FAQ1- Got a Question not in the FAQ?

Problems signing-on and Accepting Cookies

What is the District's policy on usage of the "data" in the DaCdb?

Q3- Updating the RI database-timing, and getting RI ID# for new members by ADDING them first to the RI database (also Logging ON when their RI ID# is "0"). Also, sending CHANGE notices to the RI database; must be signed by Club Secretary.

Q7- How do I Copy / Clone a Committee record to another Governor's Year?

Q11- Customizing district messages and using Standard "logos"

Q18- What happens on July 1st
(to Presidents, President-Elects, President-Nominees, Secretaries, CCO, CES, etc.)

Q26- What is the "Group de Groups" function (in Committee Types, known as GdG)

Q28- Public vs. Private Information

Q29- How are"deletes" treated; also How do I remove DUPLICATED member records?

Q35- How do I add a Provisional Club to the database?
See Q/A #52

Q1. I HAVE a QUESTION that is not in this FAQ area, so HOW do it get my question answered?

A1. Please send it to us, and we will send you a personalized answer, and post it here if it is generally applicable.

Q1b. PROBLEMS LOGGING IN...
Also, if a new member can NOT sign on using what appears to be a valid LogIn Name and Password. They get an ERROR message saying that it is INVALID LOGIN and PASSWORD.

A1b. The first time they sign on, they have to use their "e-mail address" as their UserID, and must to use their RI MemberID# as their Password. Once they gain access to the system using this sign on data, they CAN change the "password" to anything they like, for logging in the next time.

Another reason maybe that this User does NOT have "accept cookies" enabled (which is a requirement for this system). They need to turn ON the "accept cookies" option for the District Directory's domain name: www.Directory-Online.com

To customize their privacy settings for an individual Web site to ACCEPT COOKIES:
1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. Click the Privacy tab, and then click [Advanced] (Cookie Options).
3. In Address of Web site, type the complete address of the Web site for which you want to specify custom settings. For example this Rotary district database, please specify: http://www.Directory-Online.com
4. To specify that you want Internet Explorer to always allow cookies from the specified Web site to be saved on your computer, click Allow.

The last issue that sometimes occur (when trying to LOG IN), is secure Firewalls (usually at your business), and/or "privacy" software. We have found a few "login problems" are associated with supposedly "privacy software" that "constantly swaps" the users IP number. The Names of the offending programs that we have identified so far are: PRIVACY (by McAfee) SURF CONTROL; ANONYMOUS (a freeware program) The only solution is to remove or disable the offending program in your local system. These programs prevent us from establishing a "session link" with your computer, that we need to share your access level information across the different functions within the DaCdb session.

Q1c. What is the District's policy on usage of the "data" in the DaCdb?

A1c. District and Club database USAGE Policy by Members is as follows. It is the policy of Rotary Districts using the DaCdb, that personal information, including, but not limited to, contact information, personal addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses are the private property of the individual and that the district is loaned the use of this data. The purpose of this policy is to protect “the use of and privacy of” our members’ data by preventing the distribution or use of this information by anyone, except in accordance with the following procedures presented to each user who signs into the DaCdb. The complete document is available for review at our Usage Policy.

Q2. My NEW photo (or other recently changed data) does not show in database. WHY?

A2. Okay, the real issue is your Browser's Refresh setting.
SO, How To “ReFresh Your Browser EVERY TIME” to see the latest PHOTO (or other changed data) in the database.

The problem you are having is caused by your browser setting  (and ISP caching methodology).  Basically, the photo is referred to by its RI#.jpg
Then, after you make a change (or change data field values), and request a "view" to SEE the results, the ISP caching says, "Oh, I already have that page/file, so it is not necessary to go back to the server for that file."

So, here are the "steps" for a system using Windows XP with the Internet Explorer brower to change your IE browser settings to REFRESH EVERY TIME, and this should resolve the problem you are having. 
Also, see the graphic that shows the "clicks" and screen shots for making this change to your browser settings::

Click on TOOLS, then INTERNET OPTIONS,
then either Temporary Internet Files section (for IE v6 users), or  Browsing History section (for IE v7 users),
then click on  SETTINGS,
and finally click on the EVERY TIME option.

Q3. "When and How" does the RI database get updated, IF I use the district database to enter the changes for my club?
And, getting RI ID# for new members by first ADDING them to the RI database (the recommended approach).

A3. All changes to "club and member information" that RI needs to know about (for the RI database) are sent immediately to the RI Data Services department. The changes to the District and Club database (DaCdb) show up immediately, however, the changes sent to RI may take several days (to a couple of weeks) to show up, because they manually key-in the information that we send them. The system also sends an e-mail notification to the Club Secretary for all changes, additions, or terminations sent to the RI database.

Also, the District Governor and District Secretary, District Membership chairs may also receive e-mail notifications for additions or terminations sent to the RI database, because most governors want to know about new members (or terminations) in their district. These "options" are set in the district "profile" if they want to receive these ADD/TERM e-mail notifications.

In addition, when "adding" a new member to your club, the club secretary can put in a "0" for the RI ID# (unless they already have an RI ID# from being a member of another club), or they get it from the RI database (Member Access portal).

NOTE: Only RI assigns the membership number to new members!  SO, we recommend that you  "add the new members" directly into the RI database (with minimal data: just Name & Address and Admission Date) to get their RI ID# (which is immediately assigned by the RI database).  NOTE: Here is a LINK for more information about ADDING a Member to the RI database via Member access (provided by DCO Sam Hummelstein, D-6150)

THEN, you ADD the new member into the DaCdb, using the newly assigned RI ID#.   Just be sure to add ALL the "data" available to you when you put the new member into the District and Club database  (DaCdb), which gets sent back to the RI database to complete their records.

When you ADD a new member with a "0" RI ID#, we immediately send this information to RI, and then when they process it.  The new member gets their RI ID# assigned in the RI database (but NOT in the DaCdb).  However, the newly assigned RI ID# shows up on ANY reports from RI (such as the CRS and SAR).

So, the Club Secretary must update the new member records in the DaCdb with the newly assigned RI ID#. We have added a "quick link" to the RI Member Access portal log on screen (while Viewing your Club Membership).   So, new members (after 30 days) that still have a "0" RI ID#, will have a "0" link into the RI database; this "0" link is after their Name, and before the Edit link in the member roster. Here are the steps to get the RI ID# from the RI database and then update the Member record in the District and Club database (DaCdb).

1. Click on the "0" link after the Member's name (this takes you to the RI database).
2. Sign IN - using the UserName and Password at RI database, as required
3. Click ON the [Update Membership Data] (It is the first selection on left side)

4. VIEW the record of the MEMBER you are researching
5. Copy the assigned RI Membership ID (highlight and CTL+C)

6. Then go back to the DaCdb screen,
and EDIT Member who has the "0" RI ID#
7. Paste their RI ID# into the Membership ID field (CTL+V)
8. Click UPDATE button to apply change to database

That's it

TIP:  Now click ON the [<-BACK] button twice and
go to the NEXT "0" member to edit in district database, and
proceed to step #4 above to get next member record...
(then, VIEW record of that member in the RI database).

ANOTHER option is to get the RI ID# from the printed Semi-Annual Report (SAR) that comes from RI in January and July.
Then use steps 6-9 above to update the member record in the DaCdb, using the RI ID# assigned.

Finally, LOGGING IN when the RI ID# is "0"...
Are the "new" members be able to log into the DaCdb using "0" (zero) as their "password / RI ID number"? 

NO. However, they CAN log in using their "e-mail address" as their UserName, and their LAST Name as their PassWord.  This assumes that their member record has been updated with their e-mail address, since this is the "key" we use to locate their record when their RI ID# is "0". NOTE: Using their Last Name as their PassWord ONLY works when their RI Member ID# is "0", for their first LOG in.

Hope this helps explain the process of getting a new member's RI ID#, and logging on with a "0" RI ID#.

Q4. Is there a recommended "startup" sequence of "things to do" to get a new district's database up and running?

A4. Since you asked(:-), here are some of the initial steps to getting your district database up and running.

4-1. Get a copy of your existing database from RI (in Excel format). This will be used to load your Clubs and Members data. Also, we need to know and setup the number of AREAs you have in your district (this is done during the "conversion" process, but you will need to identify the Assistant Governor for each AREA later...see Step 4 below).

THEN, clone the Participation data (from D-999) for the new district: ADMIN | MEMBERS | clone "participation" from 999

Also, need to ADD the following "committees" for the new district: District Leadership Team, Club Presidents, Club Secretarys, Club PEs, Club SEs, General TRFoundation, CCO, and CES (and make sure the RoleKeys match the corresponding ClubPosition's RoleKey). Other committees will be added later by the DBA for the new district. (Reference: D:\RotaryDatabase\STARTUP Committees for new Districts.txt)

Now, initialize the Assistant Governor's AREA record, with the "geographical" location associated with each AREA. For instance, it may be the club area the AG is a member, -or- it may be a more generic identity, such as the largest community in that area (which is less maintenance in the future to change this every time the AG's club changes).

( ) HOW MANY AREAS in your district? _____
( ) Make sure that the AREA tag is specified in the Club record...update PROFILE, if necessary.

ALSO, what does your district call its COG: College of Governors (default), Council of Governors, Advisory Council, etc???

While it is the "normal" to want to start correcting this information (for Clubs and Members), it is important that we establish the Club Secretary's identity in each club as soon as possible (even if you do not have their e-mail address). At the same time you put in the club secretary information, you MUST also put in the AREA that the club is assigned to. In addition, it is a good idea to enter the Club President for each club at this time. So, here are the things you should be updating in each CLUB RECORD before doing any other maintenance:
- 1) Updating the AREA number this club belongs to;
- 2) Checking the Meeting Time, Day of the Week, and the Location data in Club record;
- 3) Setting the club positions for the Club President and Club Secretary;
- 4) Setting the club positions for the Club President-elect and Club Secretary-elect (if these are known).
- 5) Setting the club positions for the Foundation Chair and Membership Chair (if these are known).
- 6) Any other club positions that you want to establish (or just let the Club Secretary make these changes later on).

- 7) Add the District Governor and District Secretary to the DLT Committee (IF this is a CLUB ONLY district,
for NEW Member Letters and reporting Monthly ATTENDANCE; make parameter changes in ATTND SETUP).
ALSO, Edit the CLUB to be in AREA 1 by default, emailing change noticies to RI.

 

=======================in a PMAIL Message #5 to DCO to LOG ON and this items:

SO, lets plan on a telephone call on Friday to review with you the "actions" you will need to begin to "connect the dots".
You will need the following information to get started updating your database for the CURRENT year (e.g. 2010-11):

1) List of current Club Presidents, Club Secretarys, and if known: the President-elects, and Secretary-elects.
2) Which AREA# each club is assigned to.
3) Verify the Meeting DAY, TIME, and PLACE of each club.
4) List of the current year AGs.
5) List of Past District Governors and Year Served.

And, FYI, getting the above information entered into the database is about HALF of the total initial effort :).

So, just let me know the BEST time to give you a call (on Friday,
and your phone number) when you can be on-line to your database.

==============================================

The reason is we generate the "change notifications" to RI whenever you make a change, and RI wants those e-mails to be identified with the Club Secretary's name information. So, if you want to make changes to a club's data or its member's data, please edit the "club record" and identify the Club Secretary before making any other changes (and remember, you must also put in the assigned AREA for the club, when updating the club record the first time).

HOWEVER, we have TURNED OFF e-mail notifications to RI until the CLUB SECRETARY positions have been identified for each club.

___ Copy over the District USAGE Policy. ALSO, copy the FOLDERS and FILES for the NEW MEMBER letters:
http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Accounts/9999/Pages/Templates/Welcome-NewMember.html
http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Accounts/9999/Pages/Templates/ThankYou-Sponsor.html

___ Edit Phone Numbers for "standard" format xxx-xxx-xxxx

___ Add this district to the Rotary DOMAIN

4-2. Once we have loaded your Club and Member data, you need to work on getting the district's leadership established. But first "populate" the Assistant Governors committee, as these need to show up in the District Leadership committee. THEN you can assign their AREAS numbers, which will then show up in the District Leadership committee. Then later, when you are doing "Club" maintenance, the AREA this club is "assigned to" shows the correct AG's name in club's leadership "view". NOTE: The "List Areas" (Asst Govs VIEW transaction) displays the Clubs and their CLUB PRESIDENT for each Area Governor...so IF the Club President has NOT been assigned within the club, then they will NOT show up in that AG's AREA listing (or in the club's leadership). And, when you make changes to the ASSISTANT GOVERNORS committee record, they are automatically reflected in the DISTRICT LEADERSHIP record, but the reverse is not true; so we strongly recommend you update the ASSISTANT GOVERNOR records for AG information regarding the AREA they serve. The AGs get a SecLVL of "5", which means they have "club level authority" over the clubs in THEIR area.

NOTE: The AREA records (numbered 01 thru 16) were initially added to the system during the "conversion" process, but without any identifying information, such as the "geographical area" of the clubs...now is the time to add this data to the AREA records (click on the AREA GOVS tab to edit these records).

