ts 10 6 people 101images.acswebnetworks.com/1010/1726/ts10_6people1014.pdfintroduction to this guide...

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People 101

Common ACS People Tasks

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Copyright

Copyright © 2011 ACS Technologies Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of

this publication by mechanical or electronic means, including facsimile transmission and E-mail,

without the express permission of ACS Technologies Group, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

Version 10.6

Last Updated 2/22/2011 8:59 AM

Contents

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Contents Introduction to This Guide ............................................................................................................... 5

Unit 1: Overview of ACS People Modules ........................................................................................ 6

Understanding How the People Module Relates to Other ACS Products ................................... 7

Choosing Menu Options in ACS People Suite .............................................................................. 8

Using My Preferences ................................................................................................................ 11

Configuring the Find Person Screen ........................................................................................... 14

Finding Individuals ..................................................................................................................... 17

Unit 2: Managing People Profiles .................................................................................................. 20

Working from the Add/Edit Individuals Window....................................................................... 21

Entering a New Individual (New Family) .................................................................................... 35

Entering a New Individual (Existing Family) ............................................................................... 38

Adding Additional Addresses ..................................................................................................... 42

Adding Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 44

Modifying Label Names ............................................................................................................. 48

Merging Duplicate Records ........................................................................................................ 49

Combining Family Units ............................................................................................................. 53

Splitting Family Units ................................................................................................................. 58

Changing Family Positions ......................................................................................................... 61

Deactivating Individuals ............................................................................................................. 63

Unit 3: Define Lists ......................................................................................................................... 67

Creating a New List Field ............................................................................................................ 68

Creating a New Date Field ......................................................................................................... 71

Creating a New Text Field .......................................................................................................... 73

Unit 4: Searches and Filters ........................................................................................................... 76

Understanding Searches and Filters .......................................................................................... 77

Creating a New Filter ................................................................................................................. 79

Editing Filter Results .................................................................................................................. 81

Saving a Filter ............................................................................................................................. 83

Loading Saved Filters ................................................................................................................. 85

Understanding Search Criteria and Output Flags ...................................................................... 86

Introduction to This Guide

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Creating a New Search ............................................................................................................... 87

Editing Search Results ................................................................................................................ 94

Saving a Search .......................................................................................................................... 97

Loading Saved Searches ............................................................................................................. 99

Searching on Previous Search Results ..................................................................................... 101

Printing Search Results ............................................................................................................ 102

Using Searches and Filters with Reports .................................................................................. 104

Using Searches and Filters with Mass Change ......................................................................... 109

Reference Materials ..................................................................................................................... 111

Tracking Relationships beyond the Family Unit ....................................................................... 111

Exporting the Find Person Grid ................................................................................................ 113

Preferred Lists .......................................................................................................................... 115

Introduction to This Guide

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Introduction to This Guide This ACS People 101 course is designed to give you basic knowledge about the ACS People

Module. You’ll learn how to add, edit, search, and report in the People program, and also how

to customize user and system settings. Each unit contains practical, hands-on exercises to guide

you as you learn.

This guide includes the following concepts:

• Overview of ACS People Modules

• Managing People Profiles

• Define Lists

• Searches and Filters

• Reference Materials

Unit 1: Overview of ACS People Modules

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Unit 1: Overview of ACS People Modules Unit 1 shows you how to establish the various user and system settings available in the ACS

People module. It also helps you to understand different ways in which ACS People Suite

integrates with other ACS products.

This unit includes these concepts:

• Relationship to other modules

• Menu options in ACS People Suite

• Using My Preferences

• Configuring the Find Person Screen

• Finding Individuals


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Understanding How the People Module Relates to Other ACS Products

The ACS People module is the centerpiece of all ACS products and can manage your

organization’s information in many ways:

Figure 1: Relationship of People to Other ACS Modules

• Contributions—Tracks donations, pledges, print statements, and year-end charitable

reports. An individual must have a record in ACS People in order to have a pledge or

giving record.

• Attendance—Tracks attendance for different Groups, such as Children’s Ministry,

Membership classes, and Ministry Teams. An individual must have a record in ACS

People in order to have an Attendance record.

• Connections—Tracks contacts to and from prospects, members, and attendees. A

record for each contact must exist in ACS People.

• Reservations—Tracks individual registration and payment with information already

present in your ACS People database.

• Checkpoint—Checks individuals and families in to an event and ensures that children

are released only to authorized individuals.


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Choosing Menu Options in ACS People Suite

Two menu options exist for access to ACS People Suite functions. The Classic menu

and the Workbench menu are two different ways you can use the program. The Workbench

menu is the default option already installed for new users of ACS People Suite.

Figure 2: Workbench Menu


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Figure 3: Classic Menu

To display the Classic Menu

1. Under Advanced Tools, click My Preferences.

2. Under My Menu Style, select Classic.

3. Click OK.


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Figure 4: My Preferences

Terminology

Workbench menu—This menu uses drop-down lists. These lists are organized by similarity of

action rather than by module.

Classic menu—This menu uses the tab-and-button menu style used previously in ACS for

Windows.


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Using My Preferences

With My Preferences, you can select a menu option, change your password, and

make other changes to your ACS profile.

To change your password

1. On the Workbench menu, under Advanced Tools, click My Preferences (not shown).

2. Click Change Password (not shown).

3. Enter your current password.

4. Enter your new password in the New Password field and the Confirm New Password

field.

