium Database form.
  2. Use the Millennium Explorer to access the display of the particular table to which you plan to add a row and visually scan it to verify that the information is not already present. (It may be helpful to do this in the Short display mode.)

  3. To use the current Active default, pass the mouse pointer over the edit button to the left of the name of the data table in the section header to access a context menu. Click Insert via Default.

    OR

    Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit arrow button to the left of the display of any existing data rows from the desired table. Click Insert via Default.

    OR

    Use the Insert via Default Hot Key - Verify that the focus is placed somewhere on the Data Display area. Press the [ v ] key on the keyboard.

  4. To use a default other than the Active default, pass the mouse pointer over the edit button to the left of the name of the data table in the section header to access the context menu. Select Choose Default, and then select the name of the default you want to use.
  5. In the form that you accessed, use the Tab key or position the mouse pointer and click to move from text box to text box to enter data or to edit the existing information in any of the text boxes, until all information in the form appears as you want. See additional information in the topic, Using Forms.
  6. Click the Insert button at the bottom of the form to create a new row of information in that table, belonging to that constituent. The form will close and you will return to the previous display, which now includes this new row.
    OR
    Click Cancel to remove the form from display without creating a new row. No data that you entered on that form will be added to the database. You will return to the previous display.

Create a New Row Using a Prospect Management Workflow

A Prospect Management workflow is a one-screen data entry page that can be used to enter new prospects, proposals, planned gifts, or actions into Millennium. You can enter data for the primary table (Actions, Planned Giving, Proposals, or Tracking), and also enter linked items, secondary items, and related items on the same data entry page. For example you may want to link multiple actions, their tasks, and an attachment to a new planned gift. Or you may want to link a prospect management relationship, enter ratings and research source data, and several actions at the same time that you are entering the tracking row for a new prospect. Using a workflow to enter this information allows you to insert data into multiple tables without having to navigate to several screens in order to do so. If a workflow exists for a prospect management primary table, then the Insert via Workflow item will be available on the edit button that is located in the section header.

Review the Workflow Setup topic for information about setting up and using a Prospect Management workflow.

When a new row is inserted into the table, the system automatically assigns certain standard fields to the row. It assigns the Create Date using the current day's date. It examines the User ID and user group of the current operator and copies that information into the appropriate fields in the row. Several other fields are system-generated for internal use and do not display.

Attachments

There are many circumstances when it is useful to associate a document, photo, or other type of file with a data row. You might want to 'attach' a photo to a constituent's Basic Data row. If a constituent was featured in a newspaper or magazine article, you might want to 'attach' a scanned copy of that article to a Media row for that constituent. If your prospect manager submits notes about a meeting with a hot prospect, you might want to 'attach' those notes to the prospect's Tracking row. These are just a few examples.

One or more files, external to Millennium, can be 'attached', or linked, to data rows in most all of the primary data tables, as well as to entries in the Chart of Account lookup table. When an external file is attached to a data row, the name of the file (and the sub-directory path name if one exists) displays with the data row as a hyperlink. Clicking the hyperlink opens and displays the 'attached' external file.

Millennium's Attachments table keeps track of what external files are linked to what data rows. Complete instructions on linking an external file to a data row, editing the contents of this link, and deleting a link between an external file and a data row are found in the topic, Attachments.

Delete a Data Row from Millennium

To delete an existing row in the database, you must first access the display of the appropriate table, scroll to the display of the specific row, and then access the Edit/Delete form for that row. This is done by passing the mouse pointer over the fly-over edit button to the immediate left of the display to access a context menu for that row. A row can be removed from the database by clicking the Delete button within the Edit form. Though the technique is simple, the ramifications may not always be simple. Therefore, great care must be used when deciding to delete a row.

If a row that links to another row is deleted, the link is broken. In some situations, the linked row will be deleted as well.

If a Giving or Dues row is deleted you will destroy the "audit trail" for the gift or dues transaction. Take special care when deciding to delete a Gift or Dues row, especially after reports that use that information have already been generated.