4-3. Then, we use the "committee record" for the current GOV year named: DISTRICT LEADERSHIP. And, because this committee is a "special type" of committee record, it should begin with the words District Leadership. However, you can further identify it by adding other words, as necessary for your district, such as: District Leadership Council -or- District Leadership Team. So, to "populate any committee", simply click on their Name in the LEFT panel and then click the [>>> button] to send them to the committee panel on the RIGHT (and finally click the [Update] button to apply your updates to the database.

4-4. Then, "staff / populate" the DISTRICT LEADERSHIP committee/role with its members. Once all of the members are "on this committee", then "update" each member with their correct position information. This committee/role record contains ALL of the district leadership positions (DG, DGE, DGN, PDG, AGs, DistSec, DistTreasurer, General Foundation Chair, COG President, and the District Exec. Secretary). Also refer to #2 above, for additional information about the naming and use of the DISTRICT LEADERSHIP record. When you add all of your AGs to the AG Committee, then they are automatically added tothe DLT committee/role record, and this must be done before you can proceed to this Step.

Remember, you "staff / populate" committees, by editing the Committee, and "dragging" Members to the Committee; likewise, IF you want to "remove" someone from a Committee, you edit the Committee record, and "drag" them OFF of the Committee using the <<< arrow selection. NOTE: "dragging" is actually accomplished with >>> or <<< arrow selections, pointing in the direction you are moving Members to/from the Committee record. And, then remember to press "UPDATE" to lock in your selections.

4-5. Now that the district leadership "roles" have been defined, it is time to finalize the "club leadership", if you have not already done so as suggested in Step #1 above. Basically, you just go into each club record (in "edit" mode), and then update the member's relationship position (e.g. from Member to Club President, Club Secretary, Club President-Elect, and Club Secretary-Elect). ALSO, if these club officer records do not have the phone numbers and e-mail addresses in them, NOW is the time to "update/edit" each club officer's record to reflect this information.

NOTE: Changing their position to Club President/Secretary or CCO automatically gives them Lvl-4 security access. Likewise, changing their role/position back to Member automatically resets their access to Lvl-1 (unless they had a security level higher than Lvl-4, such as a Data Admininstrator, AGs).

In addition, remember we have already set ALL of the AGs to a Lvl-5 security . By setting the AGs to Lvl-5 (e.g. Pres/Sec level) , they become a "super Club President/Secretary" user. BUT they can only make changes to Club and Member records for which they are responsible (as defined in the AG AREA record, and the Clubs belonging to that AREA).

4-6. Then, adding your district level "committees" is a 3-step process. The first step, when adding the committee records, is to indicate whether this is a General Committee, a Rotary Foundation committee, a RI Programs committee, or an Internal committee (this information is used to properly generate the district's Committee Chairs report). Then, once the committee record has been added, you are ready to populate it with members (this is step #2). And then (step #3), you would edit the committee record to update the appropriate member's position title (e.g. Chair). NOTE: This "chair" information is then used to dynamically generate the district's Committee Chairs report for your district's web site.

FYI, there is a Calendar of Events, with a RegisterME function, that is very handy as an event registration module. Just "populate" the registration with the attendees...using the RegisterME link for the "event" in the District (or Club Calendar). No more mundate retyping of member names (and their "badge name") and NO errors! And, IF this is the District Assembly or District Conference event, you may also want to "edit/update" the leadership with their "position titles" in this role record (DG, DGE, AG, etc.) for printing the Name Badges. Then when needed, ALL of this information is easily exported to "ready-made" or "do-it-yourself" reports, to produce the Mailing Labels, Name BADGES, and Club Directories, using the "standard WORD reports" available from the system's REPORTS function.

___ Send PMAIL EZ #06 to Club Secretaries to Log ON and check out the system.

4-7. Next (if you skipped this part in Step #1), you probably should get the Club Meeting Times & Location information updated to reflect current information. Simply "edit" each club's record and make the necessary changes. The club information also includes a field for "directions" to the club (quite helpful for official visits by the DG and guests). (NOTE: The "club" information is used to dynamically generate the district's Club Meeting Times & Location report, so if a meeting location changes, it is automatically displayed with the new location as soon as someone (Club Secretary, AG, DA, etc.) makes the change to the District and Club database; also this change is automatically forwarded to the RI database.)

___ TURN ON the RI E-Mail notifications and the THANK YOU and NEW MEMBER letters (from the DG) in the PROFILE.ini
ALSO, copy the FOLDERS and FILES for the NEW MEMBER letters:
http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Accounts/9999/Pages/Templates/Welcome-NewMember.html
http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Accounts/9999/Pages/Templates/ThankYou-Sponsor.html

NOTE: Use MEMBERS SETUP to set parameters for:
a) Profile (how to display of member information);
b) Premium EMails (NEW Member Welcome);
c) Give PMAIL ALL Security to LVL-6s;
d) PMAIL CCs and BCCs

In addition, IF the club has their own web site (e.g. their own domain name, such as www.WarrentonRotary.org), then you can put that "link" information in their club record, providing easy access to additional information about their club. Or, just let the Club Secretary make these changes later on.

4-8. If you are going to use the Attendance Reporting functions, you will need to enter the JUNE 30 attendance data for all clubs. This is because we use those figures as the "benchmark" for our YTD calculations (+/-), and also it is the "default" membership count, IF the club fails to enter any additional membership and attendance data. (Also, refer to Q&A #10 above for more information on the Attendance Reporting functions.)

___ Also, enter the DG's Official VISITS into the District Calendar of Events

___ Enter the PDGs via the Utility function

4-9. Then begins the never ending process of updating MEMBER information! But at least now, you have a central database that allows easy access to their information, and the ability to instantly update a Member's record with current data!

So, if a member (e.g. PAUL HARRIS) moves (new address and/or phone number), or gets a different e-mail address, then he can update his own member record with the new contact information (or the club secretary could also make this data change). And it will instantly and automatically be reflected in ALL the "roles & committees" that he participates in, including the club's leadership information that is displayed in the "Club Meeting Times and Locations" transaction, since he is a club president this year(:-).

Finally, don't worry - be happy! Anything can be "fixed" if you make a mistake....

Q5. I know that the system generates an "EXCEL" file for the most flexible report generation (via the "mail-merge" function), but are there any "standard reports and name badges " available for the system?

A5. YES, the district database now has the capability to generate many preformatted reports (in WORD format), plus the EXCEL report needed by DGEs for PETS. These reports can be selected using the REPORTS tab, and then selecting the desired report from the SELECT REPORTS “drop down”…the reports are listed underneath the existing reports (BADGE Report-DIY, Do-It-Yourself with "mail-merge" via WORD or PUBLISHER). Just “click” the down arrow-head to see to other selections, including the new formatted reports:

1) Mailing Labels (Avery 5160 / 5260) - 3 by 10 (with 30 labels per page);

The most important thing about the NAME BADGES and LABELS is getting the correct sized forms to "match" the badge or label that you want to print. The spacing on these forms is ulta tight, and there is no margin for micro adjusting. SO, make sure you get the right size form for your event. If you have the right form, you will love the way it prints out your Name Badges and Labels!
2) Name Badges 6-per sheet approx,. 3"x4" (Avery CB74C or 74536 (Clip-On Badges) or Avery 74459 (Hanging Badges); or Avery 5392 (inserts only), C-Line 95543;
-or- sticky Avery 5164/8164) (with 6-per sheet, approx. 3-1/3 "x4");

3) Name Badges 8-per sheet approx,. 2-1/4"x3-1/2" (Avery 74461 (Clip-On Badges); or Avery 5390 (inserts only);
-or- sticky Avery 5395/8395) (with 8-per sheet, approx. 2-1/4"x3-1/2");

4) Membership Directory (2-3 member profiles per page, up to 14 member profiles per page);

5) PETS (Excel extract for Sec-Lvl-4 and above)

In addition to specifying the “report” you want, you also need to specify the Club or Committee that you want to use to filter your selection. In other words, you only want to generate the Membership Directory for your club. You can “ RUN REPORT ” to view the results before actually saving the file in WORD format. Of course, you may want to generate Mailing Labels for the entire district, so no further filtering would be required in this instance.

The Mailing Labels (5160 / 5260) generate a 3 by 10 matrix of labels that use the standard Avery 5160/5260 sheets of labels. As stated above, you can request labels for the entire district, or filter the generation by either specifying a Club or Committee. You then select the “ To WORD ” option, which will save the generated labels on your computer. Once the labels have been saved on your system, then OPEN that file, using WORD. Then merely PRINT the labels on the Label Paper (Avery 5160/5260). The label size is: 1” x 2 ⅝” wide.

The Name Badges (CB74C, 74536, 74459, LBI43 / 5164 / 8164 / 5392 ) generate a 2 (across) x 3 (down) matrix of name badges (complete with plastic "hanging" holders: Avery CB74C, Avery 74459, C-Line 95543 or the Clip-On (or Pin-On) Avery 5384 / 5392 name badge kits and inserts ) or sticky name labels (Avery 5164/8164), depending on the paper you put in the printer. The process is the same as the Address Mailing Labels above. The badge/label size is 4” wide x 3” high, and costs about $80 per 100 plastic holders and badge inserts. If you just need the badge inserts for your plastic holders, then order Laser Printer Name Badge Inserts, 4" x 3" ( 6 Inserts per Page) C-Line 92443 (and only costs about $6 for 60 inserts) or Avery 5384 (clip-on kit) / 5392 (inserts only), and only costs about $20 for 300 inserts); so recycle your plastic holders!). Both Office MAX and Staples sometimes (but not always) have these items in stock. So, we normally just order them on-line. PDG Gary Wilson reports that he has ordered items for years from: http://www.marcomeetings.com And, here is the web site we have recently ordered from: www.InstaOffice.com and www.Avery.com Also, this format places the "RI logo" (ri.gif) in the upper left-hand corner of the name badge, and the current year "theme logo" (theme.gif) in the upper right-hand corner of badge.

These graphics (ri.gif and theme.gif) are stored in the /Rotary/Images sub-directory on the directory-online.com server; however, individual district can override these 2 default graphics by placing their "own versions" of the ri.gif and theme.gif in their own sub-directory (e.g. /Rotary/7710 on the directory-online.com server). For instance, during the Centennial Year, sometimes they may want to "replace" the year theme graphic image with the centennial theme graphic image. So, you would just copy the "centennial theme graphic image" into your sub-directory /Rotary/7710 using the same name theme.gif.

The Membership Directory generates member profiles (either 2 or 3 profiles per page, using regular 8.5 x 11 copy paper, in portrait or landscape mode). The member profile is similar to the online “member view”, including their photo. The process is the same as the Mailing Labels above, except you can not generate a directory for the entire district (too big, 600 pages), so you must filter by Club or Committee when generating this report.

The PETS (Excel) report is for DGEs to send the required PETS information from the database to the multi-district PETS committee. Just make sure the database has all the PEs (with their current contact information and e-mail addresses), connected to the President-Elect role/committee record for your district.

Q6. HOW do I Edit Club Positions to recognize Club Officers: President, Secretary, President-Elect, Secretary-Elect, Foundation Chair, Membership Chair, Club Communications Officer, etc. using ROLE KEYS to "bubble up" the people to the district committees. - And in a related question, SEE Q&A 39 for assigning CHAIRS and other roles-

A6. At the Club level (on the VIEW MY CLUB screen), simply use the EDIT Club Position function to specify "what position" the member has in the club. Then, they are automatically put on appropriate district committee.

This is done using the club positions with a unique ROLE KEY (e.g. P,PE,S,TRF,etc) that automatically "bubble up" that member
to a corresponding district committee with the same ROLE KEY designation (e.g. P,PE,S,TRF,etc).

In actuality, I doubt there is a need to create too many more ROLE KEY relationships from CLUB POSTIONS to populate the DISTRICT COMMITTEES.
And, if one comes along that is universally applicable to all clubs and districts, we will add it to the system.

NOTE: We see a LOT of district committees with ROLE KEY designations...which are not necessary, because there is no corresponding club position
with the same ROLE KEY. For instance, the District Conference committee (DC); this committee is manually populated, since this is not a committee that
has club people assigned in every club to this district level committee. But it does no harm to designate the district committee with these one-sided ROLE KEYs.

SO, just scroll down to the Section 3 (on the VIEW MY CLUB screen), and click on the [EDIT Club Position] button.
Then, locate the "member" in the club roster list, and change their "position" from Member to [pick one] from the drop down list. The "list" contains most of the club positions, such as: President, Secretary, President-Elect, Secretary-Elect, Foundation Chair, Membership Chair, Club Communications Officer.

AND, the drop down list also includes many "combinations" such as:
Secretary/President-Elect (which means they are currently the Secretary, and also the President-Elect);
-or-
Secretary/Secretary-Elect (which means they are currently the Secretary, and also the Secretary-Elect).

By making these designations at the CLUB level, the Club's leadership banner is automatically updated to reflect the new Member positions, AND
they are automatically added to the appropriate District committee (e.g. Presidents-Elect) using the ROLE KEY relationships described above.

