By Amanda Cose, Principal Consultant
We’ve all been there. Someone asks you to make a bulk record update in Blackbaud CRM, and you say yes, thinking there is an applicable global change, only to realize there is not. An organization using the BrightVine Data Link could use an OData Link as its data source to update the records in question. If you don't use the Data Link and have a dedicated developer on staff, you might pursue a stored procedure, but what if you don’t have a developer? That’s where page designer and record operations may come in handy.
Record operations in Blackbaud CRM are a type of action used to change a flag (e.g., inactive/active) or delete records. To search for record operations, navigate to Administration > Application > Features > Record operation search. Use wildcards to search by keywords, if helpful. If you find the record operation needed for your bulk update, you can likely take care of this task from the front end!
Once you’ve identified the record operation you need exists, you will need to create a data list of records to be updated. For example, if you are doing a bulk update of designations, you would start with a Designation ad-hoc query and create a corresponding data list from there. Make sure the system record ID for whatever you are updating is in the output, whether visible or hidden.
The next steps involve creating a page, surfacing the data list, and adding a task to execute the record operation. Below, I’ve linked a helpful Blackbaud knowledgebase article that will take you through all the details, step by step:
Once you’ve followed the steps outlined in the article, you can complete your task from the front end. For inspiration, here are some ways to use page designer and record operations to complete specific tasks in bulk from the front end:
Mark Designations Active or Inactive
Delete unwanted Interactions
Add Prospect constituency to constituent records
Clear Dates from Revenue Letter Records
Have questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.