To Delete a Row:

  1. Access the constituent record by using the Search Millennium Database form.
  2. Use the Millennium Explorer to access the display of the particular table which contains the row you plan to delete. Visually scan the current rows to locate the row you want to delete.
  3. Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit arrow button to the left of the display of the specific data row you want to delete from the desired table. Click Update/Delete. The Edit form will be presented with the existing data showing in the text boxes.
  4. Click the Delete button in the form to remove the row from the database.

Super Delete

To entirely remove a constituent from the database, deleting ALL data rows belonging to that constituent, you may perform a 'super delete'. This consists of simply deleting the Basic Data row for the constituent. Because of the effects of this action, you will be given a warning message which you must confirm in order to continue. This is the case regardless of your personal setting for the User Option for confirming other deletions. If the constituent has any transactions that were processed through Paya Payment Solutions, you will also receive a warning and instructed to manually reverse and/or change those transactions through the Virtual Terminal. When you confirm your intentions, the system will automatically delete all data in all tables, belonging to that constituent. Note that the system administrator may have restricted this function for any group of users by placing them in a security group that does not have permission to delete Basic Data rows. In addition, an institutional option may be in effect that inhibits the ability perform a super delete if the constituent owns Giving data.

Edit a Data Row

To edit an existing row in the database, you must first access the display of the appropriate table, scroll to the display of the specific row, and then the access Edit form for that row. The Edit form will be presented to you with each field's data displayed in the appropriate text box.

  1. Access the constituent using the Search Millennium Database form.
  2. Use the Millennium Explorer to access the display of the particular table which contains the row you plan to edit. Visually scan the current rows to locate the row you want to edit and also to verify that the information is not already present in another row.
  3. Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit arrow button to the left of the display of any existing data rows from the desired table. Click Update/Delete.
  4. The Edit form will be presented with the existing data showing in the text boxes. Tab or use the mouse pointer to place the cursor in the individual text box to be edited and perform the edits. See Using Forms for the standard techniques.

  5. You only need to edit the text boxes that you want to change. When all data appears in the Edit form in the way that you want, click the Update button at the top or bottom of the form to re-insert the row into the table.

    OR

    Click the Cancel button at the top or bottom of the form to remove the edit form without registering any edits that you may have made on the form. Using the Cancel button leaves the row exactly as it was before you accessed the Edit form.

When an edited row is re-inserted into the table, the system automatically updates the Last Edit Date using the current day's date and it updates the User ID field with the current operator's User ID.

Linked Data Rows

Many of the tables in Millennium allow you to create a link between one of its rows and a row in another table. These are called Secondary Links. Many of the tables in Millennium also allow you to create a link between one row and another row in the same table. These are called Joint Links. In some cases, the linked rows belong to the same constituent and in others, they may belong to different constituents. In some cases, linked rows display with the primary row to which they are linked if the Long mode of display is active. In other cases, the link is indicated by a cross reference statement that acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row.

The possible links are predetermined by the system. In order for the system to appropriately set up the link internally, you must first identify a primary data row and then create the link via the context menu that you access from the edit button associated with that primary data row; choose Link to create a new row and link to an existing primary data row, or choose Link to Existing to create a link between two data rows that already exist.

Secondary Links

General Characteristics:

Joint Links

General Characteristics:

Link a New Row to an Existing Data Row

The following lists the links that are possible in Millennium by using the Link menu item, and the details how these links will display. If a link can be to a record for the same constituent, this description will note (same id). If a link can be to a record that belongs to another constituent, this description will note (other). Finally, if a link can be to a record that belongs to a spouse, this description will note (spouse). If a link can be created using the Default Insert for a data table, this description will note 'via Default'.

Actions: These Actions rows may have linked Tasks to another constituent, and when the second constituent's Tasks are displayed, the first's Action will display as a linked row. The link must be created through the Action row.