5. Click OK.

Figure 5: Change Password


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To add color to alternating lines to make grids easier to read

1. Under Advanced Tools, click My Preferences (not shown).

2. Select Use Alternate Row Color.

3. Select a color from the drop-down list.

4. Click OK.

Figure 6: My Preferences - Use Alternate Row Color


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This is an example of the Find Person window with the Use Alternate Row Color feature

activated:

Figure 7: Grid with alternating row colors


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Configuring the Find Person Screen

The Find Person window shows a list of individuals in your ACS database. The grid

contains an individual’s name and the fields you choose to display. You can set up the Find

Person page to locate individuals by last name or family name with either the Search mode or

the Locate mode.

This lesson shows you how to configure the Find Person window in ACS People.

To select fields to display on the Find Person grid

1. Right-click on the grid.

2. Click Customize.

Figure 8: Customize Grids


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3. Select any fields you want to display in the grid. Clear any fields you do not want to

display in the grid.

4. Fields display in the order listed. Click the Up and Down arrows to move the selected

field up or down.

5. Click OK.

Figure 9: Customize

To switch between Search mode and Locate mode

1. Right-click on the grid (not shown).

2. Select Customize (not shown).


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3. Click the Options tab.

4. Under Selection Mode, select Search.

5. Select Include Address/Phone and Include Envelope Number.

6. Click OK.

Figure 10: Customize Options

Terminology

Locate—Locates a person by last name or first name, depending on how you sort the grid.

Search— Searches by last name, first name, address, phone number, or envelope number. If you

want to find family members with a different last name, you must use this mode when Group by

Family is selected under Sort List By.

Sort List By—Lists all family members together if you select Group by Family, even if a last name

is different.


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Finding Individuals

This lesson shows you how to search for individuals in your ACS People database.

To access the Find Person window

1. On the Workbench menu, under Manage Records, select the People tab.

2. Select View/Edit Individual.

3. Click Go .

Useful Information

If you select One-Click Navigation under My Preferences, you only have to select View/Edit

Individual. You do not have to click Go.

Select Add/Edit Individuals to add a new family or individual record or to edit an existing family

or individual record.

Figure 11: Workbench - View/Edit Individual


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To find a person in the default Locate mode

1. In the Enter Last Name field, enter the individual’s last name. The name displays in the

grid.

2. Select the name in the grid.

Figure 12: Find Person - Locate mode

To find a person in Search mode

1. In the Enter Last, First Name field, Envelope Number field, Address field, or Phone field,

enter the first few characters of the appropriate information. For Name, enter a comma

between the last and first name.

2. Press Enter.

3. Select the individual from the filtered list.

Figure 13: Find Person - Search mode


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Exercises

1. Change the current Workbench menu to the Classic menu.

2. Change the Classic menu back to the Workbench menu.

3. Using My Preferences, change the Alternate Row Color to light green.

4. Using the Customize Option, change the Find Person window to display Name,

Envelope Number, Member Status, Date Joined, and Age. Move the fields up or down

to display them in the order listed.

5. Using the Customize Option, change the selection mode for name lookup from Locate

to Search. Set the selection mode to include Address/Phone and Envelope Number.

Unit 2: Managing People Profiles

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Unit 2: Managing People Profiles You can view and edit all information stored in your ACS database about individuals from the

profile record. Managing people profiles well guarantees that you have relevant, useful data for

making ministry decisions.


• Working from the Add/Edit Individuals Window

• Entering a New Individual (New Family)

• Entering a New Individual (Existing Family)

• Adding Additional Addresses

• Adding Additional Phone Numbers and E-mail Addresses

• Modifying Label Names

• Merging Duplicate Records

• Combining Family Units

• Changing Family Position

• Deactivating Individuals


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Working from the Add/Edit Individuals Window

All the information about an individual's involvement with your organization is in the

individual record. The Profile tab, displayed on the View/Edit Individual window in Figure 14,

contains one individual’s profile information. You can customize a person’s profile to record any

information important to your organization.

In the View/Edit Individual window, click the different tabs to find additional information about

an individual.

Figure 14: View/Edit Individual


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Useful Information

If a tab does not display, either the ACS administrator at your organization did not grant user

rights or the ACS module is not yet purchased.

Family Tab—Displays other family members in the household. You can customize and apply

additional fields to a family. With the Other Relationships tab, you can connect families and

relationships together.

Figure 15: View/Edit Individual - Family tab


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Additional Fields Tab—Contains customizable list, text, and date fields for recording individual

information. Additional fields can be searched, analyzed, and printed, and can also be

customized either in this window or from the Define Lists option in ACS People.

Figure 16: View/Edit Individual - Additional Fields tab


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Addresses Tab— Designates an address as the primary address for your organization’s mailings

and communications. You can also enter and maintain multiple addresses for both families and

individuals. In addition, address types are customizable to match your organization’s address

storage requirements.

Figure 17: View/Edit Individual - Addresses tab


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Contact Information Tab—Maintains multiple phone numbers and E-mail addresses for families

and individuals entered on this tab. Enter the primary phone number with the primary address

on the Addresses tab. You can then customize types of phone and E-mail to match your

organization’s communication storage needs.

Figure 18: View/Edit Individual – Contact Information tab


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Comments Tab—Makes customizable notes, called comments, which you can enter for

individuals and/or families. You can search comments by date, type, or on text strings within the

comment. Comments can also be user-secured, allowing only those with permission to enter,

view, or search specific comment types.