It is the duty of the Club Secretary to "update" the Club Positions to reflect their current club leadership, and to NOTIFY Rotary International of their incoming club officers for the new Rotary year. This is NOW an automatic function, built into the EDIT Club Positions function, to generate the notification to the RI Official Directory for the "-elect" club officers. (OR, you can use either the RI web site to enter their club's information, or submit the "paperwork" that is mailed to the "club secretary of record" in October of each year.) The deadline for submitting this information to RI is December 31, and they use it new Official Directory for the new Rotary year that begins on July 1.

Q7. How do I copy / clone a Committee record (with all its current members) to another Governor's year?

A7. First make sure ALL the pertinent "comment" information is in the CurrYear committee record (or the committee record that you want to copy), since this gets copied over to new committee record and saves a lot of time in future years.

Then, either use the [CLONE] button when in EDIT mode, to copy a current year committee to next/another GovYear; or when in EDIT mode for the committee you want copy, and simply change the GovYear from 2006-07 to 2007-08, and press Update...that's it. Then make any member changes necessary to the new committee record in the new GovYear's committee record.

This procedure lets you maintain (and historically keep) all of your committees and members on those committees BY GovYear.

Q8/22. My session expired. And I had a lot of "data entry" on the screen. CAN it be "retrieved"?

A8/22. Maybe YES , there is a 30-minute window on "inactivity" allowed before the session ends, and you have to LOGIN again. Just press UPDATE sometime during the 30-minute window to SAVE your data. Another option, should you forget to UPDATE your data, is you can use the BACK button to return to the page that the information was entered (then, if the information IS still be there -- you haven't lost it). First COPY that data to a NotePad file (or the "clipboard"), and then, LOGIN again to reestablish a session. Finally, just PASTE the data into same data field, and then resubmit the UPDATE.

Simplest thing to do though, is just press UPDATE every 10-15 minutes to post the entries thus far, and then continue!

Q9. What is an GOV year? And WHY is it significant?

A9. The GOV year corresponds to the Rotary "organizational year" of July 1 - June 30. And, this is the part of the system that lets us capture and maintain "role/committee differences" between "governor years". For instance, the current DG would have all their committee chairs, club presidents, club secretaries assigned to a "role/committee" for their GOV year. This allows them to have all the their contact information in an individual "folder" in the system; whereby they could e-mail any group with a single mouse click.

Then GOV year allows the future leadership (DGE, DGN) to establish their own set of "roles/committees" at anytime, and to populate them with the members they have chosen to work with during their year as DG.

The following is true throughout, but is a perfect example of WHY you would want to use a centralized member database. Lets say that PAUL HARRIS is a club president in the current GOV year, and the DGE has selected him to be the district's RYLA chair, and furthermore, the DGN has asked him to be the District Conference chair during their year. All of this is easily accomplished using the GOV year "roles/committees" to show what capacity PAUL HARRIS is serving in for each governor. In addition, if PAUL HARRIS moves (new address and/or phone number), or gets a different e-mail address, then he can update his own member record with the new contact information (or the club secretary could also make this data change). And it will instantly and automatically be reflected in ALL the "roles/committees" that he participates in, including the club's leadership information that is displayed in the "Club Meeting Times and Locations" transaction, since he is a club president this year.

Q10. How does Attendance Reporting work? AND, What are the Attendance Requirements?

A10. First, the Club Secretaries (or any Level-3 and above security level), can use the on-line database functions to report their club's attendance for the month. The short answer is you have 14 days from the last club meeting of the month to record make ups...so it could be as early as the 7th, or as late as the 14th of the next month.  However, Attendance must be reported by the 15th of the month. SO, you can report your club attendance at anytime, and THEN at anytime afterwards (if necessary), you can "update" it with makeup data. The system automatically sends out "reminder" notices to the clubs at the beginning of each month to any club that has not reported for the previous month.
-OR-, you could wait the end of the 14 day period (the 8th-14th) of each month, and submit the final attendance for your club....in which case, just ignore the first 2 reminder messages from the system.

Club officers are sent 2 different types of e-mails during the month requesting they submit this information: reminders and nags. The "reminder" e-mails are sent to the club secretary on the 5th, 10th, 15th of each month. Then, beginning on the 18th (and also on the 22nd and 25th), "nag" e-mails are sent to any club secretary who has not submitted the attendance for the previous month. Also, beginning with the "nag" messages on the 18th, the club president AND all persons with a Level-4 security (data administrators) will get a copy of the that club's attendance "nag" message. However, once the clubs report their attendance, the "reminder/nag" messages are discontinued until the 1st of the next month. Likewise, if someone reports their attendance before the 1st of the new month, then they would not even get the initial "reminder" message.

For further clarification, the system sends out a "reminder" message on the 5th, 10th, and 15th day of each month to the Club Secretary, (or the Secretary-elect or President IF there is no e-mail address for the Club Secretary), reminding the Club Secretary to submit their attendance data. THEN, on the 18th, 22nd, and 25th, the "nagging" message is sent to all clubs that have not yet submitted their attendance data for the previous month. In addition, to the Club Secretary, the "nagging" messages are also sent to the Club President, Assistant District Governor, District Governor and the District Secretary (beginning with the 18th "nag" messages).

The district's attendance REPORT for any month is automatically generated, (when requested on the screen, in Excel, or Word formats), showing all the clubs that have reported in BLACK, and all the clubs that have NOT reported in RED. For clubs that have not reported in the requested month, the system searches backwards, looking for their most recent attendance report. NOTE: The system stops searching backwards at the JUNE entry (if no JUNE entry is found, then the system defaults to using a ZERO value). Also, if the current month's attendance reporting is not found, then the Av.Attendance Percentage is set to ZERO, although we will use their most recently reported membership count.

Then, the ATTENDANCE REPORT is easily imported into the District Governor's monthly newsletter, by requesting either a WORD file or an EXCEL file. In addition, the report is generated in Club Name sequence, so if you want it in "highest to lowest" by Av. Attendance Percentage, showing the ranking of Clubs in attendance...then just sort the report on that column, and then "copy & paste" the results into your report page.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS: Rotary places great emphasis on attendance, even though in recent years, attendance rules have become more lenient and make-ups for absences easier. And, the 2007 Council on Legislation changed the attendance requirement to 50% within a 6 month period.

One of the responsibilities of membership in a Rotary club is fulfilling the minimum attendance requirement. Attending club meetings is your opportunity to make new friends and keep in touch with established friends. Meetings also keep you in touch with the current events of your club, district, and Rotary International.

Attendance credits: As explained in the Standard Rotary Club Constitution, each member must meet the following conditions to satisfy the attendance requirement:

•Attend or make up at least 50% of regular Rotary club meetings within a six (6) months period.
•Attend at least 30% of his or her club’s regular meetings in each half of the year.
•A member may not miss or fail to make up four consecutive meetings.

Attendance at a meeting: You must be present for at least 60% of a club meeting for it to count towards the attendance requirement. For example, at a 60-minute meeting, you would need to be present for at least 36 minutes.

Attendance at your club: You need to attend at least 30% of your own club’s regular meetings in each half of the year. For example, if your club holds 26 regular weekly meetings ina half year, you must attend at least 8 of these meetings.

Make-ups: If you cannot attend a club meeting, there are many way you can still receive attendance credit. These include:
•Attending a meeting of another club.
•Make up "on-line", just visit www.RotaryEclubOne.org to make up via the Internet (requires a 30 minute visit).
•Attending a meeting of a Rotaract or Interact club.
•Attending certain district or RI meetings.
•Participating in a club-sponsored event.
•Attending a club board or service committee meeting with authorization of the club board.
•Working on a club service project.

Make-up credit: In order to get attendance credit, you must attend a make-up meeting or event within 14 days before or after the regular time of your missed meeting.

More About MakeUps: Rotary's requirement that a member must attend 60% of "a meeting" (e.g. 36 minutes) to gain attendance credit may be waived if: he/she is "called away unexpectantly" from a club meeting, and they subsequently produce evidence (to the satisfaction of the board) that such action was reasonable; or is at the time of the meeting, "serving as the special representative of the district governor in the formation of a new club"; or is a current officer of RI. In addition, "the club's board of directors may excuse a member's absence for reasons which it considers to be good and sufficient". Make-Ups are reported back to YOUR club secretary, who then updates your weekly attendance record.

SO, you could attend another club's meeting (or other qualifying Rotary meetings) anywhere in the world, or just across the street. You would then report a "make-up" to your club secretary (WHO actually enters it into the Member's weekly attendance record).

The secretary would have a makeup "slip/email" for the weekly meeting that was attended and constitutes a "make-up"...lets say March 16 in the Ayers Rock Club.

The club secretary reviews the Member's weekly attendance record, and could only apply it to a MISSED meeting that occurred between March 2 and March 30...because the rule is: MAKE-UPS only count within the 14 days before or after the MISSED meeting. (NOTE: This was policy was confirmed with RI Club and District Administration on April 24, 2008.)

Also, Rotarians of certain ages and with the designated years of Rotary membership may be excused from membership requirements upon written submission of a request and approval by the club’s board of directors. If the sum of their "age" plus the "number of years" of Rotary membership is equal to (or greater than) 85, then this member is eligible for the "excused attendance" requirement. This "RULE of 85", when applied to a member, means that the Club Secretary does NOT count that member's attendance when absent (in either the Dividend or the Divisor) when computing their weekly attendance percentages. However, if a "RULE of 85" member is present, then they are included in this week's attendance calculations (adding "1" to both the Dividend and the Divisor). This results in a higher percentage of attendance for the week; for more information, see MOP, Article 8, Section 5 for more information on this reporting requirement.

Rotary International has only 3 acceptable statuses - ACTIVE, HONORARY, and TERMINATED.  Quite often clubs report 'InActive', 'leave of absence' or 'temporarily away' status on the SAR or correspondence, which are CLUB level statuses, not RI statuses. And these members ARE included in the Attendance calculations, since they are considered to be ACTIVE on the RI roster. ALL THAT SAID, there is an EXCEPTION. The CLUB's Board of Directors MAY "excuse ANY absence" for ANY REASON (or NO REASON at all).  So, your Board of Directors decides WHO is to be counted ABSENT (or EXCUSED ABSENCE).  Then make your Attendance calculations accordingly (using the same "RULE of 85" calculations stated above, IF the LOA is excused), or just use the new Weekly Attendance functions in DaCdb, and the system makes all the calculations for you... Again, the "leave of absence" (LOA) is a club level status, which generally means the CLUB is waiving their dues and meal costs (or assessing a minimal amount). HOWEVER, the LOA status not recognized by RI, where they are still listed as ACTIVE...thus, members in the LOA category are still accessed RI and District dues.

Also, HONORARY Members do not count in your Attendance calculations (present or absent), but members on a Leave of Absence from the club do count in your Attendance calculations (and based on whether or not you also enter them as EXCUSED in the Weekly Attendance section). And if you use the new Weekly Attendance functions in DaCdb, then the system automatically makes all the correct calculations for you...in less TIME and less STRESS than manually calculating your attendance.

Below are the Sections from the Standard Rotary Club Constitution and RI Manual of Procedures for the "rules" on Attendance:

New method for calculating attendance records / The new formula:

Total # of members that attended, including excused under sections 3 and 4
(Total # of Active Club Members) – (# of Rotarians excused under sections 3 and 4 )  +   (# of excused Rotarians under sections 3 and 4 that attended)

Example: Club has 50 members, and 10 members are excused. 
If 5 excused and 40 regular members attend, the calculation is
(45)                     = 100% attendance
(50) – (10) + (5) = 45

Likewise: Club has 50 members, and 10 members are excused.
If 40 regular members attended, and none of the Excused, then the calculation is
(40)                     = 100% attendance
(50) - (10) + (0) = 40

IT IS ENACTED by Rotary International that the STANDARD ROTARY CLUB CONSTITUTION be and hereby is amended as follows (page 241 MOP)

Article 8 Attendance

Section 3 Excused Absences. A member's absence shall be excused if
(a) the absence complies with the conditions and under circumstances approved by the
board. The board may excuse a member's absence for reasons which it considers
to be good and sufficient.
(b) the aggregate of the member's years of age and years of membership in one or
more clubs is 85 years or more and the member has notified the club secretary in
writing of the member's desire to be excused from attendance and the board has
approved.
Section 4 RI Officers' Absences. A member's absence shall be excused if the member is
a current officer of RI.
Section 5 Attendance Records. Any member whose absences are excused under the
17 provisions of subsections 3(b) or section 4 of this article shall not be included in the
membership figure used to compute this club's attendance nor shall such absences or
attendances be used for that purpose.