Actions: The linked Action row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Addresses: The linked Address row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The Address-to-Address links are joint links insofar as updates to one side are automatically made to the other side, but when a row is deleted, the row that is (or rows that are) linked to it are not automatically deleted.

Addresses: A linked Phone row displays with the primary address row to which it is linked.

Attribute: The linked Attribute row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Basic Data: Linked Attributes will display with the Basic Data row. If the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked, linked Attribute rows will also display with the constituent's other Attribute rows, with a hyperlink to the Basic Data row. See User Options, Linked Attribute Display for a description of this option.

Comment: The linked Comment row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Demographics: The linked Demographic row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Education: A linked Attribute will display with the Education row to which it is linked. If the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked, a linked Attribute will also display with the constituent's other Attributes, with a hyperlink to the Education row to which it is linked.

Employment: The linked Address row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row.

Employment: A linked Attribute will display with the Employment row to which it is linked. If the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked, a linked Attribute will also display with the constituent's other Attributes, with a hyperlink to the Employment row to which it is linked.

Financials: The linked Financial row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Membership: These Subscription Level rows, Benefit Level rows, and/or Membership Card rows will display with the Membership row to which it is linked.

Phone Numbers: The linked Phone row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The Phone-to-Phone links are joint links insofar as updates to one side are automatically made to the other side, but when a row is deleted, the row that is (or rows that are) linked to it are not automatically deleted.

Planned Giving: Linked Gift, Relationship, Action and Rating rows will display with the Planned Gift row to which they are linked. Linked Action, Relationship and Gift rows will also display with the constituent's other Action, Relationship and Gift rows with a hyperlink to the Planned Gift row to which they are linked.

Planned Giving: The linked Planned Gift row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Proposals: Linked Gift, Relationship, Action and Rating rows will display with the Proposal row to which they are linked. Linked Action, Relationship and Gift rows will also display with the constituent's other Action, Relationship and Gift rows with a hyperlink to the Proposal row to which they are linked.

Proposals: The linked Proposal row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Ratings: The linked Ratings row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked, and this statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced rows. This is a joint link.

Relationships: A linked Contact Info row will display with the Relationship row to which it is linked.

Relationships: The linked Relationship row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

Tracking: Linked Attribute and Relationship rows will display with the Tracking row. Linked Relationship rows will also display with the constituent's other Relationship rows with a hyperlink to the constituent's Tracking row. If the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked, linked Attribute rows will also display with the constituent's other Attribute rows, again with a hyperlink to the constituent's Tracking row.

Tracking: The linked Tracking row does not display with the primary row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. This is a joint link.

This Link functionality cannot be used to create a link between two preexisting data rows. The primary row must already exist, and then the secondary, or linked, row is created "through" the primary row. If the link is joint, the linked row created 'through' the primary row will be an exact copy of the primary row.

Two preexisting rows can be linked using the Link to Existing Rows functionality.

When linked rows display with the primary row, they will be labeled using the primary table's name and then the secondary row's table name. For example, an Attribute row that is linked to an Education row will display following the Section Header that reads, Education Attribute. The linked row section header will also include control buttons so that you may exercise editing or viewing functions.

Gift and Dues Transaction rows may have linked rows in several secondary tables, but their behavior is different than that which is described here. See the topics Gift or Dues Transactions.

Link a New Row to an Existing Row

To create a new data row that links to an already-existing Millennium data row, access and use options from the context menu for the specific data row that serves as the primary row.

  1. Create or locate the row that will serve as the primary row.
  2. Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit button to the left to access the context menu for this primary row.
  3. Pause the mouse over the Link item in the menu to access a cascading menu. To create the linked row using a standard insert form, move the mouse over name of the data table and click. To create the linked row using your current active default for that data table, move the mouse over the item, on this same cascading menu, which includes via default in its label, and click. Note: 'via Default' may not be available for all tables. Also note that sometimes a menu item will not be available for use. For example, if the constituent has no spouse (no sp, spnm, lp, lpnm relationships), the (to spouse) menu item is grayed out. And if a joint link already exists for a data row, all options to link to another data row of the same type are grayed out.
  4. An Insert form for the linked row will be presented. This form is the same as the one used if you were creating an independent, rather than a linked, data row.
  5. Enter the data, if using a standard insert form, or edit the data/enter new data if using the data default form, in the text boxes as appropriate.