Figure 19: View/Edit Individual - Comments tab


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Groups Tab—Adds, edits and displays ministry-related groups for an individual. The Groups tab

displays all activities, classes, and small groups in which an individual is involved. You can view

both past and current group involvement on the Groups tab.

Figure 20: View/Edit Individual - Groups tab


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Pictures Tab—Imports, displays, and maintains digital photos of individuals and families.

Figure 21: View/Edit Individual - Pictures tab


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Label Names Tab—Sets up and maintains unique label names for families and individuals. You

can use label names for printing labels, performing mail merges, and on many reports.

Figure 22: View/Edit Individual - Label Names tab


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Connections Tab—Adds, edits and displays individual and family contacts. You can view and

filter contact information history from newest to oldest or from oldest to newest. Connection

contact types can be user-secured, so that only those with permission can enter, view, or search

specific contacts.

Figure 23: View/Edit Individual - Connections tab


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Safeguard Tab—Adds, edits and displays background checks and other organizational

permissions granted or denied to an individual. To maintain confidentiality, the administrator

can regulate who can view or edit tasks, so only staff members with proper clearance have

access to the Safeguard information.

Figure 24: View/Edit Individual - Safeguard tab

Useful Information

ACS Technologies partners with SecureSearch to provide a background screening process that

you can access on the Safeguard tab. The service requires a contracted agreement with Secure

Search. Once activated, background checks on an individual can be requested, submitted, and

reviewed if Internet access is available.


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Document Library Tab—Keeps track of files associated with a particular individual, such as

background check documents, consent forms, resumes, or employment reviews. Only the

organizational administrator can grant or deny access to the Document Library tab.

Figure 25: View/Edit Individual - Document Library tab


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To copy the individual’s name and address to the Microsoft® Windows® clipboard, click Copy to

Clipboard .

Figure 26: Copy to Clipboard

To create a map with driving directions from the church to the individual’s address, under

Contact Information, click the address. You must have an active Internet connection to perform

this task.

Figure 27: Create a Map


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To generate an E-mail to the individual, click the individual’s E-mail address.

Figure 28: Generate an E-mail


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Entering a New Individual (New Family)

This lesson shows you how to enter a new individual or family in ACS People.

1. On the Workbench menu, under Manage Records, select the People tab.

2. Select Add New Family (not shown). You can also add an individual or family in the Find

Person window.

3. In the Find Person window, click Add New Family.

Figure 29: Find Person - Add New Family


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4. Enter the individual’s name.

5. Enter a primary address and phone number. You can add additional addresses and

phone numbers later.

6. Add contribution information.

Useful Information

If you want to record information In ACS People about both a spouse and a combined giving

record, enter contribution information only after the spouse’s record is added.

7. Enter personal information.

8. Click Save.


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Figure 30: Add New Family

Useful Information

An individual record is added as a family.

The Family Position default for the first record entered is Head.

Member Status, Newsletter, and Deliver By defaults are maintained in People Setup.


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Entering a New Individual (Existing Family)

This lesson shows you how to enter a new individual into an existing family in ACS

People.

To enter an individual from the existing family member’s record

1. Click the Family tab.

2. Click Add Spouse, Add Child, or Add Other.

Figure 31: Add an Individual to an Existing Family


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3. Add personal information.

4. Click Save.

Figure 32: Add Personal Info

To enter an individual in the Find Person window

1. In the Find Person window, click Add Family Member.


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Figure 33: Add an Individual in the Find Person Window

2. Enter the individual’s name.

3. Enter the contribution information.

4. Enter personal information.

5. Click Save.


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Figure 34: Add an Individual to an Existing Family

Useful Information

Click Save/Add Family Member to add more family members.


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Adding Additional Addresses

You can record an unlimited number of mailing addresses for an individual or family

in the ACS database.

This lesson shows you how to enter additional addresses in ACS People.

To add additional addresses

1. In the View/Edit Individual window, click the Addresses tab.

2. Under Family or Individual Addresses, click Add.

Figure 35: Add an Additional Address


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3. Select the Address Type.

4. Fill in the remaining fields.

5. Click OK.

Figure 36: Add/Edit Addresses


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Adding Contact Information

This lesson shows you how to enter additional phone numbers, E-mail addresses and

social media links in ACS People.

To add a phone number

1. In the View/Edit Individual window, click the Contact Information tab.

2. Under Phones, click Add.

Figure 37: Add an Additional Phone Number

3. Select the Phone Type.

4. Enter the phone number and select whether it is Listed or Unlisted.

5. Check Preferred Phone to indicate this is the primary phone number for the individual.

6. Check Text Message Allowed to indicate you have permission to send text messages to

the individual.

7. Click OK.


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Figure 38: Add/Edit Phones

Useful Information

Phone information can also be added on the Addresses tab. With the Contact Information tab,

you can track additional numbers for mobile phones, business phones, faxes, and any other

number you use.

To add an E-mail address

1. On the Contact Information tab, under E-mail Addresses, click Add.

Figure 39: Add Additional E-mail Address

2. Select the E-mail Type.

3. Enter the E-mail address and select Preferred E-mail Address if it is the preferred

address.

