Help – Training – Explanations – Hints
When you login to MemberLink®, the CONTROL PANEL of the “Home” Screen will be displaying all database records (all contact records, whether members or prospects, etc.). You can click the [Search/Select] Icon and come to this screen to choose a subset of the contact records to display on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL.
The “Search/Select” Function:
The “Search/Select” Screen provides you with several filter options where you can enter values or specify parameters and then execute the search by clicking on the [Search/Select] Button. The resulting set of records will match the search criteria and will be “selected” for display on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL. The records displayed on the CONTROL PANEL are known as “active records” and you can view them, update them, export them to a spreadsheet, and so forth.
More information about search filters and special searches follows.
Group Search Filters:
At the top left of the screen, you can use the “Radio” buttons to choose whether you want to work with Regular Groups, Family Groups, or Care Groups. If you are searching for individuals, not individuals in groups, just leave the “Radio” button for Regular Groups selected.
Saved Search Templates:
At the top right side of the screen, there may be an option for you to retrieve a “Search Template” from a special list. More on this option is described in a separate [Help ?] Button narrative that will appear at top right side of the screen. Please review that “Help” to understand how to use “Saved Searches”.
Partial Search Filters:
If you filter for Name = John, it will find all people with a first or last name that includes “john” in the name. For example, it will find Tommy John, Johnny Bench, and Don Johnson.
You can enter “partial data” in any of the blank filter boxes and the system will search for all records with the partial match you entered. Partial matches work with both standard data fields and custom (user-defined) data fields.
Exact Search Filters:
If the there is a + sign following the search box label, that means you can do an “exact search” by enclosing the search value in quotes. The standard data fields that support an exact search are Username, Email, Address, City, State, Phone, Cell Phone, Envelope #, Title, Job Title, and Hobbies.
For example, if you search Envelope # for a value of 103, you might also get records with 1030 through 1039. But if you search for “103” in quotes, you will get just the one record with that specific Envelope Number.
Compound Search Filters:
The Search/Select function lets you build compound filters to make the search feature even more powerful. For example, you can search for Name = John and City = Atlanta, to find all contact records for people with “John” in the First or Last Name and “Atlanta” in the City.
Special Searches:
Postal Code Searches: There are two search filter options for Postal Code. With one, you can search for a range of ZIP Codes: 30028 through 30041 for example. With the other, you can search for one or more specific digits. Let’s say, for example, you want to see if any “last four” codes are 0000. You can search for 0000 and find all ZIP Codes with those digits anywhere in the nine digit ZIP Code.
Permissions Search: You can search for all Permission Levels except the MasterAdmin. If you want to find all people with Permission Level = SysAdmin, use the Menu Selection List labeled “Permissions” and click on SysAdmin choice. Then execute the search by clicking on the [Search/Select] Button. The resulting set of records displayed on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL will be just those people who have the SysAdmin Permissions Level.
Status Search: You can search for all Status settings. If you want to find all people with Status = Former, use the Menu Selection List labeled “Status” and click on Former choice. Then execute the search by clicking on the [Search/Select] Button. The resulting set of records displayed on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL will be just those people who are Former Members by virtue of having a value in the “Date Left Church” standard field on their “Profile” Screen.
The “Additional Select” Filters:
There may be one or more [+ Additional Select] Button on the screen. They are used to minimize the quantity of filters displayed – there are many filters. This helps to keep the screen display a little smaller and minimizes the need for scrolling.
However, you may click any [+ Additional Select] Button to expand the screen and use the additional filters available to you.
Miscellaneous & Date Searches: You can search for all people that have a certain Birth Date, Wedding Anniversary Date, Date they Joined or Left your Church, etc. For example, if you want to find all people that have a Birth Date in June, you can enter June 1 and June 30, leaving the Year blank. Then execute the search by clicking on the [Search/Select] Button. The resulting set of records displayed on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL will be just those people who have birthdays between June 1 and June 30.
