Prepare database for new year

1. Select all records using the simple search available from the contacts menu in Wild Apricot.
2. Click on the Export button at the top of the list of contacts.
3. In the Export Contacts window, check the box next to "Export all fields", then click on the "Export" button at the bottom. This will allow you to download a file to your computer that has a name like YYY-MM-DD Contacts ASU Retirees Association.xml. The file will be placed in the folder that your browser uses for downloads -- most likely your Downloads folder.
4. Open the file in Microsoft Excel, then save it with the name YYYYAnnualBackup.xlsx, where YYYY is the current year.
5. Upload the file to the Wild Apricot file area, in the folder entitled "AnnualFileBackups". See "Working with Wild Apricot Files" if you need help in doing this.

This procedure will purge records for people who have not been active for the last three years. It will also purge non-members who have been added to the database through registering for events.

The procedure selects two groups of records, merges the two into a single group, and then archives the merge group.

Make a note of the current total number of records in the database. You can find this number by doing a simple search on All from the Contact menu.

1. Use an Advanced search from the Contacts menu to select:
   1. Member status is Lapsed
   2. Renewal due on or before  July 1, YYYY, where YYYY is the current year - 2.
2. Calculate the number of active records that will be in the database after this group is archived.
   1. Subtract the count of records found in this search from the total number of records in the database that you noted down when preparing to purge.
   2. If the result is not less than 1,500, it may be necessary to change the search to archive an additional year of inactive members by change the search in step one to YYYY - 1. You might want to consult with the President and the Membership Chair before doing this.
3. Export this group of people using the Export button at the top of the page. You can export just User ID and Last Name if you wish, but it doesn't hurt to export all fields either.
   1. Save the file to your computer.
   2. Open it in MS Excel
   3. Save it as an .xlsx file with a name like "LapsedMembersToArchive.xlsx".

Follow the procedure for "Non-member records need handling" on the Database integrity checks page to merge any event attendance records for current members with their active member records.

No need to archive records that are not associated with current members at this point.

1. Run a simple search from the Contacts menu, selecting "non-members" from the Filer pull-down box. 
2. Export the result to your computer
3. Open the result in MS Excel
4. Save it as an .xlsx file with a name like "NonMembersToArchive.xlsx".

1. Open a new file in Excel.
2. Copy and paste the columns of UserID and Last Name (with the headings) from your "LapsedMembersToArchive"  to the new file.
3. Append those same columns from your "NonMembersToArchive" file, so that all records from both files are listed.
4. Add a column with a heading "Archived" to the new spreadsheet. Fill it with "Yes" for all records.
5. Sort the file on User ID
6. Save it on your computer with a name like "RecordsToArchive.xlsx".

Archiving is accomplished by importing the merge excel file into Wild Apricot. Wild Apricot will match the User IDs in the imported file with those in the database, and change data in the database to match the import. In this case, it will change the "Archived" field to "Yes", thus archiving the records.

1. While in the Contacts menu, choose "Import" from the menu at the top.
2. Browse to select the file on your computer, the click on the Upload button.
3. Enter a comment to identify what this import is for, e.g., "XXXX Annual Archiving", where XXXX is the current year.
4. Review the import to make sure there are no errors and the number of archived records matches what you expected.