  6. Click Insert to create a new row in the data table and link this new row to the primary row.

    OR

    Click Cancel to remove the Insert form without creating a new row and link.

Unlink Rows

If you want, you may unlink rows from a primary row. The secondary rows are not deleted; only the links are removed. After the links have been removed, the secondary rows display (only) as primary rows with table rows of the same type. For example, an Attribute Row that was linked to an Education row will display with the constituent's other Attributes instead of his or her Education rows. Any linked row hyperlinks will be removed from the display.

  1. Display and identify the primary row whose secondary rows you want to unlink.
  2. Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit button to the left of the primary row to access a context menu.
  3. Pause the mouse pointer over the item, Unlink to access a cascading menu.
  4. Click the name of the data table whose rows you want to unlink. This action unlinks ALL rows from the chosen data table. Linked rows from any other tables will be unaffected. For example, if two Relationships and three Attributes are linked to a Tracking row and you choose to unlink Relationships, both Relationship rows will no longer be linked to this Tracking row, but the three Attributes will remain linked to this Tracking row.

Link an Existing Data Row to an Existing Data Row

The Link To Existing menu item allows you to create a new link between two data rows that already exist in Millennium. This functionality also allows you to, in some cases, create a new row to link to an existing data row if you do not find an existing data row to which you want to link. The new row is created either by copying the contents of the existing data row into the new one if linking data rows from the same data table, or created by using an Insert form. In some cases, creating a new row by using an active Defined Default will be an available option.

The possible links are predetermined by the system. In order for the system to appropriately set up the internal linkage, you must first identify the primary data row and perform the link via the context menu that you access from the edit button associated with this primary data row. In some cases, these preexisting data rows will belong to the same constituent, and in others, they will belong to different constituents. In some cases, the link will be between one row and another row in a different data table. In others, the link will be between one row and another row in the same data table. Once two data rows are linked, the linked rows will either display with the primary rows to which they are linked if the Long mode of display is active, or the linkage will be indicated by a cross reference statement that acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. It is important to note that when you link one row to another row that resides in the same data table (for example, link an address row to another address row), the contents of the linked, or secondary, row will be overwritten with the contents of the primary data row.

The following lists the linkages that are possible using the Link to Existing Rows functionality. For each possible linkage, the following will detail how the links will display, note when the contents of the primary row will overwrite the contents of the linked, or secondary row, and specify if the Link to Existing Rows functionality allows for the creation of a new row to link to an existing row. If a linkage can be established with another data row that belongs to the same constituent, the description here will note (same id). A linkage that can be established between one constituent and another will be noted with (other), and a linkage that can be established between a constituent and his or her spouse will be denoted (spouse).

Actions to

An action row will link to a Proposal or Planned Gift row and will display with the row to which it is linked. It will also display with the constituent's other Proposal or Planned Gift rows with a hyperlink to the row to which it is linked. The contents of a linked Action row will not be overwritten with any information from the Planned Gift or Proposal row to which it is linked. The Proposal or Planned Gift row must already exist in Millennium before the system will link the Action row.

The existing Action and a Task link together. The Action will display as a secondary linked row with the Task and the Task will display as a secondary linked row with the Action. Neither Action nor Task will be overwritten with any information from the other. If at least one Task row already exists, then there is also an option to create a new Task row before the system links to the existing Action.

An Action row linked to a spouse or other Action row will not display with the primary Action row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Action row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Action row. If at least one Action row for the other ID already exists, there is also an option to create a new Action before linking to the existing Action. The new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Address to

An Address linked to spouse or other Address will not display with the primary Address row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked address will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary address. If at least one Address row for the other ID already exists, then there is also an option to create a new Address row before the system links to the existing Address The new row will be a copy of the existing row.