4. Click OK.


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Figure 40: Add/Edit E-mail Addresses

Useful Information

You can launch your e-mail client directly from the Contact Information tab to send an e-mail to

an individual. To send an e-mail, click the e-mail address you want to use one time, then click

the icon.


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To add a Social Media Link

1. On the Contact Information tab, under Social Media, click Add.

Figure 41: Add Social Media Link

2. Select the Link Type.

3. Select whether the link is Listed or Unlisted.

4. Enter the web address for the link.

5. Click OK.

Figure 42: Social Media Link for Facebook

Useful Information

You can open the link to the individual’s social media page/site from the Contact Information

tab. To open the link, click once on the link, then click the button. You must enter the

correct address format for each social media link. For example, Twitter requires the address to

follow the format www.twitter.com/@twittername. Verify with each social media site the

correct format used to open the individual’s link from a program such as ACS.


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Modifying Label Names

The ACS People module generates formal and informal label names and salutations.

These label names update automatically when record information changes. If you want to use a

different format for label names, you can modify your labels.

1. In the View/Edit Individuals window, click the Labels tab.

2. Click in the label field that you want to modify and make the changes.

3. Click OK.

Figure 43: Modifying Label Names


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Merging Duplicate Records

Over time, most databases accumulate duplicate records. The same individual or

family can be mistakenly entered more than one time in ACS People, with important

information only on one or the other record. People Merge Records allows you to combine the

duplicate records and choose the information you want to store in the new record.

This lesson shows you how to merge duplicate records in ACS People.

To merge duplicate records

1. On the Workbench menu, under Manage Records, select the Tasks tab.

2. Select People Merge Records.

3. Click Go .

Figure 44: People Merge – Workbench

4. Select the preferred record. The preferred record is the one you want to keep after the

merge is complete.

5. Select the duplicate record to merge. The duplicate record is the one you want to

combine with the preferred record. The duplicate record is deleted after the merge is

complete.


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Figure 45: People Merge

Useful Information

Click the View button to review the preferred record or the duplicate record in detail before

continuing with a merge.

6. Click Merge.

7. Click OK to verify that you want to merge the two records into a single record.

8. During the merge, ACS compares the address information for the two records. If

addresses do not match, you are prompted to select one address to keep on the

preferred record.


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Figure 46: Select Address to Keep

9. Select the address you want to keep. To keep both addresses, select the address type

for the second address. The address is recorded using the address type selected on the

preferred record.

10. Click OK when the Merge Process Complete dialog box displays.

Useful Information

Perform a backup before merging people records. If the results are not correct, you can restore

your earlier data.


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Useful Information

Some basic rules to People Merge are helpful to know.

A merge combines information from People, Connections, Comments, Groups, Contributions,

Attendance, Reservations and Access ACS. For best results, review all data for both records that

are to be combined.

When combining multiple records into a single entry, ACS merges the duplicate record into the

preferred record. Single-value dates, lists, and fields in the duplicate record are overwritten

unless the same field in the preferred record is blank.

Press the F1 help key for detailed notes on merging records in ACS People.


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Combining Family Units

When individuals in your church marry, their records must be combined. Instead of

deleting and reentering information, you can combine individuals from two families to make a

single family unit.

This lesson shows you how to combine family units in ACS People.

To combine family units


2. Select Change Family Unit.

3. Click Go .

Figure 47: Manage Records - Change Family Unit

Useful Information

Perform a backup before changing a family unit. If the results are not correct, you can restore

your earlier data.


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1. Under Move From, click Find Person.

Figure 48: Change Family Unit - Move From

2. Search for and select any individual(s) changing family units (not shown).

3. Click OK (not shown).


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4. Under Move To, click Find Person.

5. Search for and select a member of the family into which the individual is moving (not

shown).

6. Click Move.

Figure 49: Change Family Unit - Move To

7. Click Yes to confirm (not shown).

8. Select the new family position.

9. Click OK.


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Figure 50: Select New Family Position

10. Indicate if an individual's name changes or not by clicking Yes or No (not shown).

11. If you click Yes, enter the new last name.

12. Indicate if an individual’s title changes or not by clicking Yes or No (not shown).

13. If you click Yes, select the new title from the list and click OK.

14. Indicate whether to remove an individual’s current address or not by clicking Yes or No

(not shown).

15. If you click No, select an address type for the former address.

16. Click OK.

17. Click Close.


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Figure 51: Change Family Unit


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Splitting Family Units

Family units can be split into individual units. For example, a young adult moves out

of his parent’s household to a new address, and so a new unit is necessary for him. This is also

the option used to create single-parent households from a previously combined household due

to divorce or separation.

This lesson shows you how to split family units in ACS People.

Useful Information

If contributions are already entered into a family record and you then split that record, you must

contact the individuals to determine which record to use for their contributions.

To split family units



3. Click Go (not shown).


5. Search for and select the individual(s) who is changing family units (not shown).


7. Select the family member in the Move From list.

8. Click Start New.


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Figure 52: Change Family Unit - Start New

9. Click Yes to confirm.

Figure 53: Confirmation

10. Indicate if the individual’s title changes or not by clicking Yes or No (not shown).

11. If the individual has combined contributor status, indicate whether or not you want to

move all contributions, gifts, and pledges to a new record by clicking Yes or No.

Figure 54: Move all Contributions, Gifts, and Pledges to New Record


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12. Indicate whether or not you want to keep the same home address on record by clicking

Yes or No (not shown).