Article 9 Attendance

Section 1 — General Provisions. Each member should attend this club’s regular
meetings. A member shall be counted as attending a regular meeting if the
member is present for at least 60 percent of the meeting, or is present and is
called away unexpectedly and subsequently produces evidence to the satisfaction
of the board that such action was reasonable, or makes up for an absence
in any of the following ways:
(a) 14 Days Before or After the Meeting. If, within fourteen (14) days before or
after the regular time for that meeting, the member
(1) attends at least 60 percent of the regular meeting of another club or of
a provisional club; or
(2) attends a regular meeting of a Rotaract or Interact club, Rotary
Community Corps, or Rotary Fellowship or of a provisional Rotaract
or Interact club, Rotary Community Corps, or Rotary Fellowship; or
(3) attends a convention of RI, a council on legislation, an international
assembly, a Rotary institute for past and present officers of RI, a
Rotary institute for past, present, and incoming officers of RI, or any
other meeting convened with the approval of the board of directors
of RI or the president of RI acting on behalf of the board of directors
of RI, a Rotary multizone conference, a meeting of a committee of RI,
a Rotary district conference, a Rotary district assembly, any district
meeting held by direction of the board of directors of RI, any district
committee meeting held by direction of the district governor, or a
regularly announced intercity meeting of Rotary clubs; or
(4) is present at the usual time and place of a regular meeting of another
club for the purpose of attending such meeting, but that club is not
meeting at that time or place; or
(5) attends and participates in a club service project or a club-sponsored
community event or meeting authorized by the board; or
(6) attends a board meeting or, if authorized by the board, a meeting of a
service committee to which the member is assigned; or
(7) participates through a club web site in an interactive activity
requiring an average of 30 minutes of participation.
When a member is outside the member’s country of residence for more than
fourteen (14) days, the time restriction shall not be imposed so that the member
may attend meetings in another country at any time during the travel
period, and each such attendance shall count as a valid make-up for any regular
meeting missed during the member’s time abroad.
(b) At the Time of the Meeting. If, at the time of the meeting, the member is
(1) traveling with reasonable directness to or from one of the meetings
specified in sub-subsection (a) (3) of this section; or
(2) serving as an officer or member of a committee of RI, or a trustee of
The Rotary Foundation; or
(3) serving as the special representative of the district governor in the
formation of a new club; or
(4) on Rotary business in the employ of RI; or
(5) directly and actively engaged in a district-sponsored or RI- or Rotary
Foundation-sponsored service project in a remote area where making
up attendance is impossible; or
(6) engaged in Rotary business duly authorized by the board which
precludes attendance at the meeting.
Section 2 — Extended Absence on Outposted Assignment. If a member will be
working on an outposted assignment for an extended period of time, attendance
at the meetings of a designated club at the site of the assignment will
replace attendance at the regular meetings of the member’s club, provided
there is a mutual agreement between the two clubs.
Section 3 — Excused Absences. A member’s absence shall be excused if
(a) the absence complies with the conditions and under circumstances
approved by the board. The board may excuse a member’s absence for
reasons which it considers to be good and sufficient.
(b) the aggregate of the member’s years of age and years of membership
in one or more clubs is 85 years or more and the member has notified
the club secretary in writing of the member’s desire to be excused from
attendance and the board has approved.
Section 4 — RI Officers’ Absences. A member’s absence shall be excused if the
member is a current officer of RI.
Section 5 — Attendance Records. Any member whose absences are excused
under the provisions of subsection 3(b) or section 4 of this article shall not be
included in the membership figure used to compute this club’s attendance.
Reference: RI Manual of Procedures 254-255

Article 11 Leave of Absence

Upon written application to the board, setting forth good and sufficient cause, leave of absence
may be granted excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club for a specified length of time.
(Note: Such leave of absence does operate to prevent a forfeiture of membership; it does not operate
to give the club credit for the member’s attendance. Unless the member attends a regular meeting of
some other club, the excused member must be recorded as absent except that absence authorized
under the provisions of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution is not computed in the attendance
record of the club.)  

Q11. What "pages/screens/messages" can be customized for individual districts using this system?

A11. The system automatically customizes most of the screen displays, using the "district number", and the clubs and members data within that district.

However, there are at least 3 situations where the District's Web Master can customize the following screens to suit their particular needs: the HOME.htm screen, the ABOUT.htm screen, and the Attendance "nag" messages. All of these files are located in the "root level" directory for each district on the database's server system. Please contact someone listed on the HELP screen for assistance with modifying these files. Also, you can "add" logos and graphics to the top of your generated transactions (District Officers, District Committees, Club Meetings, etc.)...see Q&A 12 for more information.

ALSO, the system uses "standard" graphic images for the RI and current year THEME logos, but allows for districts to override these to suit their own needs. These "standard images" automatically show up on Name Badges, the RI logo being displayed in the TOP LEFT corner of the badge, and the current year THEME being displayed in the TOP RIGHT corner. The location of these "standard images" are :
- - - ->>>www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/ri.gif
- or - ->>www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/theme.gif

If, however, the district wishes to use their own versions of these 2 graphics, then they can by supplying those images, and we would publish them in their "district directory" on our database server. The location of these "override images" for District 7710 are:
- - - ->>> www.YourDistrict.org/images/ri.gif
- or -->>> www.YourDistrict.org/images/theme.gif

Q12. How do I use the district database to generate pages linked from my district's web site?

A12. The following transactions dynamically build the screens based on the latest database information, you can now add the "matching color" background color to match the rest of your district's web site, with the following transactions. This will definitely make the changing of the guard "easier" on July 1, since the system KNOWS when the new year starts for these transactions. Of course, you would substitute your district number in place of the example 7710 shown. Just "copy & paste" the links below into your web page. The BackGround Color is designated by BGC=FFEAA is the "hex color code" currently used by district 7710's web site, and of course you would change this value to "match" your own district's web site background color. For instances, if you wanted a "white" background then change the values to FFFFFF. (NOTE: Do NOT put the # (pound or number sign) in front of the "hex color code", as it may cause unpredictable results.)

Likewise, you can use an image file as your background...just use the BackGround Image variable to specify the image file that you want to use for the transaction. NOTE: The image file MUST contain the FULL PATH to where the image is located, e.g. BGI=www.Rotary7710.org/images/bkgblue-grad.gif

Futhermore, you can put "logos" in the Top Left and Top Right positions of the displayed page by specifying the variable name of LOGOL (Logo Left) or LOGOR (Logo Right). NOTE: These images must be resized to the correct height and width (approximately 80h x 80-120w), since the transaction just places them without regard for their size. And, the image file MUST contain the FULL PATH to where the logo image is located, e.g. LOGOL=www.rotary7710.org/images/RotaryLogo.gif.
SEE the District Committees Transaction below for an example of a transaction that uses both the BGI and LOGOL variables to customize the transaction's look and feel to more closely match your district's web site. Also, you can "center" the page generated by the database, by adding &just=center to the end of any transaction.

ALL Club Meeting Times & Locations Transaction (for district 7710):
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/clubtimes.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFEEAA&just=center (<==older link without the RI and THEME logos)
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Club/ClubTimes.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFEEAA&just=center&LOGOL=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/ri.gif

ALL Club Meeting Times & Locations Transaction (for district 7750):
EXCEPT that I'd like to have a version that opens sorted by CITY instead of by DAY, then add the GroupBy=City parm. 
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/ClubTimes.cfm?D=7750&GroupBy=City

ALL Club Meeting Times & Locations Transaction (for district 7750) without the standard LOGOs:
Except I do NOT want the standard LEFT and/or RIGHT LOGOS to be displayed.
OKAY, just add the params &LOGOL= or &LOGOR= as needed to eliminate them;
and to any of the transactions that automatically default to displaying the logos.
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Club/ClubTimes.cfm?D=7750&LOGOL=&LOGOR=

Club View (with Membership Roster) Transaction (District 7710 and the ID=6128 is the Warrenton Club, so USE your DISTRICT# and CLUB-ID in your transaction):
Use for ALL information about your club in ONE screen/transaction request...
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/club.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFEEAA&ID=6128
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/club.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFEEAA&ID=6128&NOREDIRECT=
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/club.cfm?D=7710&BGC=#FFEEAA&ID=6128 <==This fails because of # sign
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/club.cfm?D=7710&BGI=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/bgblue-grad.gif&ID=6128&LOGOL=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/ri.gif&LOGOR=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/theme.gif

Use for individual LEVEL-0 (public information) about your club in SEPARATE screen/transactions request...
AND a new &WIDTH=nnn parameter is now available to help "shoe horn into smaller frames in club websites
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/L0/club_Leaders.cfm?D=7710&ClubID=6128 (this is Section 0, top of page data)
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/L0/club_Information.cfm?D=7710&ClubID=6128 (this is Section 1 data)
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/L0/club_Committees.cfm?D=7710&ClubID=6128 (this is Section 2 data)
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/L0/club_Membership.cfm?D=7710&ClubID=6128&width=590 (this is Section 3 data)

NOTE: The exact same links (shown above for ALL on one screen) can be used to generate the Club Summary information with the Club Membership Roster, however, WHEN the "user requesting the data" has a Level "0" security (general public inquiry), then only the member's Name, Classification-Position, and Business/Company data is displayed. Also, see the "Special Club Display" transaction below for more information on the &NOREDIRECT= parameter, which is special condition that allows a club to use their own domain name and to use the generated web pages from the DaCdb.

College of Governors Transaction (example for district 7710 first using a "background color" verses a "color coded background"gradient image, with the additional graphics options included using the "standard images" (LOGO Right and LOGO Left) available at DaCdb.com):
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/COG.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFEEAA
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/COG.cfm?D=7710&BGI=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/bgblue-grad.gif&LOGOL=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/ri.gif&LOGOR=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/theme.gif

District Committees Transaction (example for districts 7710 using a "color coded background", and 7720 with additional graphics options included from their own district vs. the "standard images" available at DaCdb.com):
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/ccl.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFEEAA
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/ccl.cfm?D=7720&BGI=www.rotary7720.org/images/bluebkg-4000.gif&LOGOL=www.rotary7720.org/images/RotaryLogo.gif&LOGOR=www.rotary7720.org/images/NC-Districts-7720-tr4.gif

District Leadership/Council Transaction for district 7710:
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/DCL.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFEEAA
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/DCL.cfm?D=7710&BGI=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/bgblue-grad.gif

District ATTENDANCE Reporting Transaction for district 7710:
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/attendancereport.cfm?D=7710

Club CALENDAR Transaction (district 7710 and ID=6128 is the Warrenton Club, so USE your Club-ID):
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Calendar.cfm?C=L&T=C&D=7710&ID=6128 (For both District and Club events in calendar)
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Calendar.cfm?C=L&T=C&D=7710&ID=6128&CAT=3,4,5 (For CLUB ONLY events in calendar)

District CALENDAR Transaction (for district 7710), and second URL adds the Rotary Logo to the TOP Left, the third URL displays ONLY the DISTRICT EVENTS (for the District Calendar), and the fourth URL displays the GOV's Official Visit Schedule:
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Calendar.cfm?C=L&T=D&D=7710&ClubID=0
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Calendar.cfm?C=L&T=D&D=7710&ClubID=0&LOGOL=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/ri.gif
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Calendar.cfm?C=L&T=D&D=7710&ClubID=0&Cat=1
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/Calendar.cfm?C=L&T=D&D=7710&ClubID=0&Cat=6

(NOTE: Additional parameters may be included, where :
-- C=L or B     /  List or Block format;
-- T=D or C    /  Type: District or Club calendar; NOTE: for =====> &T=D&ClubID=0
-- Cat=#,#,#   /  Initial category ID numbers for Events to display when transaction is launched, e.g.:
1 District Event
2 District Reminder
3 Club Event
4 Club Meeting
5 Club FundRaiser
6 District GOV Visits
7 Multi-District Event

View Club BULLETIN Transaction (district 7710 and ID=6128 is Warrenton Club, so USE your Club-ID):
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/newsletter.cfm?D=7710&ID=6128

View District NEWSLETTER Transaction:
(example for districts 7710, and
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/newsletter.cfm?D=7710

Display District's PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS (based on Participation Checkbox being ON):
(example for district 7710, and by your CLUB, if you add the parameter &ClubID=nnnn
http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/PD/PData.cfm?D=7710&PData=PHF&ClubID=6128

Or, ADD the Rotary logo and current year Theme to the displayed page, using this link for7720.
http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/newsletter.cfm?D=7720&BGI=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/bgblue-grad.gif&LOGOL=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/ri.gif

Or, if you want to go to a SPECIFIC newsletter in District 6990, just add the document filename and the /0/ parm:
http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Accounts/6990/Newsletter/0/District%20October%202008%20Newsletter.pdf

LINK to LOG IN to an EVENT from a district or club website (after they log in, it takes them directly to
the Event's Register Now screen; just replace 77134616 with YOUR EventID in the LINK ):
http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/login.cfm?EventID=77134616

-OR-, provide a LINK to LOG IN to an EVENT for non-Rotarians and other Guests, wishing to register and pay for an Event.
This option takes the user to the first step of the external registration for the event.
Example URL: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/Register/GuestMemberExternal.cfm?EventID=77139201

The URL works for all events with External Registration turn ON, just by changing the EventID (to the EventID of the Public event).
And, EventIDs are unique across all districts and clubs, so a districtID is not required in this link.