Employment and Phone rows linked to an Address will display with the address row to which they are linked. The contents of a linked Employment or Phone row will not be overwritten with any information from the Address row to which it is linked. The Employment or Phone row must already exist in Millennium before the system can link said row to an Address.

Attributes to

Attributes will link to Basic Data, Education, Employment, or Tracking rows and will display with the data row to which they are linked. If the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked, Attributes will also display with the constituent's other Attributes, with hyperlinks to the primary rows to which they are linked.

The contents of a linked attribute row will not be overwritten with any information from the Basic Data, Education, Employment, or Tracking row to which it is linked. The Basic Data, Education, Employment, or Tracking row must already exist in Millennium before the system can link the Attribute row.

An Attribute linked to a spouse or other Attribute row will not display with the primary Attribute row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Attribute row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Attribute. If at least one Attribute row for the other ID already exists, then there is also an option to create a new Attribute row before the system links to the existing Attribute. The new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Basic Data to

Attributes will link to Basic Data and will display with the Basic Data row. If the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked, they will also display with the constituent’s other Attributes, with a hyperlink to the constituent's Basic Data row. The contents of a linked Attribute row will not be overwritten with any information from the Basic Data row. If at least one Attribute row already exists, then there is also an option to create a new Attribute row before the system links the two rows.

Comments to

A Comment linked to a spouse or other Comment row will not display with the primary Comment row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Comment row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Comment. If at least one Comment row for the other ID already exists, there is an option to create a new Comment row before the system links the two rows. The new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Demographic to

A Demographic row linked to a spouse or other Demographic row will not display with the primary Demographic row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Demographic row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Demographic row. If at least one Demographic row already exists for the other ID, then a new Demographic row can be created before the system links the two rows. The new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Education to

Attributes will link to an Education row and will display with that Education row. And, if the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked, they will also display with the constituent's other Attributes, with hyperlink to the Education row to which the Attribute is linked. The contents of a linked Attribute row will not be overwritten with any information from the Education row to which it is linked. If at least one Attribute row already exists, then a new Attribute row can be created before the system links to the existing Education row.

Employment to

Address rows will link to an Employment row and will display with that Employment row only. Linked Attributes will display with the Employment row to which they are linked, and if the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked they will also display with the constituent's other Attributes. Attributes that link to an Employment row that display with all other Attributes will include a hyperlink to the Employment row to which they are linked. The contents of a linked Attribute or Address row will not be overwritten with any information from the Employment row to which it is linked. If at least one Address row or one Attribute row already exists, then a new Address row or Attribute row can be created before the system links to the existing Employment row.

Financial to

A Financial row linked to a spouse or other Financial row will not display with the primary Financial row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Financial row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Financial row. If at least one Financial row already exists for the other ID, then a new Financial row can be created before the system links the two rows; the new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Giving to

An existing Gift row will link to an existing Planned Gift or Proposal row and will display with the row to which it is linked. It will also display with the constituent's other Gift rows with a hyperlink to the Planned Gift or Proposal row to which it is linked. The contents of a linked Gift row will not be overwritten with any information from the Planned Gift or Proposal row to which it is linked. The Planned Gift or Proposal row must already exist in Millennium before the system can link the existing Gift row.

Phone to

A Phone row will link to an Address row and will display with that Address row only. The contents of a linked Phone row will not be overwritten with any information from the Address row to which it is linked. If at least one Phone row already exists, then a new Address row can be created before the system then links the two rows.

A Phone row linked to a spouse or other Phone row will not display with the primary Phone row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Phone row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Phone row. If at least one Phone row for the other ID already exists, then a new Phone row can be created before the system links the two rows; the new row will be a copy of the existing row.

