Add or Update Multiple Constituents through Batch Entry

With Batch entry, you can add or update multiple records quickly, without the need to open each separate record. There are two ways to use Batch entry to enter data:

• With Import and Batch entry, you can quickly add information into your database. With Import, you can create a process to import information from as a comma-separated value (*.csv) file saved from another program such as Microsoft Excel. You base the import process on a batch template, which contains the fields necessary to add or update the information. With the import process, you can generate a batch that contains the new or updated information. From Batch entry, you can then validate and commit the batch file to add or update your records.

  For example, you have a list of names and addresses of new constituents that you need to import into the database. After you save this information in a *.csv file, you can import the file into a batch template that contains the fields necessary for the constituent information.

• If you do not have an import file but want to add or update multiple records quickly, you can create a batch of the new or updated information. With a batch, the program lists the fields included in the selected batch template in a spreadsheet so you can efficiently enter information in the database.

Note: For information about Batch entry or Import, see the Batch and Import Guide.

To add or update constituent information, the following batch types are available:

Batch type	Description
Constituent batch	Adds constituent records based on information included in the import file or batch.
Constituent update batch	Updates and adds constituent records based on information included in the import file or batch. From Import, the import process can compare a record ID included in the import file to primary and alternate lookup IDs. During the import process, if the program finds a match in the database, it updates the information in the matched record; if the program fails to find a match, it creates a new record; if the program encounters a possible duplicate record during the process, such as if the record ID in the import file matches the primary lookup ID on one record and the alternate lookup ID on another record, it generates an exception. After the import process completes, you can validate the batch to determine how to handle any potential exceptions before you commit the information.