LINK to put the ROTARY RSS feed in your district or club website (for more information about this service,
visit the www.Rotary.org web site and put RSS feed into the search box): http://www.rotary.org/rss.xml

Special CLUB Display Transaction (e.g. www.OxfordRotary.org):
The Oxford Rotary Club has their OWN domain name http://www.OxfordRotary.org (recorded as their web site link in the Club's record), and of course, they want to use this name as their referenced web site address. However, they want to use the "standard database" web pages generated from the DaCdb, as the web pages being displayed to their members and the general public. This "option" provides them the advantage of having their own domain name and web site data without having a club web master maintaining their web site (as it is all done via the DaCdb.) So, the club sets up their primary HOME page (on their domain site) as a "reDirection" link to the DaCdb transaction for their club. Thus, we must tell the DaCdb that this is ALREADY a redirection, and do not redirect it again via the parameter &NOREDIRECT=
Below is the transaction "link" that the Oxford club(D: 7710, ClubID: 6115) uses to display the DaCdb as their own web pages.

http://www.directory-online.com/rotary/club.cfm?D=7710&BGC=FFFFE0&ID=6115&LOGOL=www.DaCdb.com/stdimages/ri.gif&NOREDIRECT=

LINKs to put a registration for an Event in your district or club website for non-Rotarian guests:

Many of our users have asked for the capability to put a link on a web page to allow "registering" for an Event.
And, this new function allows both Rotary members and non-Rotarian guests to register for any event managed by DaCdb.

Public Registration for Non-Rotarian Users
Setting up the Event profile; when logged into DaCdb:
1. Go to the Calendar tab and click the "Edit Form" link for the Event that you want to enable Public Registration.
2. In "Section 3 - Registration Options", select "Yes" in the Public Registration select menu.
3. Click the Update button at the top of the Edit Event screen
4. Scroll back down to "Section 3 - Registration Options". Directly under the Public Registration selection menu,
a blue URL link is displayed. This is the public access URL link (which is incorporated on your web page),
that non-Rotarians use to register for your Event.

For example, the Public Registration URL for your event will take the form of:
http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/Register/GuestMemberExternal.cfm?EventID=00000000 (<== Where 00000000 - is the EventID

You may include this URL on a website (or in e-mails), so non-Rotarians may register for your Event.
People registering by using this URL will be registered as guests in the database.

And remember, if your event has Public Registration enabled, ANYONE on the internet can register for your event,
and see the information included in the Event, by using this URL.

Rotarian users - usual Login Required
If you would like Rotarians/users of DaCdb to register for your Event, by first logging into DaCdb, you can create
a custom login URL for them. You do not have to enable Public Registration when using this option:

1. The DaCdb logon URL is: http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Login.cfm?EventID=00000000
And, we have added the unique EventID of your event, to create the unique login URL for your Event.

When logged into DaCdb:
2. Go to the Calendar tab and click the "Edit Form" link for your event.
3. At the very top of the Edit Event screen, in the center, you will see "(ID=00000000)" - where 00000000 is your EventID.
4. Add that EventID to the end of the above URL as shown here:
http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Login.cfm?EventID=00000000

You will be adding the following to the end of the URL: "?EventID=00000000" (don't forget the leading question mark).

You may include this URL on a website, or in e-mails. When someone uses the custom login link, they must first login to DaCdb.
Then, once they have logged in, a pop-up window is displayed that allows them to register for the Event.

However, the BEST way for your members to register for an Event, is to send them a PMAIL with the embedded Event link.
This approach bypasses the login screen and takes the Member directly to the event registration with one click from the
link in the PMAIL message. See PMAIL #40 for an example of this method.

from MARK new IsMyRotaryClub transactions

Committee By ID                        http://www.IsMyRotaryClub.org/CommitteeMembers/ByID.cfm?CommitteeID=800000716
Committee By ID (default)         http://www.IsMyRotaryClub.org/CommitteeMembers/ByID.cfm?CommitteeID=800000716&XSL=Default.xsl
Committee By ID (Memberv1)   http://www.IsMyRotaryClub.org/CommitteeMembers/ByID.cfm?CommitteeID=800000716&XSL=Member1ColV01.xsl

Committee by RoleKey (DLT) http://www.IsMyRotaryClub.org/CommitteeMembers/ByRoleKey.cfm?D=7710&RoleKey=DLT&OrgYear=2009-10
Committee by RoleKey (DLT) http://www.IsMyRotaryClub.org/CommitteeMembers/ByRoleKey.cfm?D=7710&RoleKey=DLT&OrgYear=2009-10&XSL=Default.xsl
Committee by RoleKey (DLT) http://www.IsMyRotaryClub.org/CommitteeMembers/ByRoleKey.cfm?D=7710&RoleKey=DLT&OrgYear=2009-10&XSL=Member1ColV01.xsl

from JAMIE

The new version of the link that you sent is below:

http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/Club/ClubMembers.cfm?D=7450&ClubID=5501

This new version of the webpage is xml and xsl-based, you may call your own customized xsl template to display the page anyway you want.
Just add “&XSLTemplate=” and the full URL to the template (e.g. &XSLTemplate=http://www.example.com/xsl/example.xsl).

If you would like to make a separate URL for each club in your District, you may change the ClubID URL Parameter in the above URL to the ClubID of other clubs in D7450. (e.g. For Ardmore: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/Club/ClubMembers.cfm?D=7450&ClubID=5463) Other links:

Club Leaders: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/Club/ClubLeaders.cfm?D=7450&ClubID=5501
Club Meetings (All Clubs): http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/Club/ClubMeetings.cfm?D=7450

Note - the following use the “xsl” URL parameter (rather than “XSLTemplate”) to customize the display.

Club Bulletins: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/District/Bulletins.cfm?D=7450&ClubID=5501
District Committee Chairs: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/District/CCL.cfm?D=7450
College of Governors: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/District/COG.cfm?D=7450
District Leadership Council: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/District/DLC.cfm?D=7450
District Newsletters: http://www.ismyrotaryclub.org/District/Newsletters.cfm?D=7450

Q13. When does a club use the "InActive-Leave Of Absence" status code?

A13. Rotary International has only 3 acceptable statuses - ACTIVE, HONORARY, and TERMINATED (deleted from district database).  Quite often clubs report 'InActive', 'leave of absence' or 'temporarily away' status on the SAR or correspondence, which are CLUB level statuses, not RI statuses. And these members ARE included in the Attendance calculations, since they are considered to be ACTIVE on the RI roster. ALL THAT SAID, there is an EXCEPTION. The CLUB's Board of Directors MAY "excuse ANY absence" for ANY REASON (or NO REASON at all).  So, your Board decides WHO is to be counted ABSENT (or EXCUSED ABSENCE).  Then make your Attendance calculations accordingly, or use the new Weekly Attendance functions, and the system makes all the calculations for you..

Q14. Using the RI Classification Codes is really simple, it is "fill in the blank"...and the RI Occupational Codes are easily inserted via the "drill-down" method to select individual classifications.

A14. The RI Classification Codes is really simple, it is "fill in the blank" since there is no "master list" of classifications. Every CLUB assigns their "own classifications". However, RI would like to know the "general category" that a classification is assigned via its associated RI Occupational Codes.

The RI Occupational Codes are first presented in Major Categories (in alphabetical sequence). So, select the "major catagory, then the "sub-categories" for that group is displayed. Merely, pick the appropriate "sub-category", or if not defined, use the "xx-99" OTHER category.

NOTE: If the "xx-99" OTHER category is selected (or if the Classification data is "blank"), then the system displays their BUSINESS / POSITION data in the "public view" of the club membership roster, which gives a better idea of their vocation, instead of just "Other". This is a good way to show their business classification information without having to set up a lot unique Classifications.

However, the District and Club database allows the Data Administrator (Lvl-5) to "add" additional sub-categories, beginning with sub-category xx-50 thru xx-89. These sub-categories (50-89) are for district use only, and are reported to RI as "xx-99 Other". This allows for local designations to be maintained within the district and still report correctly to RI. And, we are constrainted by the classification codes that RI has established; so we have to conform to the RI classification numbering, which LEAVES a LOT to be desired.  So, if your classification IS NOT defined in a category, you can set it xx-99 OTHER, then IF your vocation POSITION is available, we substitute that as your classification on the Club Roster (public view), in the Classification field.

Q15. HOW do you set a Member's security level?

A15. By default, ALL Members are assigned a Level 1 security. If you want to assign them a higher level
(Lvl-2=Chair or Lvl-4=Club President/Secretary), then you must EDIT CLUB POSITION, and assign them the desired "club title". And, whenever you elevate a "member" within your club to a "club officer" position (such as President, President-elect, Secretary, Secretary-elect, Treasurer, Treasurer-elect, Club Communications Officer, or Club Exec-Secretary), the system AUTOMATICALLY gives them a Level-4 security. Futhermore, they are automatically added to the appropriate "district committee record": Club President, Club Secretary, Club Communications Officer, etc.

Likewise, when you add an Assistant Governor to the the District AG committee (or District Leadership committee), the system AUTOMATICALLY gives them a "Level-5 security"... that allows them to maintain club and member records within their Area of responsibility (as defined in the AG Area records).

HINT: The "security level" field is near the bottom of the member record data (in Section 5). And, if you need to handle any security level exceptions, you must be a SecLVL-6 to override the "club position" processing described above.

Q16. How do I set up an "Executive Secretary" (a non-Rotarian) with Level 4 access for my Club?

A16. The club secretary (or someone with at least a Level 4 access) can "add" a member to their club as a "GUEST". Then, this person (who is a non-Rotarian), can be assigned a Level 4 access, by changing their "club position" to Executive Secretary (using the "Edit the Club / Club Positions" function. Then, when the "Executive Secretary/GUEST" signs into the database, they can make changes to the Club and Member data, just the same as any other Level 4 user in that club. NOTE: This person is NOT affected by end of year processing to promote club secretary-elects to club secretary (and demote current year club secretaries back to member status). Likewise, this is the club where a non-Rotarian District Executive Secretary (with Level 6 access) would reside.

And, the GUEST of District club is a special club to contains people who are not Rotarians in your district. For instance, for your district conference event, the RI President's Representative would be placed in this club during the event registration process...this is to keep all the guests in the database for accounting and printing of Name Badges.  Rotarians may also bring their own "guests" to some events, and these people would also be added into the Guest of District club.  Then in the Event backroom, simply indicate their Badge Title (e.g. RI President's Rep), and this overlays the "club name" on their badge.

NOTE: People placed into this club do not get reported to RI, or otherwise "counted" within the system.

Q17. What Happens during the YEAR END Processing on July 1?

A17. YEAR END PROCESSING NOTES: Please read before you try to move your Club or District Committees to the new Rotary year (e.g. 2010-11).

The DaCdb system automatically processes the following district CORE committees (P,PE,PN, S,SE, T,TE) in the system, as follows:
1) President, President-Elect, (the old president becomes immediate Past President, and the president-elects are promoted to president);
2) Secretary, Secretary-Elect, (the old secretary becomes a member, and the secretary-elects are promoted to secretary);
3) Treasurer, Treasurer-Elect, (the old treasurer becomes a member, and the treasurer-elects are promoted to treasurer); and finally
4) President-Nominees are promoted into the position of President-Elect for the new Rotary year.
It automatically updates these club positions and district committees on July 1 (the new year) for you. SO, no action is required for these CORE committees.

Also, the CCO and CES committees are perpetual committees, so they automatically roll over into the new Rotary year.

None of the other District or Club committees are CLONED over to the new Rotary year.  Those committees must be cloned by the DCO or Club Secretary.
And, there is a CLONE COMMITTEE button available in each both the District and Club committees area to provide en masse cloning functions.

Q18. What happens on July 1st (for the "old Presidents" and the Presidents-elect, secretaries, and Secretarys-elect within the clubs when the new Governor year begins on July 1.)

A18. Here is what we do automatically on July 1, 2010, using the just ending Rotary year club positions, e.g. 2009-10 President-elect, Secretary-elect, Treasurer-elect positions (in each club).  THESE 3 positions dictate the promotions within the clubs, as follows:

1) Demote existing president to member (and reset their security to 1; add Past President to their Participation in Section 3)
2) Promote the PE to President (their security was already at 4)
3) Same process for SE and the Club Secretary (their security was already at 4)
4) Same process for TE and the Club Treasurer (security level is 1 thru 4 depending your district's determination)
5) Promote the PN to PE (their security was already at 4)

NOTE: Because the "out going Club Secretary" loses their Level-4 access on July 1st, they are encouraged to make all of their last minute changes and submit their June attendance on or before June 30th. Othewise, the new secretary will have to make these entries.

In addition, we automatically "copy/roll forward" all of the Club Communications Officers (CCO) and the (TRF, CES) positions to the new GovYear. This is because these people usually "continue on from year-to-year" and are not an elected position.

This takes care of the club leadership, effective July 1. And then, all these changes will be properly displayed in the standard club web page generated by the DaCdb.