Planned Giving to

An existing Gift, Relation, or Action data row will link to an existing Planned Gift row and will display with the row to which it is linked. In addition, it will also display with the constituent's other Gift, Relation, or Action rows with a hyperlink to this Planned Gift row. The contents of a linked Gift, Relation, or Action row will not be overwritten with any information from the Planned Gift row to which it is linked. A new Gift, Relation, or Action row can be created before the system links said row to the existing Planned Gift row, if at least one said row already exists for the ID.

A Planned Gift row linked to a spouse or other Planned Gift row will not display with the primary Planned Gift row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Planned Gift row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Planned Gift row. If at least one Planned Gift row already exists for the other ID, then a new Planned Gift row can be created before the system links the two rows; the new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Proposal to

An existing Gift, Relation, or Action data row will link to an existing Proposal row and will display with the row to which it is linked. In addition, it will also display with the constituent's other Gift, Relation, or Action rows with a hyperlink to this Proposal row. The contents of a linked Gift, Relation, or Action row will not be overwritten with any information from the Proposal row to which it is linked. A new Gift, Relation, or Action row can be created by using an Insert form or active Defined Default before the system links said row to the existing Proposal row, if at least one said row already exists for the ID.

A Proposal row linked to a spouse or other Proposal row will not display with the primary Proposal row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Proposal row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Proposal row. If at least one Proposal row for the other ID already exists, then a new Proposal row can be created before the system links the two rows; the new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Relations to

A Relationship row will link to a Planned Gift, Proposal, or Tracking row and will display with the data row to which it is linked. It will also display with the constituent's other Relationship rows with a hyperlink to the Planned Gift, Proposal, or Tracking row to which it is linked. The contents of a linked Relationship row will not be overwritten with any information from the Planned Gift, Proposal or Tracking row to which it is linked. The Planned Gift, Proposal or Tracking row must already exist in Millennium before the system can link the Relationship row.

A Relationship linked to a spouse or other Relationship row will not display with the primary Relationship row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Relationship row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Relationship. If there is at least one existing Relationship row for the other ID, then a new Relationship row can be created before the system links the two rows; the new row will be a copy of the existing row. This is a joint link.

Tasks to

The existing Task and Action link together. The Task will display as a secondary linked row with the Action and the Action will display as a secondary linked row with the Task. Neither Task nor Action will be overwritten with any information from the other. If there is at least one Action row for the other ID, then a new Action row can be created before the system links the two rows.

Tracking to

Attributes and Relationships will link to the Tracking row and will display with the Tracking row. Linked Relationship rows will also display with the constituent's other Relationship rows with a hyperlink to the Tracking row to which they are linked. And, linked Attribute rows will also display with the constituent's other Attributes with a hyperlink to the constituent's Tracking row if the Display Linked Attributes in the Attribute Display user option is checked. The contents of a linked Attribute or Relationship row will not be overwritten with any information from the Tracking row. A new Attribute or Relationship row can be created before the system links this new row to the existing Tracking row, if there is at least one said row (Attribute for Attribute, Relation for Relation) already exists for the ID.

A Tracking row linked to a spouse or other Tracking row will not display with the primary Tracking row; instead, a statement shows that the two are linked. This statement acts as a hyperlink to the display of the referenced row. The contents of the linked Tracking row will be overwritten with the contents of the row chosen to be the primary Tracking row. The spouse or other Tracking row must already exist in Millennium before the system can link the two. This is a joint link.

In general, if a primary row links to a secondary row from a different data table, the secondary row will display with the primary row to which it is linked. And sometimes the secondary row will also display with a constituent's other rows from the same data table, with a hyperlink to the primary row. If the primary and secondary rows belong to different data tables, the secondary row must already exist in Millennium before the system can link the two, but there are times when a new secondary row can be first be created through the Link to Existing functionality before the system then links the two.

And, in general, if a primary row links to a secondary row from the same data table, the secondary row displays with the other constituent's data and a hyperlink shows that the two rows are linked. If a primary and secondary row belong to the same data table, a new secondary row can be created through the Link to Existing functionality before the system links the two, and this new secondary row will be a copy of the primary row. Tracking rows are the exception to this general rule.