13. If you clicked No, enter the new address information.

14. Click OK.

15. Click Close (not shown).

Figure 55: Add/Edit Addresses


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Changing Family Positions

Use Change Family Unit to change the family position for an individual. The most

common example is when a child becomes an adult and moves into an independent household.

This lesson shows you how to change family positions in ACS People.

To change a family position



3. Click Go (not shown).


5. Search for and select the individual(s) who is changing family units (not shown).


7. Click Change Position.


Figure 56: Change Family Unit - Change Position


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9. Select the new position.

10. Click OK.


Figure 57: Select New Family Position


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Deactivating Individuals

When you deactivate an individual, you can retain addresses, phone numbers, and

other important information, even though the person’s name is removed from searches and

reports.

This lesson shows you how to deactivate individuals in ACS People.

Terminology

An inactive People record is not the same as inactive contributor or member status. An

individual’s record is only deactivated if the person requests removal, joins another church,

moves away, or dies.

Useful Information

Deactivated individuals are excluded by default from Search and Filter results and reports. If you

want to include deactivated records in Searches and Filters, include the Active field in the

criteria, with all the choices selected. To include deactivated records on reports, select Include

Deactivated People on the Customize tab.

To deactivate an individual

1. In the View/Edit Individual window, select Inactive.

2. Change the individual’s Member Status, if applicable.


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Figure 58: Deactivating an Individual

3. Complete any additional fields dealing with deactivation.

4. Click OK.

Figure 59: Deactivating an Individual

Useful Information

Deactivating a Head or Spouse in ACS People does not update Family Label Names

automatically. You can manually update label names, or you can change the family position of

the deactivated individual. Newsletter labels, in contrast, update automatically.


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Exercises

1. Add your complete family to the ACS People database. Include any children currently

living in your household. Use the following guidelines to add records:

a. Personal Information

i. Set the Member Status to Participant for each individual.

ii. Set Joined How to Statement for each individual.

iii. Enter today’s date for Date Joined.

iv. Set the Record Type to Member.

v. Set the Newsletter to Family.

vi. Set Deliver By to Mail.

vii. If you are married, set the CB Record Type to Combined. If you are

single, set the CB Record Type to Individual.

b. Contact Information Tab

i. Enter your cell phone as one of the Phone Types.

ii. Enter your home E-mail address as one of the E-mail Addresses.

iii. Enter a Twitter link in the Social Media Tab. Enter the address as

www.twitter.com/acsproductdev.

2. Ms. Louise Angel and Mr. Carl A. Abel Sr. have recently married. Combine their records

in the database using the Change Family Unit option. As you complete this task, make

the following changes:

a. Set Ms. Louise Angel’s New Family Position as Spouse.

b. Change Ms. Louise Angel’s last name to Abel.

c. Change Ms. Louise Angel’s title to Mrs.

d. Remove Louis Angel’s old address.


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3. Bobby Adams recently graduated from school and moved out of his parent’s house. His

parents are Bill & Carla Adams. Use the Change Family Unit option to create a new

household record for Bobby Adams.

a. Do not change his title.

b. Enter a new address.

4. Shirley Akers recently passed away. Follow these steps to deactivate her record:

a. Mark her as inactive on her people profile.

b. Change the Member Status to Inactive.

c. On the Additional Fields tab, change the Reason Deactivated to Deceased.

d. On the Additional Fields tab, change the Date Deactivated to today’s date.

5. You discover that Carol Aburrie and Carole Aburry are the same person. Complete a

People Merge to combine the two records, keeping Carol Aburrie as the preferred

record. Keep the address recorded on Carole Aburry’s record as an alternate address on

the new combined record.

Unit 3: Define Lists

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Unit 3: Define Lists With the Define Lists window in ACS People, you can productively manage your organization’s

data. You can display a multilevel-view list of available fields and decide how to best describe

and customize them according to your organization’s needs. You can select fields to set up from

this list and also assign elements for the fields. Learning how to set up and use different fields in

ACS People can help you to effectively search, group and report on individuals in your ACS

database.


• Creating a New List Field

• Creating a New Date Field

• Creating a New Text Field


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Creating a New List Field

List fields are drop-down boxes that contain a set of elements. You can edit and

search any elements established for a field.

This lesson shows you how to create a new list field in ACS People and then add elements to the

list.

To create a new list field

1. On the Workbench menu, under Advanced Tools, select the Define Lists tab.

2. Select the People tab.

3. Click Go .

Figure 60: Advanced Tools – People


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4. Under Fields, under Individual or Family, click the (+) beside Lists to expand the list.

5. Select a field that is not being used (Not Defined List). Click the field description.

6. Click Activate Field and enter a description for the new list.

7. Click OK.

Figure 61: Define Lists

8. Click Add to populate the options for the new list field. If you add a large list to the new

field, select Add Another to enter multiple items quickly.

9. After the list is complete, click Cancel.

Figure 62: Add/Edit List Items


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10. Click Close.

Figure 63: Define Lists

Useful Information

When you use Additional Fields, use the List fields to keep your data consistent. Consistency is

important when you perform searches. Because you have list descriptions, you do not need to

guess how a title, abbreviation, or other information appears in the database.


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Creating a New Date Field

Date fields are special fields formatted to accept a mm/dd/yyyy format. Date fields

can be customized for your organization’s needs. Date fields calculate age automatically and

can be searched, edited and printed on reports.