We also automatically set up new GovYear committees for PE, SE, TE and PN , which are typically empty at the start of the new year.  And, it is MOST important for the PE, PN, SE, and TE roles to be set in the CLUB record (using the EDIT CLUB POSITIONS function)...then we automatically put them on the PE, PN, SE or TE DISTRICT committees (which includes setting their new security levels).  In other words, when a club elects their new officers, the club record within the DaCdb, the club secretary needs to update their Club MEMBER POSITIONS to reflect these new roles within their club.

SO, you can see, that we have tried to automate most of these tasks that effect the new year changing of governors.  All that said, a person with security level 4, 5 or 6, CAN tweak any of these records manually, if necessary.

Q19. Is there any way to control SPAM e-mails that I am getting?

A19. I wish there was an EASY ANSWER to this dilemma!  As it is a double-edged sword: we need use the Internet, but then that makes it easy for the spammers collect/harvest our e-mail addresses, IF we are not real careful.

The second problem is sending (or forwarding messages) with all the e-mail addresses "exposed" in the TO: field (long list) and/or the CC: field.  A better way is to put the long list of addressees in the BCC: field, as I have done in this message to you.  This will help to STOP the harvesting of e-mail addresses as our messages "fly around in cyberspace".  It just takes ONE person to have a worm/virus to have the entire list of names available to the spammers! 

On a positive note, though, since the new anti-spam laws have taken affect, spam is supposedly DOWN...but with so much of it out there, it is hard to notice.  As a further note on spammers, they have gotten increasingly enterprising in their approach to get you to OPEN their messages. 

SO, is there a solution?  Yes, maybe on the backside of the equation though, and that is to stop the spam mail from getting into your mailbox.  Most of the major ISP providers (AOL, Earthlink, etc.) now offer a "spam filter", which helps some.  However, they have a difficult time in identify ALL the spam mail, so much of it still flows through their filter into your system's mailbox.

I was getting over 12,500 e-mails a day!  And, it took me over an one hour and half just to download them and the delete them wholesale. I still get about 100 e-mails a day now, but those are the ones that I want to get!

That is when I found a personal spam blocker that WORKS, and gives me complete control over WHO gains to my IN BOX.  You can pre-Approve ALL of you existing "contacts" in your e-mail address book, and new contacts get a personalized message asking them to simply KEY-IN the "word" they see on their screen (which prevents automated systems from answering/acknowledging).

You can find the link to this program on my "references" web site:
    www.STB-SimplyTheBest.com

Hope this helps to explain the difficulty in what you are asking, and also to know what actions and options will help solve at least part of the problems.

Q20. How does the District and Club calendar work?

A20. The Club calendars are available for individual clubs, whereby ONLY the events, fund raisers and meeting for that club are displayed in the club calendar (along with the District leve events and reminders). And, after the initial display of the calendar, the User can select and deselect the "items" they want to see in their view of the calendar. The Club President, Club Secretary, or Event Moderator (security level 3 or higher) maintains their club calendar by using the calendar functions within their respective Club View or Edit screens in the district database.

The District calendar initially displays all of the district level events and reminders, plus ALL of the Club level events and fundraisers. And, after the initial display of the calendar, the User can select and deselect the "items" they want to see in their view of the calendar. By showing all of the district's CLUB events and fund raisers on the district calendar view (initially), we hope to broaden the awareness of other clubs' activities throughout the district. Of course, this only works IF the clubs put their events and fund raisers into their club calendar on the district database.

For purposes of calendar functions, an "event" (district or club) is defined as an calendar item that has a location associated with it. The is also true of the club fund raisers and club meetings. Whereas, a district reminder does not have location, it is just a calendar item to remind you of something.

Also, SEE Q12 answers for putting the Club and District calendar "links" on your individual club and district web sites.

Q21. How do I use COMMAS to separate e-mail addresses in OUTLOOK?

A21. Open OUTLOOK...

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click E-Mail Options and then click Advanced E-Mail Options.
3. Under When sending a message, select the Allow comma as address separator check box.

Note:  A semicolon can still be used to separate e-mail addresses in OUTLOOK, even when this box is checked. And, this area of inconsistency ONLY occurs in Outlook, which defaults to a "semi-colon" as the separator character(:-). Whereas, Outlook Express and Eudora (and most other e-mail programs) use a "comma" as the separator character.

Q23. How does the system generate the College of Governors' and District Leadership Reports, and correctly report historically their Year of Service and the District they served in?

A23. The College of Governors Report (COG) is one of two"unique types of transactions", whereby the transaction LOOKS at the District Leadership/Council for every GOV year in the system, specifically looking for the District Governor for that year. Then, it looks at the DG's "member record" to pickup the "district" they served in during their year as Governor. So, to make the transaction properly report this information (historically), you have to add a District Leadership/Council committee for every GOV year that you want to include in your COG report. We do this automatically when via the "utility function-ADD PDGs", which is a Level-5 transaction. Likewise, as you KNOW the names of your district's future leadership, you will want to add those GOV year roles to the system (for at least 2 years in the future from the current GOV year. Also, for accurate COG reporting, you may add the DG for any year as an "guest member" to a club in your district (if they are no longer active in a club). The procedures to "add" a GOV YEAR's committee (historically) is as follows:

1) Click on Utility, then ADD PDGs to the COG Report (This is a Level-7 function);
2) Then, enter their GOV Year and District Served information;
3) Then, FIND the governor you want to add to the COG record, and finally UPDATE the record;

The *District Leadership/Council committee record is the ONLY "role/committee" record in the system that has a reserved word status. And it MUST start with the words District Leadership, then whatever else you like can follow these 2 words. This is the committee record that contains the district leadership (DG, DGE, DGN, PDG, AGs, DistSec, DistTreasurer, General Foundation Chair, COG President, and the Exec. Secretary).

NOTE: The "report title" by default for the COG report is "College of Governors". However, if your district refers to this group by a different name, the Database Administrator can modify the district's PROFILE.ini to the name used in your district.

ALSO, HOW do I remove a PDG for the COG report? I deleted them from the database, but they still show up in the COG report.
This is because the DaCdb system keeps a "shadow record" of a member who has a Committee record (current or in history) in the database.

IF you have already DELETED the person from the database, and they are still showing up in your COG report,
then just ReInstate the person (temporarily) using the Utility function.

Then, remove them from the DLT committee, in their year of service.
Simply, go to the COMMITTEEs tab, and change into their Year of Service (eg. 2000-01)
Then, remove their name from the DLT committee, and UPDATE that committee..

Then, delete them again (by deleting their Member record), but just in the local database (the default option for a LVL-7).

That's it. They are now off the COG, and removed from their club's membership roster.

Q24. Can I use the district database to send e-mails to an individual or a group of people (club members or commitee members)?

A24. YES. You merely find and view the individual or group (role/committee record) that you want to e-mail. This could be all the members in a club, all the club presidents or presidents-elect, a committee such as the Finance Committee, or a "group of committees" through the "Group de Groups" function.

First, we recommend that you use the "Personalized E-mail" functions for most of your e-mailing requirements. The advantages are that each person in the distribution receives a personalized e-mail (calling them by their Name), and with only one e-mail address in the TO: area of each message. In addition, the Sender automatically gets a BCC copy of the message for their records, and there is no limititation of HOW MANY recipients can be in the outbound TO: CC: or BCC: (unlike many mail servers that limit you to only 50 recipients). This is because the "personalized e-mail" function uses our mail server to send the messages for you.

Or, just click on the "BULK E-Mail" link at the top of the roster for whatever "group" you have selected. (NOTE: By default ALL Members of the group are selected to receive this e-mail message, however, you can "unCheck" the box beside anyone who should NOT get this e-mail). Note: Bulk e-mail messages use your local e-mail handler (Outlook, Eudora, etc), thus net mail services such as GMAIL or YAHOO can not be used to send bulk e-mail messages, and another reason to use the personalized e-mail functions). However, your local e-mail handler does automatically populate the SUBJECT field, the TO field, and the BCC field (with your actual addressees for this message). All you have to do, is put the text of your message in the BODY field, and then SEND it.

BUT, there is one condition that prevents your e-mail from reaching your list of addressees in the BCC field! If any of the e-mail addresses are in an "invalid format " and therefore "undeliverable"...THEN none of the messages are sent! You will get an "error message" that someone in the group had an invalid format e-mail address. So, you must fix or remove the invalid e-mail address from your Outbox message and reSend it.

NOTE: An invalid format means the e-mail address does NOT conform to the standard of: name@hotmail.com
It may have some kind of mis-matched decorations such as: "name@hotmail.com where there is a opening quotation mark, but no closing quotation mark, thus creating an invalid e-mail format. However, if an e-mail address is simply undeliverable (closed account, over quota, etc.), this does not affect the delivery of your e-mail message to the rest of your group.

NOTE: This is a function of your local e-mail handler and not the district database. The e-mail handlers have gotten smarter in trying to stop spam messages, and they will not send the message if any of the addressees are invalid. This is TRUE if you manually compose you e-mail messages, or let the district database populate some of the fields for you.

So, this is a real incentive to keep the e-mail addresses up-to-date; and finally you have a single location to maintain this extremely fluid piece of data...and once it is entered/updated in the district database just once, then anyone in the district can use it to maintain contact with the member.

Q25. Security Issues for the District and Club database (DaCdb) .... Just the Facts:

A25. All Rotary Clubs are required to submit their Attendance data and Membership data to RI
on a timely basis, and the DaCdb facilitates both of these requirements, in a multi-layered
"secure site" environment. And of course, the district has access to all the club and membership
data stored on the RI database.

1. All the data is ALREADY on the NET someplace else (RI, Google, 411, etc.), but it did not come from DaCdb.

2. Monetary, financial, or social security data are NOT maintained by DaCdb.

3. Multiple layers of security and passwords required to access Club and Member data.

4. Multiple levels of security within the database provides "views" to ONLY the data
authorized by security level of the user, which are further "firewall" protected on the server.

5. NO static HTML web pages; (HTML pages allow easier "harvesting" of personal data by robots and spiders).

6. DaCdb only uses dynamic web pages, that appear to user ONLY when they click the mouse, and
then only for the data that they are authorized to view (based on the multiple security levels as referenced #4 above).

NOTE: An analogy of "static HTML pages" verses "dynamic web pages" is as follows. Consider the "static HTML pages" to be like a HUGE drive-in movie theater screen. It is there, exposed 24 hours a day, and vulnerable to "harvesting" of personal data by the robots and spiders. Whereas, consider the "dynamic web pages" to be like a one (1) inch square Post-It note; and it can only be seen by the one person who clicks the mouse (with the required security level). Furthermore, as soon as that person moves to the next screen, that information is not available to anyone else, unless they also access to the data with the required security level. Thus the "dynamically generated web pages, using the database" are a much safer, more secure way to display data on the Internet. Of course, there is much higher skill level requirement (and associated cost factor) to use a database to generate"dynamic web pages" verses the more common "static HTML pages".

7. Each Rotarian/member can choose to set their OWN security level of data allowed to be displayed to PRIVATE; which prevents displaying anything other than their name
on the Member roster of their club to the general public and other "inquiry views" by Rotarians with member-level access to the database. This provides for high profile members of Rotary
(e.g. judges or police officers) to further protect their contact information.

8. Futhermore, each Rotarian can "opt-out" of being sent blast personalized mail (PMAIL) messages from their district or club.

9. Lastly, we do not disclose any e-mail addresses to the general public, although they are provided a "blind sided" e-mailer form that they can fill out and request information from district or club leadership...then the Rotarian receiving this e-mail "form" can choose to respond, if they so desire. We believe this "blind sided" approach offers the maximum level of security to our Rotarians, and also allows for someone without a "password" to make contact via e-mail with someone in a district or club leadership position.

Q26. What is the "Group de Groups" function (in Committee Types, known as GdG)

Q27. How do I send personalized E-mails to all Club Members (or Committee Members) using the "Personalized E-mail" functions.

A27. We have a new E-mail function in the District and Club database (DaCdb) to make your e-mail communications to your club members (or committee members) MORE personal.  This new function is called: Personalized E-mail, and it is on the RIGHT side (above your club membership roster in Club View).  The regular e-mail (All Members function) has not changed, and is still there on the LEFT side.

The Personalized E-mail function sends out a personalized e-mail to each person in the TO: list.   In addition, the sender gets a BCC copy of the e-mail for their reference.

The Personalized E-mail functions ALSO eliminates the need to "copy & paste" your e-mail addresses, a buffer size limitation that LARGER clubs experienced using the "regular e-mail functions".  The smaller clubs did not experience this "limitation", and therefore were not affected.  But I know the larger clubs will certainly appreciate using the Personalized E-mail function, and eliminate the "copy & paste" hassles.

Q28. What is the difference between the PUBLIC Info and PRIVATE Info selections?

A28. By default, everyone has their selection set at PUBLIC Info, which means that the general public (Lvl 0 security), CAN see the club's leadership E-mail and Office Phone number data. In addition, Members with a Lvl 1 security level (which is PASSWORD PROTECTED), can SEE all other Members contact information (E-mail, Office Phone, and Home Phone).

