Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Family Mailing List, Personal Profiles, Activities and Skills, Attendance, Visitations

Moderators: Moderators, Tech Support

mhoeth
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:53 pm

Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by mhoeth »

Does anyone use the Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories under Person Profiles Other Output? I have some questions that I would like to discuss related to what data is pulled and from which records in the PC database. Also have some questions related to the output record content related to multiple phone numbers, emails, etc.

I would welcome hearing from anyone who is experienced with this process.

Thank you,
Marilyn Hoeth
TVBC

NeilZ
Posts: 10209
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:20 am
Location: Dexter NM
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by NeilZ »

mhoeth wrote:Does anyone use the Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories under Person Profiles Other Output? I have some questions that I would like to discuss related to what data is pulled and from which records in the PC database. Also have some questions related to the output record content related to multiple phone numbers, emails, etc.

I would welcome hearing from anyone who is experienced with this process.

Thank you,
Marilyn Hoeth
TVBC
Marilyn,

This is covered in the online help, as well as the Powerchurch manual:
If you are having a pictorial directory created by LifeTouch Church Directories, PowerChurch Plus allows you to export a file from the Personal Profiles database to send to the directory company. This data file will be formatted according to LifeTouch's specifications.
Obviously the addresses come from the Family Mailing List record, along with the 'main' family phone if listed. Other information comes from the Personal Profiles.

What questions do you have about this process??
Neil Zampella

Using PC+ since 1999.

mhoeth
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:53 pm

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by mhoeth »

Yes, I understand clearly how to create the file. I'm trying to verify that the file contains all the data that it is supposed to contain. In looking at the file in xls or in txt, the records do not contain all the selected phone numbers or the email addresses.

I have an IT background so am familiar with extracting data. I'm trying to identify the PC records/fields that are being extracted and placement in the record for Lifetouch so that I can insure that all data is being extracted properly. The data is there if I use the selection of creating a Church Directory report; however, I do not have all the same options available to me when I create the file for Lifetouch - the output seems to be missing data. If I export the created report with all the data as Excel, it is still formatted as a report and not a record layout!

So I seeking technical assistance I guess -- the manual doesn't answer the level of questions that I am struggling with.

Thanks for your response.

Marilyn

NeilZ
Posts: 10209
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:20 am
Location: Dexter NM
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by NeilZ »

mhoeth wrote:Yes, I understand clearly how to create the file. I'm trying to verify that the file contains all the data that it is supposed to contain. In looking at the file in xls or in txt, the records do not contain all the selected phone numbers or the email addresses.

I have an IT background so am familiar with extracting data. I'm trying to identify the PC records/fields that are being extracted and placement in the record for Lifetouch so that I can insure that all data is being extracted properly. The data is there if I use the selection of creating a Church Directory report; however, I do not have all the same options available to me when I create the file for Lifetouch - the output seems to be missing data. If I export the created report with all the data as Excel, it is still formatted as a report and not a record layout!

So I seeking technical assistance I guess -- the manual doesn't answer the level of questions that I am struggling with.

Thanks for your response.

Marilyn
Let me flag this for one of the techs to take a look. We've not seen anyone having a problem, at least none has been reported here, and this type of export has been in Powerchurch for a while, for LifeTouch, and for Olan Mills before they merged.
Neil Zampella

Using PC+ since 1999.

mhoeth
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:53 pm

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by mhoeth »

Thank you Neil.

Zorak
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 3006
Joined: Thu May 13, 2004 9:59 am
Location: PowerChurch Software
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by Zorak »

Looking at the code, the following behaviors may not be immediately apparent, but are consistent with how PowerChurch generates other reports and Church Directory:
  • The export process gives you the option of selecting one family phone type (home phone) and one profile phone (mobile) to export.
  • The street address won't be included in the export if the family has "Publish Address in Church Directory" unchecked.
  • If a family is currently set to use the Alternate Address and Alternate Phone, PowerChurch will use those fields.
  • Phones marked unlisted won't be included in the export.
  • Families with "Include in Membership Module Reports" unchecked won't be included in the export.
  • If the include e-mail addresses option is checked, PowerChurch will include both family and profile e-mails, if they aren't marked as unlisted.
As Neil said, this functionality has been around for a while and we are creating the export to the file spec provided by LifeTouch.

mhoeth
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:53 pm

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by mhoeth »

Thank you this is very helpful ... there are some nuances mentioned in your response that might be creating an issue for me. I will check all of those.

Specifically, I would expect to see this (and it is what is printed in our current directory and on any directory I print to paper)

SMITH, Joseph (Joe*) and Sue*
9999 Street Address
My City, St 99999
joe@abc.com J
sue@abc.com S
--xxxx J
--xxxx S
--xxxx

When I create the LCD file and view it is excel or in txt I see the following

SMITH, Joseph and Sue, 9999 Street Address, My City, St, 99999, joe@abc.com, --xxxx (not necessarily in this specific order)

We were not on version 12 when we did our last directory. We are now on version 12. I do not see the options to choose formal or preferred name, etc.

So 2 specific questions -- 1) did something change in Version 12 in the options set up for the LCD; they are different than other report options for the Personal Profiles. 2) What is the best means of reading the created LCD file so that I am certain that I am viewing all of the record?

Thank you for any additional assistance.

Marilyn

NeilZ
Posts: 10209
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:20 am
Location: Dexter NM
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by NeilZ »

mhoeth wrote:Thank you this is very helpful ... there are some nuances mentioned in your response that might be creating an issue for me. I will check all of those.