To create a new date field



3. Click Go .

4. Under Fields, under Individual or Family, click the (+) beside Dates to expand the list.

5. Select a date field that is not being used (Not Defined Date). Click the field description.

6. Click Activate Field and enter a description for the new date.

7. Click OK.

8. Click Close.


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Figure 64: Define Lists – Date


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Creating a New Text Field

Text fields are used to record information that does not easily fit in a standard list.

Text fields do not have drop-down lists. You enter the information on the line provided.

To create a new text field



3. Click Go .

4. Under Fields, under Individual or Family, click (+) beside Fields to expand the list.

5. Choose one of the fields not currently in use (Not Defined Field). Click the field

description.

6. Click Activate Field and enter a description for the new field.

7. Click OK.

8. Click Close.


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Figure 65: Define Lists – Field


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Exercises

1. Add the value Member to the current list of choices for the Member Status list field.

2. Your student ministry team wants to send care packages to individuals in your

organization who are away at college. You want to set up a list field to track the

name of a member’s school.

a. Change the description on one of the open individual user-defined lists to

College Attending.

b. Add the names of five colleges or universities in your area to populate the

list choices.

3. You want to track the place of employment for individuals associated with your

organization. Change one of the open individual user-defined fields to Place of

Business.

4. You want to track the date that an individual attends a class for new members.

Change one of the open individual user-defined dates to Membership Class.

Unit 4: Searches and Filters

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Unit 4: Searches and Filters ACS People includes searches and filters as tools to help you find individuals according to

specific criteria. After you set up a search or filter, you can store and use it as needed.


• Understanding Searches and Filters

• Creating a New Filter

• Editing Filter Results

• Saving a Filter

• Loading Saved Filters

• Understanding Search Criteria and Output Flags

• Creating a New Search

• Editing Search Results

• Saving a Search

• Loading Saved Searches

• Searching on Previous Search Results

• Printing Search Results

• Using Searches and Filters with Reports

• Using Searches and Filters with Mass Change


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Understanding Searches and Filters

This lesson shows you how searches and filters work in ACS People. Searches and

filters are used to display or select specific information related to a defined set of rules that you

create.

Searches and filters are alike in these ways:

• Either can be used to create a subset of your database.

• Either can be used in the Find Person window.

• Either can be used to limit the number of records in a report.

• Either can be saved and used again without specifying the details again.

• Results from either can be modified.

• Results from either are only as accurate as the information in your database.

Searches and filters are different in these ways:

• Filters are limited to People data and group rosters. In searches, you can also include

information from the Contributions, Attendance, and Connections modules.

• Filter criteria can be saved with a report. Search criteria cannot be saved with a report.

• Filter criteria always use “and.” Search criteria can use both “and” or “or.”

• Filters are not available when running labels, performing mail merges, or sending mass

E-mails. Searches must be used instead of filters for these tasks.

• Filters can only be one level. You cannot filter your filter records. In contrast, searches

can be multilevel. You can search your search results.

• Filters can only produce matching records. Searches can include related records, such as

additional family members, either with or instead of matching records.

• A filter can be applied to a screen or report at any time. You must process a search

before you can apply it to a screen or report.


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Use filters when:

• You want to save specific record selection criteria with a report.

• You want to limit the records displayed in the Find Person window, and your criteria are

based on People fields and group rosters.

• You want to limit the records displayed in the Find Person window to a specific subset

of the database, such as youth ministry, for example, and also perform other searches.

Use searches when:

• You want to include specific records in a report based on contribution information,

attendance markings, contact records, or another kind of data.

• You want to include specific records based on several criteria in a report, with any of

these criteria possibly true. In other words, you want to perform a search with the term

“or.”

• You want to include specific records or previous results from multiple levels of searching

in a report.

• You want to use any of the criteria described above to limit the records displayed in the

Find Person window.

• Your criteria includes dates when records were modified.

• You want to run labels, perform a mass E-mail and create a mail merge.


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Creating a New Filter

This lesson shows you how to create a new filter in ACS People.

To create a new filter

1. In the Find Person window, click Filter.

Figure 66: Find Person – Filter


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2. Enter a Filter Description (not shown).

3. Double-click a field to filter (not shown).

4. Select the appropriate criteria. Criteria options vary depending on the type of data

selected (not shown).

5. Click OK (not shown)

6. Click Apply (not shown).

Terminology

Equal To—Displays rows identical to the value entered.

Not Equal To—Displays rows not identical to the value entered.

Range—Displays rows between the start and end filter values entered.

Blank—Displays empty or blank.

Not Blank—Displays rows that are not empty or blank.

Contains—Displays rows that include the value entered.


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Editing Filter Results

This lesson shows you how to edit filter results in ACS People.

To edit filter results

1. In the Find Person window, under Show Results for, select Filter.

2. Click Edit.

Figure 67: Edit Filter Results


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3. Use the arrows to add or remove names from the results list.

Useful Information

Use the double arrows to add the entire database to the list or remove all of the names

from the list.

4. Click Close.

Figure 68: Edit Filter Results


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Saving a Filter

This lesson shows you how to save a filter in ACS People.

To save a filter

1. In the Edit Filters window, click Save.

2. In the Title field, enter a name for the filter.

3. Click Save.

Useful Information

Saved filters can be private or public. A public filter is available for all ACS users.

