Let’s take that time machine back to 1987 when perms and shoulder pads were in fashion and M.A.R.R.S’s “Pump Up the Volume” filled the radio airwaves.
Fast forward to today, perms and shoulder pads may be in the past. But we can now pump up the volume of integration in Blackbaud CRM™ using the BrightVine Data Link (BVDL.)
More than 42 Blackbaud CRM™ customers have converted their complex data import and integration needs by using the BVDL. Because the BVDL is fully integrated into Blackbaud CRM™ your data never leaves your Blackbaud CRM™ environment making it a powerful integration and transformation tool.
Why should you have to manually manipulate or split files? Our customers went from multiple files with different types of data to one file containing all of your data. All customers have seen a significant decrease in processing time and with the introduction of the Data Link version 4.0 performance has gotten even better. Several organizations have decreased their processing from a day(s) to just a few hours. One animal welfare organization saw their NCOA process drop from 3 full weekends to 6 hours. A hospital system went from importing 2 million constituent attributes in 4 hours to only 20 minutes.
Here are some tips to help you get started in the planning of converting existing Blackbaud CRM™ imports to the BrightVine Data Link:
Planning and analysis
Identify and prioritize integration to be converted from out-of-the-box imports to the BVDL. This could be based on volume, complexity, or current processing time.
Identify team roles and responsibilities. Include data subject matter experts in data mapping sessions, testing, training/internal process improvement, and roll out.
Determine the timeline. Are there any blackout dates or testing dependencies, to be considered, such as environment refresh and upgrades?
Design and Build
Share original data import mapping/documentation. It is helpful to understand any custom field logic and Blackbaud CRM™ data points.
Revisit the field mapping included in the existing import. Determine if there are other columns that need to be added, or even removed from the data mapping.
Include SMEs in the data mapping session to review and confirm mapping, matching, data updates, validation, and exception handling logic.
Test
Training of the technical team and SMEs on functionality and technical processes.
Conduct parallel testing. Create and execute detailed plans to ensure data processing consistency, accuracy, and efficiencies.
Production Deployment and Rollout
Train end-users on BVDL functionality, new processes, and any new business rules.
After deploying and configuring the new BVDL import process in your Production environment, ensure any downstream processes impacted by the new import process are modified to reflect any data updates.
If you'd like to learn more about the BrightVine Data Loader, please contact us today!
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