Specifically, I would expect to see this (and it is what is printed in our current directory and on any directory I print to paper)

SMITH, Joseph (Joe*) and Sue*
9999 Street Address
My City, St 99999
joe@abc.com J
sue@abc.com S
--xxxx J
--xxxx S
--xxxx

When I create the LCD file and view it is excel or in txt I see the following

SMITH, Joseph and Sue, 9999 Street Address, My City, St, 99999, joe@abc.com, --xxxx (not necessarily in this specific order)
As is mentioned, the format is the one that Lifetouch specifies, it is not intended to be human readable.
We were not on version 12 when we did our last directory. We are now on version 12. I do not see the options to choose formal or preferred name, etc.
These options are only for directories created by Powerchurch, they are not options for the Lifetouch directory.
So 2 specific questions -- 1) did something change in Version 12 in the options set up for the LCD; they are different than other report options for the Personal Profiles. 2) What is the best means of reading the created LCD file so that I am certain that I am viewing all of the record?

Thank you for any additional assistance.

Marilyn
1. What was the last version you used? I just verified that it hasn't changed from 11.55. If the last version of Powerchurch you used was 10.x, it was probably changed .

2. I would get with Lifetouch. I suspect they will provide a draft for you to review before any final printing.

FWIW ... there are a lot of churches who use this data export, and I've not seen any issues presented about the data export.
Neil Zampella

Using PC+ since 1999.

Zorak
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 3006
Joined: Thu May 13, 2004 9:59 am
Location: PowerChurch Software
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by Zorak »

I went back through the code and found that there have been four significant changes since that feature was added in Version 8 (2001). Three were all just adding new fields to the export (e-mail in Version 10, family e-mail added in Version 11, head of household and spouse titles in 11.5).

The only actual file structure change was unrelated to what you are seeing, and was related to allowing multiple Personal Status codes to be highlighted as members.

mhoeth
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:53 pm

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by mhoeth »

Thank you.

Zorak
Tech Support
Tech Support
Posts: 3006
Joined: Thu May 13, 2004 9:59 am
Location: PowerChurch Software
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by Zorak »

Answering your e-mail here, for the benefit of others who may have this question in the future.

If you are trying to decipher the file in Excel or Notepad, here is the key to understanding it:

The far left column/character is the type of record:

0 - About the system that created the file (PowerChurch)
1 - About your church
2 - Family record (internal family ID number, name, address, phone, e-mail)
3 - Person record (internal person ID number, name, family ID number, address, mobile phone, personal e-mail, preferred name, title, etc)
4 - Legend (* = Member)

To see all the information that is "missing" you would need to look first at the #2 record for the family/household info, then look at the #3 record for each individual person with the matching family ID number. Use CTRL+F in whatever program you are using to do a text find for the person's last name, and look at all the entries related to that person/family.

mhoeth
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:53 pm

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by mhoeth »

Thank you. This is helpful information. And I will definitely use it. Thanks for sharing it.
I wanted to share with you screen shots from V12 and why I'm questioning the selection options. Is there a means of adding images to this string. I see the Img option above; however, I'm not exactly sure how to use that. Or do I place my image document on Google Drive and post a link here?

Thanks so much.
Marilyn

NeilZ
Posts: 10209
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:20 am
Location: Dexter NM
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by NeilZ »

mhoeth wrote:Thank you. This is helpful information. And I will definitely use it. Thanks for sharing it.
I wanted to share with you screen shots from V12 and why I'm questioning the selection options. Is there a means of adding images to this string. I see the Img option above; however, I'm not exactly sure how to use that. Or do I place my image document on Google Drive and post a link here?

Thanks so much.
Marilyn
If you have a public Google Drive directory, and you can post a URL to the picture, you would use the URL tag. However, make sure that only files you want general access to are in that directory.
Neil Zampella

Using PC+ since 1999.

mhoeth
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:53 pm

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by mhoeth »

This URL links to a document showing the options I am presented with when I select Personal Profiles then try to print a Church Directory.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1urbs0 ... 1wqDT_YpnB

The following URL links to a document showing the options that I am presented with when I select Personal Profile and start to create the file for LCD.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-L2Ob ... O-XRKBf5WL

As I mentioned before we are currently on Version 12. We were on Version 11 when we did the last directory and we had the same options that were available for printing a church directory. Those do not now seem to be available. That's one of my primary concerns.

Marilyn

NeilZ
Posts: 10209
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:20 am
Location: Dexter NM
Contact:

Re: Create File for Lifetouch Church Directories

Post by NeilZ »

mhoeth wrote:This URL links to a document showing the options I am presented with when I select Personal Profiles then try to print a Church Directory.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1urbs0 ... 1wqDT_YpnB

The following URL links to a document showing the options that I am presented with when I select Personal Profile and start to create the file for LCD.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-L2Ob ... O-XRKBf5WL

As I mentioned before we are currently on Version 12. We were on Version 11 when we did the last directory and we had the same options that were available for printing a church directory. Those do not now seem to be available. That's one of my primary concerns.

Marilyn
Marilyn,
these are two different items. The Church Directory is a Powerchurch Report, the export to Lifetouch is a completely different export system.

I just verified with my copy of 11.55, the export for Lifetouch there is exactly the same as that in v12.
Neil Zampella

Using PC+ since 1999.

Post Reply