If you want to share a filter with other users, select the Public option in the Save Filter

dialog box. Public filters must have unique names, and you cannot overwrite a filter created

by another user.


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Figure 69: Save Filter


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Loading Saved Filters

This lesson shows you how to load saved filters in ACS People.

To load a saved filter

1. In the Edit Filters window, click Load.

2. Select a saved filter.

3. Click Apply.

Figure 70: Load Filter


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Understanding Search Criteria and Output Flags

Search criteria describe kinds of data used in record selection. Some examples of

search criteria are gifts over $200, a member’s attendance three or more times, and all

members of a certain family.

Output flags determine whether a search returns matching records, related records, or a

combination of matching and related records.

In the following examples, Joey is in the third grade Sunday school class and search criteria are

set to match this class.

Matching Individuals—Returns only those records that match the specified criteria. In this

example, Joey’s record is included in the results.

All Family Members—Returns matching individuals and all members of their respective families.

Joey’s record is included, along with those of his mother, father, older sister, and younger

brother.

Head of Household—Finds families of individuals that match the specified criteria and returns

the records of the family member identified as Head. Joey’s record is not in the results, but his

father’s record is.

Add Head or Spouse—Returns matching individuals. If the individual’s family position is Head,

the search also returns the record of Spouse. If the individual’s family position is Spouse, the

search also returns the record of Head. No members of Joey’s family are included in the results.

Children of Matches—Finds families of individuals that match the specified criteria and returns

the records of family members identified as Child. No members of Joey’s family are included in

the results.

Parents of Matches—Finds the families of individuals who match the criteria and returns the

records of the family members identified as Head or Spouse. Joey’s record is not included in the

results, but both his parents’ records are.

Parents with Matches—Returns matching individuals and Head and Spouse records from their

respective families. Both Joey’s record and his parents’ records are included.


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Creating a New Search

This lesson shows you how to create a new search in ACS People.

To create a new search

1. On the Workbench menu, under Searches and Reports, click Searches.

Figure 71: Workbench – Searches


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2. Verify that your Search On option is correct.

3. Verify that your Include Records That option is correct.

4. Verify that your Search Output Flag option is correct.

Useful Information

ACS retains the options from your most recent search, even if you clear them to start a new

search. Always verify these options before creating a new search.

5. Click New Search.

6. Click Yes to clear previous search information. This message only displays if you have

existing search criteria.

Figure 72: Search Information


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7. Double-click a field to add criteria.

Figure 73: Add Search Criteria


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8. Under Search Type, select the criteria.

Useful Information

When you search fields, remember to look for an exact match in the data. For example, if

you search for people who live on First Street, you should include both “First” and “1st” in

your search.

To avoid the problem of multiple terms for the same criterion, create a style sheet for

anyone who enters data. On the style sheet, specify a standard way to enter common

suffixes, addresses, and other similar data.

9. Click OK. Repeat steps 7-9 for each criterion you want to include.

Figure 74: Search Criteria - Search Type Example


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Figure 75: Search Criteria - Search Type Example

10. Click Process (not shown).


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11. Click OK.

Figure 76: Search Criteria - Process Complete


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12. Click the Results tab.

13. Click Close.

Figure 77: Searches – Results


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Editing Search Results

This lesson shows you how to edit search results in ACS People.

To edit search results in the Search Results window

1. Right-click any record.

2. Click Edit Results.

Figure 78: Searches - Edit Results


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Useful Information

You can right-click to view a menu with many different functions for your search results. These

functions include exports, background checks, and Safeguard tasks.

Double-click an individual to view or edit the record.

To edit search results in the Search Information window, click Edit Results.

Figure 79: Search Information - Edit Results

To edit search results in the Find Person window

1. Under Show Results for, select Search.

2. Click Edit.

Figure 80: Find Person - Edit Search Results


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To add or remove individuals from the results list

1. Use the arrows to add or remove names from the results list (not shown).

2. Click Close (not shown).

Useful Information

Use Edit Search Results when you want to make a list of individuals with nothing in common.

To do this, remove all names from the list and add new individuals. Press and hold Ctrl and click

the single arrow button to add or remove family members.


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Saving a Search

This lesson shows you how to save a search in ACS People.

You can save a search in two different ways:

Save Criteria—Saves fields and their corresponding matching information so you can run the

same search later and get updated results. For example, two searches identifying all members

19 years or older return different results when run six months apart. Search options are also

saved with your search.

Save Results—Saves returned records so you can retrieve an identical list later. For example, a

search that identifies all who were 19 years or older and in the database by June 1 is the same

six months later.


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To save a search

1. In the Searches window, click Save Criteria or Save Results.

2. Enter a name for the saved search.

3. Click Save.

Figure 81: Save Search Criteria

Terminology

You can save a search as private or public. Saving a search as public gives other ACS users in your

organization access to your search criteria and results.


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Loading Saved Searches

This lesson shows you how to load a saved search in ACS People.

To load a search from the People, Contributions, Attendance, or Connections menus

1. Click Searches (not shown).

2. In the Searches window, click Load Criteria or Load Results.

3. Double-click the search you want to load.

Figure 82: Searches - Load Criteria


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To load a search on the Workbench menu

1. Verify that the appropriate tab (Criteria or Results) is selected.

2. Select a search from the drop-down list.

3. Click Go .

Figure 83: Workbench - Load a Saved Search


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Searching on Previous Search Results

This lesson shows you how to search on previous search results in ACS People.