** Note: You may have to click the [+ Additional Select] Button near the bottom left side of the screen to find this search option. The default is to not show the Date Search options, but you can use this button to “Expand/Shrink Profile Search Options” and find them.
Manager Checkbox Searches: You can search for all people that have a certain Manager Checkbox turned on. For example, if you want to find all people with access to the ContributionLink module, turn on the “ContributionLink Checkbox”. Then execute the search by clicking on the [Search/Select] Button. The resulting set of records displayed on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL will be just those people who currently have access to the ContributionLink module.
** Note: You may have to click the [+ Additional Select] Button near the top right side of the screen to find this search option. The default is to not show the Manager Checkbox Search options, but you can use this button to “Expand/Shrink Profile Search Options” and find them.
Prayer Wall Option Searches: You can search for all people that have a certain Prayer Wall option turned on. For example, if you want to find all people that have elected NOT to receive the Prayer Wall email alert, turn on the that Checkbox. Then execute the search by clicking on the [Search/Select] Button. The resulting set of records displayed on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL will be just those people who currently have the “Not receive” option checked.
** Note: You may have to click the [+ Additional Select] Button near the top right side of the screen to find this search option. The default is to not show the Prayer Wall Search options, but you can use this button to “Expand/Shrink Profile Search Options” and find them.
Photo Directory Option Searches: You can search for all people that have a certain Photo Directory option turned on. For example, if you want to find all people that are not shown in the Photo Directory, turn on the that Checkbox. Then execute the search by clicking on the [Search/Select] Button. The resulting set of records displayed on the “Home” Screen CONTROL PANEL will be just those people who currently have the “Don’t Show in Directory” option checked.
** Note: You may have to click the [+ Additional Select] Button near the top right side of the screen to find this search option. The default is to not show the Photo Directory Search options, but you can use this button to “Expand/Shrink Profile Search Options” and find them.
Custom Data Field Searches: The “Search/Select” Screen allows you to search on both standard data fields (provided with the system) and Custom Data Fields (created by you or your MemberLink® Support Team). When a Custom Data Field is created, there is a Checkbox that can be turned on to make that data field searchable. If the Checkbox is on, that data field will be included here for you to use as one of your search filters.
If you organize your Custom Data Fields under “Menu Tabs”, the tabs will be displayed on the right side of this screen. You can click on the appropriate tab to see the available Custom Data Fields under that tab.
The default display will be the Custom Data Fields under the first tab. You have to click the other tabs to see those Custom Data Fields.
** Note: You may have to click the [+ Additional Select] Button near the middle right side of the screen to find this search option. The default is to show the Photo Directory Search options, but if you have previously clicked it to NOT show them, you can use this button to “Expand/Shrink Profile Search Options” and find them.
Saving Your Search to Use Again Later:
Finally, after you enter all your search parameters, you have the option to “save” the search parameters for future use. If you have a Search that you perform frequently, you can save it so that you do not have to re-enter it or re-build it each time you need it. You can save this search by giving it a name, entering the name in the “Optional: enter the name to save the Search:” box.
Naming a search will put it in the list of “Saved Searches”, which you can use in the future.
Also, there is a “For Everyone?” Checkbox associated with “Saved Searches”. If it is not checked, you will be the only person that can use the Search template you are saving. However, if you click the “For Everyone?” Checkbox, this Search template will appear to others when they come to the “Search/Select” Screen and they will be able to use this search you saved.
Completing the “Search/Select” Process:
At the bottom left side of the screen, clicking the [Search/Select] Button will accomplish three things.
- First, this is when the search will actually be “saved” if you entered a name in the “Optional: enter the name to save the Search:” box.
- Second, the search will be executed.
- Third, the system will return you to the “Home” Screen where the selected records will be displayed on the CONTROL PANEL.
"CAA Product Help" from CAA Ministries at Support@CAAsoftware.com or 404-551-4230