[Elaine Tucker]

Where do you keep business information (name, address, phones & occupation) in EE?

[webmistress]

For the most part we do not. Since EE hasn't needed it to the extent that RE does it is tracked in RE only -- except for a few exceptions. However, when we release the new BBNC/OCC Website parents will be able to add their information online.

[Elaine Tucker]

Our PTB wants that information in there. I looked up the KB and the suggestion BB solution is to create an organizational relationship (which creates an org record in EE) and track the information that way.

Reasons to go ahead on this scenario? Reasons NOT?

How does this affect integration/syncronization later down the road (we're STILL not there yet...)

[cindycarey]

How far are you from integration? If at all possible, I would suggest pushing for that.
The business information really does belong in RE.
Do you Really want to create all of those organization records?
It seems like extra, unnecessary work if there is any possiblity of integration.

[Kate Schandler]

Hi!

We are currently in the middle (read, linking slightly fewer records than I just cleaned...) of integration. And Elaine, we have all our business information in EE because, if we need to contact the parents, 9 times out of 10 they will be at a business during the hours their children are in school.

Actually, the linking for org records isn't that bad in the integration. And integration will create org records in your EE database, Cindy, if you do not filter them out. It's worth it, I think, to add them to EE as org records; they will get matched (as long as there are no duplicates. NO DUPLICATES!!!) (Sorry. Elaine helped me through a lot of duplicates... and they keeping popping out of the woodwork.) automatically in the linking process.

My recommendation? It's okay to do it, as long as you have someone willing to do the data entry and upkeep. (Again, we consider it essential contact information, so the registrar's offices update it each year with our yearly update.)

Thanks,
-Kate

[webmistress]

Kate - how are you dealing with the address issue for organizations? For us, there are a few organization where many parents work .. each with technically different addresses not to mention telephone numbers and email addresses. We haven't found a way to easily work with this in EE.

[Elaine Tucker]

We are a LONG way from integration - mainly due to limits on my time and other projects that are higher on the list of items to tackle. This is mostly because of duplicate records - I made a teeny tiny dent in them last fall and will take another stab at it this fall.

I believe our PTB want that conact info in EE because of the same reason - contact happens mostly during business hours...

So... next question - can I export info out of RE (which is accurate, current and in the right format) and import the org AND relationship into EE?

[CChesler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmistress

Kate - how are you dealing with the address issue for organizations? For us, there are a few organization where many parents work .. each with technically different addresses not to mention telephone numbers and email addresses. We haven't found a way to easily work with this in EE.

The process we use is -
The Organization Record has the main address and main switchboard number as the primary address.
We then create another address record that is indicative of the parent.
In the "Description" area for the address - we type in the name of the branch or division. We share that address with the parent - entering their business phone number on their Bio 1 tab.

So - for Chicago Public Schools we have one record - with 50 parents linked to it, and 25 addresses.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you how this will work when we synchronize organizational addresses with RE. Our family data is clean enough that we have integrated - but the employer information has so many duplicate records that have not yet linked them.

[Kate Schandler]

Webmistress,

Sorry it took so long to get back; it's that time of year again...

In a clean database, we would use the same procedure CChesler detailed:

Quote:

The Organization Record has the main address and main switchboard number as the primary address.
We then create another address record that is indicative of the parent.
In the "Description" area for the address - we type in the name of the branch or division. We share that address with the parent - entering their business phone number on their Bio 1 tab.

However, our database isn't quite there yet. So I have concentrated on the student and parent linking instead, and I will deal with the duplicate orgs later on.

Also, word to the wise: do not link or synchronize until you are above 7.75 patch 10 in EE: it will strip out RE org relationships if you synchronize or link (I found this out late last week) without being at that version.

Thanks,
-Kate