But, IF a Member chooses to set this to PRIVATE Info, then members with security Levels 0-3 WILL NOT be able to SEE their contact information. However, the club leadership and district leadership will be able to see their contact information, because they have a higher security level. So, the individual member has the power to "set" their privacy level. Also, each Rotarian can "opt-out" of being sent blast personalized mail (PMAIL) messages from their district or club.

For additional information on this subject, see Q&A #25 - Security & Privacy Concerns 

Q29. HOW are DELETES treated? AND, How do I remove DUPLICATED member records? I don't want to accidently wipe out my Members, Committees, or Clubs.

A29. Deletes to the files ARE confirmed a second time, by pressing the DELETE button again on the confirmation "pop up". Then only after the "confirmation delete" button is pressed, is the "member record physically removed" for the district's database. NOTE: The Deleted Information is sent to the RI "data section" prior to removing the member record.

HOWEVER, there is one interesting scenario that is NOT a DELETE at all. You "staff / populate" committees, by EDITING the Committee, and "dragging" Members to the Committee; likewise, IF you want to "remove" someone from a Committee, you EDIT the Committee record, and "drag" them OFF of the Committee using the <<< arrow selection.
NOTE: "dragging" is actually accomplished with >>> -or- <<< arrow selections, pointing in the direction you are moving Members to/from the Committee. SO, taking someone OFF of a committee does not delete the Member from the database.

This IS the way to handle the removal of duplicated memeber records. 

First, DO NOT DELETE THEM YOURSELF.  This will send a TERMINATION to the RI database. Then they are terminated at RI.

So, if necessary, merge the member's data into the ONE record you want to keep.
 
AND, then put a "DELETE ME" into the Badge Name field of the records you want deleted
(which you can without NOTIFYING the RI database).  Just EDIT the member's record and put the DELETE ME in Section 1 of the Member's record and click UPDATE.  see screen shot below...

Finally, just let us know when you have UPDATED all the DELETE ME records, and we will remove the "duplicates" from the database.

Q30. Are there any restrictions when using the Personalized E-mailer? And, how does the receipent of the e-mail know WHO it is from...since it appears to be from the DaCdb database.

A30. E-mail addresses can be constructed with or without the "real name" associated with the <e-mail address>
BUT, it must be in one of the 2 formats, "pairs" of characters to separate the "real name" from the <e-mail address>,
-or- just the actual e-mail address (with or without the <> brackets). See these examples of good formats:

"Gov. Bill DG 7680" <billwilson@somewhere.com>
 -or-
<billwilson@somewhere.com>, -or- just the e-mail address==> billwilson@somewhere.com

However, this is not an acceptable format:
"Gov. Bill, DG 7680" <billwilson@somewhere.com> 
(with a COMMA inside the "double quotes" of the "real name" portion of the e-mail address IS PROHIBITED).

This custome e-mail handler is more strict in using the standard separation characters than your personal e-mailer, which is not a problem for the e-mail addresses generated from the DaCdb database, just the ones you manually put into the CC field...I personally do not put in the "real names" most of the time, unless I have them already formatted properly.

AND, a good question about WHO is sending this mail?  And as shown below, we setup a REPLY-TO address for them to automatically "reply to the sender".  However, because of the "spamming control systems" now in place on our servers, ALL outbound e-mail must be SENT BY a verifiable e-mail address on the server ... so, we now SEND all the outbound e-mail from the "server's e-mail account", which is why it shows as being FROM the "database" below.

From: Rotary-PMAIL@directory-online.com
Reply-To: Mike@MikeThacker.com

And, of course, your signature at the end should be another "hint" of WHO sent the e-mail message.

Q31. I changed my E-mail address, so WHY does my UserName (to LogIn) still show the old e-mail address?

A31. You do NOT have to do anything...you can continue using the old e-mail address as your UserName.

Your E-mail address is a separate and different field from your UserName used to LogIn...

SO, simply EDIT your record, scroll down to Section 5 area to change your UserName to whatever value you would like to put in that field.  It could be your new e-mail address -or- your new puppy's name...ooopps I spoiled the surprise.

You just have to use that value the next time you sign in...and remember to "check the box" to REMEMBER YOU.

Q32. When sending e-mail using the Personalized E-mail function, NOTHING happens, it makes a "boing" noise and redisplays the original screen.

A32. This happen IF you have a "pop-up BLOCKER" on your system. You can either HOLD DOWN the CONTROL KEY [CTRL] while clicking on the Personalized E-mail link, -OR- allow "pop ups" from this domain name (www.directory-online.com)

Q33. Why doesn't my screen show the latest "update" or "photo" that I just submitted to the system?

A33. The problem IS your browser is NOT getting a NEW page every time from the database UNLESS you manually REFRESH your screen.  SO, it sees that you just displayed the Member VIEW page, just before you did the photo replacement (via the EDIT member record function). And then when it needs the Member VIEW page again, it says HEY, I already have that page in my recent cache of pages, and consequently do not retrieve a FRESH copy from the database.

The ultimate solution to this "problem" with the browser NOT refreshing your page, is to set the "refresh option" to EVERYTIME. To do this (in Windows Explorer). Click On: -TOOLS, -INTERNET OPTIONS, and then -SETTINGS. Then in the "settings" choose the "Refresh on Every Page Visit" option...(by default it is set to Automatic).

Q34. Is there a "shortcut" LINK to the District and Club database LOG IN page for my district?

A34. YES. There are actually several different ways to get to the LOG IN page for your district:

1) First, you can "drag" the shortcut LINK from the LOG IN - LOG OUT pages onto the desktop. This creates a 1-click ICON on your desktop to log into the database (and the ONE we highly recommend)..

2) Your own district web site (e.g. www.Rotary7710.org) should have a direct link into the District and Club database LOG IN page for your district;

3) Use the following "direct link"... www.DaCd.com/rotary
For example, www.DaCdb.com/rotary causes a redirection directly to the LOG IN page of the database;

4) -Or- go to the web site www.DaCdb.com
and then "click" on your district number (located on the screen), or the top of the Navigation are, use the generic for ALL districts link. This goes directly to the LOG IN page of the database;

5) Receive a PMAIL that has a LINK to LOG-IN already in the message (which contains your Username and Password).

In all cases, we recommend you "bookmark" or add the LOG IN page to your "favorites" when you land on the LOG IN page for your district. And, you should "bookmark" the LOG IN page before you enter your "log in" information.

Q35. How do I add a Provisional Club to the database?

A35. I tried to add a provisionall club to my database today.  Since a provisional club doesn't have a number, I tried to enter a zero.  It rejected it. 

FIRST, make sure you put "0" into the AREA number for provisional clubs.
This keeps the system from reporting to RI activity on this club and its membership UNTIL it is chartered.
Note: Some districts also put the word PROVISIONAL in the club name until it is chartered, just a further visual clue this is a provisional club.

2) Then, makeup a "temporary UNIQUE ClubID Number". 
Assign them Club# 6150nnnn (where 6150 is your District#, and nnnn is a unique number, maybe starting at 0010).

3) Then, add the "new members" to the provisional club (putting a "0" in for those members without an assigned RI ID#). And, make your entries, assign the Club Officers, etc as you would any other club.

4) Then, once the club is chartered (the very FIRST thing to do), is simply change ClubID Number to its RI designated number (there is a Utility function to ASSIGN them their real CLUB#.). And put in the correct AREA# for the new club, which connects them to their AG, and turns ON the notify RI when changes are made "switch" for this club.

5) Finally, EDIT each Member record to put in their RI ID# that was received with the charter paperwork.

The other part of the question is that If I enter all the potential members of the club, will it accept that many entries with a zero as the RI ID member number. 

YES, and ALL the members will be able to login (who have a zero as their RI ID number). 
They simply use their "e-mail address" (as their UserName) and their LAST Name (as their PassWord).  This assumes that their member record has been updated with their e-mail address, since this is the "key" we use to locate their record when their RI ID# is "0". ALSO, see FAQ #3 for more information on Members with "0" RI Member ID#.

Q36. Can I use RI-CAS (the new version of ClubMate) to maintain the District and Club database (DaCdb)?

A36. Yes, if you are using the RI-CAS software to maintain your club membership in an off-line database for your club, it is now possible to interface it with the on-line District and Club database (DaCdb) system. However, the RI-CAS does not automatically update the DaCdb, but we have developed an optionally available "interface module" for those clubs that would like to continue using the RI-CAS system in their club and automatically update the DaCdb system.

The on-line District and Club database (DaCdb) system itself is free to all clubs in the district. But it requires direct, on-line entries be made by either the club officers or the members themselves. As this is the normal way on-line systems are updated.

Your RI-CAS database has more information than what we initially received from the RI membership database during the "migration and conversion" process to the DaCdb. And, it is most desirable for your club to update the DaCdb with the missing contact information (phone numbers and e-mail addresses), the  participation data on the membership (PHF, Sustaining Member, Past President, Bequest Society, etc), your club calendar of events and fund raisers, and your club's monthly attendance reporting for the previous month-ending.

All of these functions may be done on-line and at NO COST to your club using the DaCdb system.  And, it is a fairly simple matter to make the necessary membership changes on-line (especially after the initial data entry process to enter the "missing data fields" mentioned above).  And in all cases, all the entries made in the DaCdb system are automatically forwarded to the RI database for you.

Another option would be to do a "one-time" export/upload of your RI-CAS database to the DaCdb system, and there is a one-time fee of $200 to migrate and interface your club's RI-CAS data with the on-line database.  This would synchronize the databases (using the RI ID# in RI-CAS database as the "key" to the DaCdb system). After the one-time synchronization, you would continue updating the DaCdb system on-line with future changes to membership records.  (NOTE: You could also minimally maintain the RI-CAS system with sufficient data to continue using its invoicing, accounts receivable, and attendance "check-in" functions in the offline mode.)

And, after the "one-time" export/upload of your RI-CAS database to the DaCdb system, you could optionally continue to do "monthly exports" from the RI-CAS database to the DaCdb system for the annual processing fee of only $100.  This provides your club the interface to continue using your RI-CAS database in the off-line environment, and then automatically send all of your changes to the DaCdb system, including the monthly attendance reporting.  Thus, it would not be necessary to use the on-line system for any of your normal club administrative functions, as everything is captured via the RI-CAS to DaCdb interface. However, you would still need to use theDaCdb system to specify your "club officer positions", such as President, President-elect, Secretary, Secretary-elect, Foundation Chair, Membership Chair, etc.

Q37. Problems “Logging ON” - Session Expired

A37. This problem is usually related to “first time users” who are trying to sign on for the first time (or after you have installed one of the programs discussed below).

Q38. Can I use the DaCdb to keep track of our district's Alumni members WHO are not Rotarians?

A38. Yes, your ALUMNI Member data can now be maintained by the DaCdb. Each District Foundation Alumni Coordinator (DFAC) can request an EXCEL file from RI for their districts’s “alumni”; just send an e-mail request to: alumni@Rotary.org  

Q39. HOW do I specify that a Member is the Chair of one Committee, and a different position on another committee?

Q40. How do I Register On-Line for an EVENT, such as my District Conference?

A40. SIGNING ON and Registering for an EVENT: District Conference 

Q41. How do I Get a Merchant ID “link” for On-line Registrations and Paying with a Credit Card for our District?

A41. First, we recommend you contact the gateway provider (SecurePay) to setup your account, and obtain your 5-digit Merchant ID#. Just call the National Accounts contact: Mark Goldman (617-405-2614) to start the process. Once you get your 5-digit MerchantID number, simply let us know to complete the implementation of the on-line payments gateway processing for your district.

Or, if you prefer to use PayPal as your "merchant gateway", then LOG INTO… www.PayPal.com  and setup a Standard Business account.   Then, you will have to “verify” the deposits made by PayPal into YOUR bank account.  This is crucial step to verify the correct bank account is LINKed your PayPal account.  Also, one suggestion, is to use a “self-defining e-mail address” within the  PayPal  account, such as: Treasurer@Rotary9999.org vs. a personal e-mail address.  This gives you more flexibility in re-directing “confirming payment e-mails” to the correct Event Moderator, who will need to update the PAID status in the registration list, as people register and pay on-line.

Then, you can generate the “link” code necessary, by using the PayPal function to generate a [Single Item BUY NOW] button.  Here are the “clicks” to make PayPal generate a [Single Item BUY NOW] button and its associated “link” code.

click Merchant Services Tab at top

click on the BUY NOW BUTTON <===in the RIGHT COLUMN under KEY FEATURES fill in the Data values for Selling Single Items:

Name:  Rotary District 9999   
Item:  2007 District Conference
Price: $1     <=== We calculate the amount based on their selections

Then, in the Security Settings:
Check the ENCRYPT (NO) radio button to allow us to replace the AMOUNT

click on [CREATE Button Now]

Then 2 “link code” boxes appear below: one for the HTML and one for the EMAIL link data.  Finally, just copy & paste the “link code” into an e-mail message to DaCdb administrator.