To search on previous search results

1. Process a new or saved search to obtain your first set of search results (not shown).

2. Under Search On, select Previous Results.

3. Click New Search.

4. Click Yes, if necessary, to clear previous criteria.

Figure 84: Search on Previous Search Results

5. Enter the new criteria and process the second search (not shown).


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Printing Search Results

This lesson shows you how to print search results in ACS People.

To print the list of search results

1. In the Searches window, click the Results tab.

Useful Information

Click Customize to display additional fields on the grid.

Right-click the results to export the list to an HTML or Microsoft® Excel® file.

2. Click Print.

Figure 85: Print Search Results


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3. Click Print .

Figure 86: Print Preview


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Using Searches and Filters with Reports

This lesson shows you how to use searches and filters with reports in ACS People.

To apply a filter to a report

1. In the Reports window, select the report you want to view.

2. Click the Customize link in the print option box at the bottom left corner of the screen

(not shown).

Figure 87: Apply a Filter to a Report


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3. Select Filter.

4. Click Select.

Figure 88: Apply a Filter to a Report


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5. Select filter criteria.

6. Click Close.

Figure 89: Edit Report Filter

7. Preview or print the report (not shown).

If you finish processing a search and then want to run a report using the search results

1. In the Searches window, click Reports.

Figure 90: Searches - Reports

2. Select a report from the box on the top left corner of the screen (not shown).


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3. Click the Customize link to configure report options (not shown)

4. Preview or print the report (not shown).

If you processed a search previously and now want to run a report using the search results

1. In the Reports window, select the report that you want to view (not shown).

2. Click the Customize link in the print option box at the bottom left corner of the screen

(not shown).

3. Select Use Last Search Results.

4. Preview or print the report.

Figure 91: Report Options - Use Last Search Results


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Useful Information

Reports use results from the most recently processed search. To be sure that your search

results are correct, go to Searches to verify that they are up-to-date. Then, use the Reports

option to generate the report.


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Using Searches and Filters with Mass Change

This lesson shows you how to use searches and filters with Mass Change in ACS

People.

To use searches and filters with Mass Change

1. In the Mass Change window, select the field you want to change.

2. Select Change Records that Match Search Results or Change Records that Match Filter

Results.

3. Select or enter a new value.

4. Click Change.

Figure 92: Mass Change


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Exercises

1. Create a filter that displays only those members with a Member Status of Participant on

the Find Person window. Save the filter.

2. Create a filter that displays only young people between the ages of 12-17 on the Find

Person window. Save the filter.

3. Create a new search to find only those members with a Member Status of Participant

with a birthday in the current month.

4. Create a new search for everyone in the database between the ages of 18-25 living in

the following ZIP codes: 29501, 29505, and 29506. Name the search “Young Adults in

the City Limits” and save it as public.

5. Using the “Young Adults in the City Limits” search, edit the results and remove everyone

with a last name that begins with A or B.

6. Create a new search to find only those members in the database with a Member Status

of Participant. Using the search results, perform a mass change and change the

Member Status field value from Participant to Attendee.

Reference Materials

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Reference Materials

Tracking Relationships beyond the Family Unit

With Other Relationships, you can associate an individual with someone from

another family.

To add other relationships to an individual’s record

1. On an individual’s record, click the Family tab.

2. Under Other Relationships, click Add.

3. Use the lookup button to find and select the related individuals.

4. From the Relationship drop-down list, select the relationship type.

5. Select Add Reciprocal Relationship and select the relationship type to automatically

create an entry on the relative’s record. Click OK.

Reference Materials

112

Figure 93: Add/Edit Other Relations

Useful Information

On the Family tab, under Other Relationships, click Print to print the Listing of Other

Relationships report.

Reference Materials

113

Exporting the Find Person Grid

This lesson shows you how to export the Find Person grid in ACS People.

To export the Find Person grid

1. In the Find Person window, right-click on the grid.

2. Click Export Grid.

Figure 94: Export Find Person Grid

Reference Materials

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3. Navigate to the location on your computer where you want to save the file.

4. Enter a file name.

5. Click Save.

Figure 95: Save Export Grid

Reference Materials

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Preferred Lists

Preferred Lists are custom lists that allow you to quickly search and communicate

with individuals based upon affinity groups within the organization. For example, you can set up

preferred lists for parents of children, parents of students, member of college age, or an

emergency notification list. Individuals can indicate through Access ACS which preferred lists

they want to be included in to receive communications about ministry events.

To create a preferred list

1. From the Workbench Menu, under Define Lists, select People.

2. Under Fields, open Other, then select Preferred List Type.

3. Click Add to create a new preferred list type.

Figure 96: Add Preferred List Type

4. Click OK.

Reference Materials

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To add an individual to a preferred list

1. On the Workbench, on the People tab, select View/Edit Individual.

2. Select the individual you want to add to the preferred list.

3. Double-click on the name, or click the View/Edit button.

4. Choose the Contact Information Tab.

5. Click the Preferred Lists button.

Figure 97: Add Individual to Preferred List

6. Check the all the lists that apply for the individual.

7. Click OK.

Reference Materials

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Figure 98: Check Preferred Lists

Useful Information

Preferred Lists can be searched and exported so you can communicate quickly and easily with a

group of people within your organization. Members can join preferred lists on their personal

profile page in Access ACS, if your organization allows this.

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