Link Data Rows Using 'Link to Existing'

  1. Locate the row that will serve as the primary row.

  2. Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit button to the left in order to access the context menu.

  3. Pause the mouse over the Link to Existing item in the menu to access a cascading menu. Move the mouse to the name of the data table you want to link to and click. Note that sometimes a menu item will not be available for use. For example, if the constituent has no spouse (no sp, spnm, lp, lpnm relationship), the (on spouse) menu item is grayed out. And if a joint link already exists for a data row, all options to link to another data row of the same type are grayed out.

  4. One of two screens will appear.

    • If you select a menu item that contains the text (same id) or (spouse), you will automatically be taken to the specific data display screen for either that constituent (same id ) or that constituent's spouse (spouse).
    • If you select a menu item that contains the text (other), a Search form displays; using standard Millennium Search practices, search for and select the desired constituent. Once selected, the system will 'jump' to this secondary constituent's data table rows display. You may notice that the primary data row from which you are linking will appear in a separate page behind the new secondary page. When the linking has been completed or canceled, this page will automatically be closed.

  1. If the selected constituent does not have any rows in the data table to which to link, 'Link to Existing' is not possible. Pass the mouse pointer over the edit button to the left of the table name header and select Cancel Linking to return to the primary constituent's data display.

  2. If the selected constituent (same, spouse, or other) already has the secondary row to which you want to link the primary row, pass the mouse pointer over the Edit button corresponding to this desired secondary row to access a context menu.

    • Select Link this <data row name> from the context menu. You will be warned that the linking process will overwrite the secondary row's data. Select Cancel to halt the linking process and return to the primary constituent's data display. Select OK to proceed. The system automatically links the secondary row to the primary row and returns to the primary constituent's data display.
    • Select Cancel Linking from the context menu to return to the primary constituent's data display without linking the two data rows.
    • Select Close Menu from the context menu to close the menu and remain on the secondary constituent's data display.

  3. If the selected constituent (same id, spouse or other) does not have a secondary row to which you want to link the primary row, and if the system allows you to create a new linked data row between the primary and secondary rows, pass the mouse pointer over the Edit button of any row in the secondary constituent's data display to access a context menu.

Some data table rows can only link to one primary data row. For example, an Attribute linked to a Basic Data row cannot link to an Education row as well. Conversely, some primary data rows can have multiple linked rows from the same or different data tables. For example, an Education row can have many attributes that link to it. And a Tracking row can have a linked Attribute row and a linked Relationship row and a linked Tracking row. In general, if the system allows a certain link to happen, the corresponding menu item will be available; if the system does not allow a certain link to happen, that menu item will be grayed out.

Using the back button in the Browser is not recommended anywhere in the software, yet, sometimes it is still used. It is extremely important you do not use the Browser back button during the Link to Existing process; this may cause rows to link incorrectly!

Unlink Rows

If you want, you may unlink all rows of the same type from a primary row. The secondary rows are not deleted; only the links are removed. After the links have been removed, the secondary rows will display (only) as primary rows with table rows of the same type. For example, an Attribute Row that was linked to an Education row will now display with the constituent's other Attributes instead of his or her Education rows. Any linked row hyperlinks will be removed from the display.

  1. Display and identify the primary row whose secondary rows you want to unlink.
  2. Pass the mouse pointer over the Edit button to the left of this primary row to access a context menu.
  3. Pause the mouse pointer over the item, Unlink to access a cascading menu.
  4. If there are multiple options available, click the name of the data table whose rows you want to unlink. This action unlinks ALL rows of that type. Linked rows from the other tables that are listed will not be touched. For example, if two Relationships and three Attributes are linked to a Tracking row and you choose to unlink Relationships, both Relationship rows will no longer be linked to this Tracking row, but the three Attributes will remain linked to this Tracking row.

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