Example of The HTML Link:
<form action=”https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr” method=”post”>
<input type=”hidden” name=”cmd” value=”_xclick”>
<input type=”hidden” name=”business” value=”Treasurer@Rotary9999.org”>
<input type=”hidden” name=”item_name” value=”Rotary District 9999″>
<input type=”hidden” name=”item_number” value=”2007 District Conference”>
<input type=”hidden” name=”amount” value=”1.00″>
</form> 

Example of The E-MAIL  Link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=Treasurer%40Rotary9999%2ecom&item_name=Rotary%20District%209999&item_number=2007%20District%20Conference&amount=1%2e00&no_shipping=2&no_note=1¤cy_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dBuyNowBF&charset=UTF%2d8

That’s IT!   I will make the necessary changes to the E-Mail link and put it into your Event.  This is a one-time function, as we use the same “link” code thereafter for all of your district events; only changing (externally) the ITEM NO. description for each event.

Q42. What are the sign ON Rules denoted in the Transaction Log?

A42. We log how each person actually gains access to the database in the system's Transaction Log. And the log in is designated as RULE #1 thru RULE #6. Below is the definition for each "rule"

Rule #1: U=Username, P=Password ====>(which "matched" the values in the Member's record)

Rule #2: U=Email, P=MemberID ====> (when MemberID is >0, for their INITIAL entry into the system using the MemberID as the "key" for verification. And, uses the MemberID that is already in the Member's record.)

Rule #3: U=Email, P=LastName ===> (when MemberID is 0, for their INITIAL entry into the system using their E-mail Address as the "key" for verification. And, uses the E-mail Address that is already in the Member's record.)

Rule #4: U={Email to be - currently it is "blank" and not checked}, P=MemberID ====> (when MemberID is >0, for their INITIAL entry into the system using the MemberID as the "key" for verification. And, uses the MemberID that is already in the Member's record. ALSO, lets them keyin their E-mail Address, which will be used as both their UserName and their E-Mail Address.)

And as you can SEE, the E-Mail Address is primary data value, if Member ID is "0".

Q43. Can I insert Mail-Merge like "variable names" into my Personalized MAIL messages?

A43. Using the new E-Z Link functions, we have setup several transactions that include these "variable name TAGS". And, you can now further customize your PMAIL by inserting <TAGS> that get replaced with the data values from the each recipients record.

First, put the cursor WHERE you want to insert the <TAG> in your message area. Then select the desired <TAG> from the drop down menu. That's it.

Examples of ALL the <TAG> variable names, and their associated data values: 

Q44. What do I need to use a BARCODE scanner for Weekly Attendance "check in" at my club?

A44. First, you need to use the Weekly Attendance check in service now available as an optional module of the DaCdb for clubs.
The Attendance at the Club recording module, is now available in both on-line and off-line modules.

Then, you will need a BARCODE typeface font (TTF) that prints 3of9 barcodes for Member numbers on the Name Badges or Attendance "check in" sheet. There is a free 3of9 TTF available (also known as CODE 39 TTF), just download and install it into your computer. Here is the 'link" to download the free TTF file: http://www.barcodesinc.com/free-barcode-font/ Also, SEE the NOTE at bottom of this for more information on installing and printing barcodes.

Then, you will need a BARCODE scanner. They range in price from $49 to $195. The low end scanner is a "contact" scanner using a CCD light source. It is listed here BUT not recommend because it is rather finicky to use. The mid-range scanner is also CCD light source, but with laser like readabilities, and can "read" from two inches away. And, the higher-range scanner use a laser light source, and can also "read" from several inches away.

Low-End BARCODE Scanner:
Unitech ms-180-1UG CONTACT mode scanner -
We do not endorse it, CHEAP Price, but finicky to use (from) $43.80 for USB
http://www.barcodegiant.com/unitech/part-ms180-1ug.htm ($43.80)

Mid-Range BARCODE Scanner (works good, and EZ to use):
POS-X Xi3000 USB $125, plus Auto Sensing Stand $20
http://www.posmicro.com/pos-x/xi3000.htm

Higher Mid-Range BARCODE Scanner:
Motorola (Symbol) LS4208 Handheld Laser Scanner
$195.20 USB connection, plus stand is $85
http://www.ebarcode.com/Symbol-LS4208-Handheld-Laser-Scanner-p/ls4208.htm

STORE & FORWARD BARCODE Scanner (laptop NOT required):
Metrologic MS9535 Voyager-BT Wireless Kit, Laser Scanner
$349.00 - $379.00 Wireless and USB connection.
http://www.provantage.com/metrologic-mk9535-79b548~7MTRO01R.htm
http://www.posworld.com/metrologic-bluetooth-voyager.html?so=g&gclid=CKj2lNS_mZoCFQSPFQodzniF9w

NOTE: There are many versions of this scanner.  The BT BlueTooth is pretty cool allowing the scanner to be decoupled from the cradle.
There is a version with Inventory Memory and another one with inventory memory – and it stores 2,000 scans.

In playing with this version, the **HUGE** downside is you have a one shot opportunity to unload your scans. 
If you plug in the USB cable and you are not in the right place to unload your scans – the scans are dumped out and lost.  
Like, gone, deleted, never to be played back.   WE consider this to be a major functional issue with the scanner.

NOTE: Installing and Printing barcodes:
Search Google: free 3of9 barcode font
Download to your system, UnZip it, and then copy it (free3of9.ttf) to C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
And, free3of9.ttf is the default FileName for Barcodes Font in the DaCdb system

PRINT a SignIn sheet with BARCODES (#17 in Club Reports) using WORD, or select report #7.3 to print Name Labels with Bar Code option selected.

IF you get the NUMBERS when you put the Attendance Check-in report to WORD, it may be that you not have INSTALLED the 3x9 barcode fontface,
(however, just running the report in VIEW mode on the screen does show the NUMBERS and not the BAR CODES).  SO, make sure you put the report (#17) [to WORD].

Likewise, when you select the #7.3 Dynamic Labels and BarCodes...see screen shot below

Special NOTE to MicroSoft Word users: There is a default setting in Word that changes text surrounded by *'s into bold text. This setting must
be disabled for these fonts to work, otherwise the * characters that are necessary for the barcode to scan properly will be lost and the
thickness of the bars will be altered.

In Word '97 - Word 2003. The setting might be found in a different place
in other versions but this is how I disabled it. On the Tools menu open
the AutoCorrect dialog box. Then, on the AutoFormat tab uncheck the box
for "*Bold* and _underline_ -or- *Bold* and _italics_ with real formatting".

Putting the Off-Line Attendance LOCAL DATABASE on your LAPTOP.

We install our Off-Line Attendance program in..."C:\Program Files\Attendence\Attendence.exe"
And, it creates a local database that it puts under the windows User AppData directory which is hidden (at least on Vista).

This is fairly simple process...2 extra clicks to download (SYNC) the weekly meeting into a Laptop (that has the Off-Line Attendance program already installed in it.  And, after the check-in using the Laptop, 2 extra clicks to upload (SYNCRONIZE) with the on-line DaCdb database when you are connected to the Internet, 2 extra clicks to upload (SYNC) the laptop check-in with the on-line Weekly meeting.

ONE-TIME FUNCTIONS:
First, SETUP the OFF-LINE ATTENDANCE on your laptop.
The LOCAL ATTENDANCE collection file is an AIR file, and it needs the Adobe AIR installer installed first, along with our Off-Line Attendance program. 
This installation function puts an icon on your LAPTOP's desktop for ATTENDANCE OFF-LINE.

WEEKLY FUNCTIONS:
#1) Add your Weekly Attendance meeting, as usual, while on-line to internet.

#2) Then, click on the ATTENDANCE OFF-LINE icon.
     Then SYNC (download) your Weekly Attendance "snap shot" the you created in Step #1


TAKE LAPTOP TO MEETING...it is now off-line.

#3) Then, click on the ATTENDANCE OFF-LINE icon.
#4) Check in your members, in the OFF-LINE mode, using the bar code scanner.


AFTER meeting, Reconnect LAPTOP to the internet.

#5  Then, click on the ATTENDANCE OFF-LINE icon.
    Then SYNC (upload) your Weekly Attendance with "snap shot" the you created in Step #1

That's it...your on-line database has been updated with the Attendance check-ins done off-line. 
And, you can continue to make any others changes as necessary to the on-line Weekly Attendance
"snap shot", as necessary (such as entering any MakeUps for the week).

Q45. How Can the District Governor SEND Welcome letters to NEW members, and Thank You letters to their sponsors? And, Happy Birthday letters.

Q46. Why am I getting "?" marks and other strange "crazy characters" in my PMAIL and /or uPAGES?

A46. Are you pasting from WORD? Then, you must USE the [PASTE from WORD] button.
WORD is very dirty, using lots of curly quotes, etc and then the PMAIL/uPAGES editor doesn't handle them very well.

Using the [PASTE from WORD] functions, seems cleans up most of them. Then, IF you still have "crazy characters", you can use the FIND -REPLACE function to do mass replaces within your text. We suggest your COPY (using CTRL-C) the "crazy character", and then PASTE IT (using CTRL-V) into the FIND parameter. Then, of course enter your replacement character, such as the " double-quote character.

Q47. How does the DUES module handle ACCURRALS for Pre-PAID items?

Q48. How do I PRINT the Rotary Foundation Transmittal form from the database?

A48. Just go to VIEW MY CLUB screen in database.

Then scroll down to top of Section 3...and there is a "link" for [Club REPORTS] button...

Once you are on the REPORTS selection screen, choose #2 Rotary Foundation Transmittal from the "drop down" menu.

Then, click the [RUN/VIEW on SCREEN] button to see the form.

Fill in the "default Amount per Rotarian", such as $25 to populate ALL the members
(and then make changes to the individual amounts, as necessary).

Then click on the [Process Page] button to get the "page printed" to mail to RI (along with your check).  That's it!
Your completed form is also is e-mailed to your Club President and Foundation Chair...and also the District Foundation Chair.  

Q49. HOW do we "TRANSFER" a Member from one club to another club?

Q50. Why does the Club's custom web site display instead of the standard template club web site?

A50. The "issue" is because of HOW they have listed their club web site LINK in their CLUB INFORMATION Section 1
in the DaCdb database (http://www.M-Irotaryclub.org ). 

This is a decision (and training issue) for the district...do they want ALL the clubs in the district to display THEIR custom web site for the club?,
OR do they want them to display the same, standard "look & feel" club template web site?

This is controlled by the presence or absence of the "http://" prefix in the LINK to their club web site.
IF it is present, such as it is for M-I club's link above, then it tells the system to display their CUSTOM club web site.
IF it is NOT present, and the link just starts with "www." prefix in the LINK, then the system displays the STANDARD club web site. 
However, when the standard club web site is displayed, the User can click on the LINK to the custom web site, and
their custom club web site is displayed.

SO, to make it work of the M-I club the same way the clubs are displayed, just remove the "http://" prefix in the LINK to their club web site
(in the Section 1 of the Club Information).  Ex: www.M-Irotaryclub.org

Q51. Can I use my Blackberry to access the District and Club database (DaCdb)?

Q52. What is process of adding NEW, PROVISIONAL CLUBS to the database?

A52. You can SETUP a NEW club (PROV) in the system BEFORE it gets chartered, by doing these 2 things. And, this is something your DCO would do for your district.

Just ADD NEW CLUB, and make it a TYPE: Provisional Club, with an AREA "0",
and a club number of dddd1nn (where "dddd is your District number (e.g. 7710) and "nn" is unique within your district).  Then,
we suggest you add (PROV) to the Club Name until they are chartered with their official club name.  See screen shot below.

Nothing goes to RI until they are chartered. 

Then, they can add/change members, set up committees, and club officers and completely isolated from RI reporting (after giving their club officers access to the DaCdb database via PMAIL #6).
Just, add the "new members" to the provisional club (putting a "0" in for those members without an assigned RI ID#). And, make your entries, assign the Club Officers, etc as you would any other club.

Then when chartered, the DCO uses the Utility function to update the Club Name and Number assigned by RI for their club; and change the TYPE to: Regular Club, and assign them to their AREA.
Finally, EDIT each Member record to put in their RI ID# that was received with the charter paperwork.

Otherwise, everything else for a new club is the same as any other club in the system.

Q53. How do I register Non-Rotarians for an Event in my Calendar of Events?

Q54. How do I use the Event registration ROOMS function?

A54. First, you turn ON the Use ROOMS function in your Event. (This Enables the break-out 'Rooms' module for this event.)
 
Then, set up an INVENTORY of ROOMS (with their actual names associated with a CAT CODE).
Other items include the Date and Time of Room USE, and the Capacity of the ROOM, if a consideration.

Then, the system can assign registrants to a ROOM, based on their selection, like Membership or Foundation.
Or, the system can automatically assign registrants to ROOMS based on Club Size. 

Then, once the 'rooms' are assigned, you can get reports on WHO is assigned to that room, and send them PMAIL.
Finally, the CAT CODES for the room assignments can be printed on the registrants Name Badge.

Q55.