[andrea.bbbs]

Hi All,

This is a general question, and I probably don't know the answer to this because we have no maintenance contract and thus no Blackbaud support.

Is there somewhere a cheatsheet of all the query fields available mapped to the fields in Records?

For instance, if i was writing a query and wanted to show an Org name, the names of Individual Relationship contacts and their Addressee and Salutation info (the Tab 2 on the Relationship box), it would probably take me an hour of hit or miss until I found which field in query matches the fields I want from a record.

I know I could probably pose the above as a question on the BUS and 50 of you would know exactly where to look for that, but what I would really like is some kind of road map so I can find the fields myself.

Thanks in advance,

a

[DrewAllen]

There's an easier way, if you have RODBA support turned on. If you don't, create your query in the SAMPLE database, which does have RODBA active. Just open up your query and either hit {Ctrl-Q} or select View > SQL from the query's menu. If you don't have RODBA, neither of these options are available.

In some cases, the query will refer to a temporary table. The SQL for these tables will not always be available.

Drew

[Melissa Siobhan]

True, once you have your query written you can use the SQL view to see the background table structure but I think she hasn't even written the query yet but knows where they are in the forms but has trouble finding the equivalent field in query.

All I can say is it takes time and practice to learn how query has structured the fields to find them. Remember - once you find them you can right click on them and select add to favorites and then they are in the favories category at the top the next time you need that field in that type of query (i.e. your favories in constituent query are different from your favories in a gift query)

[stancliff]

Following up on what Drew wrote...and sometimes the SQL generated in calls User Defined Functions, so that can be hard to follow.

I've always use SQL Server Enterprise Manager to query the fields and match it to the fields in RE. It is usually a treasure hunt process, but I'm down to the point where I can find the field I'm looking for in less than 15 minutes. To give you some perspective, I've been using RE for 10 months.

[DrewAllen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melissa Siobhan

True, once you have your query written you can use the SQL view to see the background table structure but I think she hasn't even written the query yet but knows where they are in the forms but has trouble finding the equivalent field in query.

All I can say is it takes time and practice to learn how query has structured the fields to find them. Remember - once you find them you can right click on them and select add to favorites and then they are in the favories category at the top the next time you need that field in that type of query (i.e. your favories in constituent query are different from your favories in a gift query)

Sorry, I may have misunderstood. Query is structured to somewhat model the layout of the records screen. So for every tab on the constituent screen, there is a sub-group of query fields in a constituent query. Other types of queries may not have sections corresponding to all of the tabs for a constituent, but they will have sections appropriate for that type of record (e.g., Funds). If you understand how the particular record is laid out, it should be easy to find the appropriate section of query, even though they' re not necessarily in the order that seems logical to you. If you're having problems locating a particular section, then collapse everything else that's not relevant in order to reduce the number of items that you have to scan through.

Drew

[Jo Ward]

You might also find the Find button (with the binoculars) at the bottom of the query fields list helpful. You can search for a particular field name, or a keyword within a field name.

[stancliff]

Ahhh, I misunderstood too. What is particularly frustrating is that a field will be named differently in query and export. For example, sometimes it's called Constituent ID, and sometimes it's called ID.

[n1ugu]

The dreaded solution......

Solution Number: BB365414
Applicable Product(s): Raiser's Edge 7, Raiser's Edge Enterprise
Solution Title: Unable to print a list of all possible query fields
This has been filed as a suggestion. While we may not implement it, we will review it for possible use in future product development. Add me to the list.


Barbara

[andrea.bbbs]

I think Melissa got my question framed correctly - I just sometimes have the devils own time finding the query field that corresponds to the field in my records - and I just hit my 2 year mark a few days ago!

I have absolutely no idea what RODBA is, so I guess I don't have it. I have also never seen the sample database. We have had one copy or another of RE for about 10 years here with dozens of hands in it, and while I have caught fleeting glimpses of it in passing, I have never managed to pin it down. It kind of reminds me of an old Star Trek TNG where two crew members were invisible to everybody but each other....

never mind.

Anyway, while I see that my frustration will not be ending any time soon, it is comforting to know that at least I am not crazy.....

Thanks all,

a

[stancliff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrea.bbbs

I have absolutely no idea what RODBA

FYI, I think it means Read Only Database Access.

Queries certainly can be frustrating at times. Good luck.

[Peter]

On a side note on this thread, does anyone know how to build the query from the SQL side based on a query built in RE?

for instance I want to take a list of all non-static query and rebuild their output without using RE. I've started to look at all of the query tables and functions and realized its a project and a half and I wondered if anyone else has already done this