About the Batches Page

Only users with Development User and/or Development Admin permissions can access batch records. These permissions are set on the Diocese Directory & Web Solutions tab in the staff user's record. 

A batch is a data entry method whereby pledges and contributions are entered into your system in groups instead of individually.

Using batches to enter your contribution and pledge data into Development Manager is not required but highly recommended. Batch processing is particularly useful if you have a number of contributions, pledges, or corrections to post. Posting transactions in batches can save you a lot time because you can enter them into the system in groups instead of one at a time. Additionally, batch processing can help improve the accuracy of data entry. Validation checks, such as the batch count and batch total (dollar amount of items), help identify two types of errors that may occur:

• Typing errors made during data entry
• An item that is accidentally missing

Batch processing also provides safeguards and internal controls against fraudulent activities. Only authorized users can create, edit, delete, and view batches for the selected organization. Furthermore, the batch itself serves as audit trail, capturing the actions of any user who makes changes to a batch's details or to the transactions within the (open) batch. To secure information and preserve audit trails, no batch can be reopened and edited after it is closed. On the other hand, batch financial totals and transactions can be edited while a batch is still open.

A batch record contains detailed information about a batch, including its name or description, name of the organization owning the fund, and the date the batch was created. A batch record also contains summary information about the batch, including the total dollar amount of pledges or contributions and a count of the total number of entries expected to be included in the batch.

The Status field on the batch card and in the Batch field on the Postings page indicates the current state of the batch. A batch in Development Manager has one of three statuses:

• Open: after a batch is created and details of the batch are saved, it has a status of Open. Open batches and the postings contained in them are visible only in batch posting reports. Postings in these batches are available in all relevant reports after the batch is closed.

• Review: at this stage, gift entry is completed. The projected counts and totals in the batch match the actual counts and totals, so the batch is considered "balanced." The Move to Review button (in the upper-right corner) is now activated, allowing the user to move the batch to Review status.
  

A batch in Review status is ready to be double-checked for accuracy so that it can be moved to the next and final status of Closed. Batches and postings contained in them are visible only in batch posting reports. Postings in these batches are available in all relevant reports after the batch is closed.

• Closed: all payments and pledges are processed and have been double-checked for accuracy. After a batch is closed, all postings in the batch are locked and can no longer be edited. The data in the batch is available in all relevant reports.
  

To help maintain the best financial controls and to ensure that we are being good stewards of the financial gifts entrusted to us, you must create a correction batch if you need to make changes the financial data in a closed batch. 

The information icon appears to the right of the Search box. Place your mouse on the icon (without clicking) to see what type of information you can search for using the Search box.

You can search for a batch by typing its name into the Search box. You can type the full name or just few characters in the name into the box. Then, click  to start the search. The list refreshes to show you the names of batches matching your search criteria.  For example, if a batch is named "Capital Campaign," a search for "Capital," "tal," or even just the letter "l" will produce matches.

 Never search using an empty search box. 

To clear the search box, select the search criteria currently showing in the box. Then, press the Delete key on your keyboard. Finally, click  to display all batches.

Click these buttons to change the status of selected batches.

• If the selected batches are in the Review state, this button is displayed: .
• If the selected batches are in the Open state, this button is displayed:   .

The bulk change runs in the background. To review the results, click this button .

After you run the process to bulk change the status of selected batches, click  to open the Batch Bulk Change Status window to review whether the process completed successfully or if the process experienced errors you need to address.

Click  to generate either of these reports:

• Batch List report (Excel file). This report gives you a list of batches in the Batches grid that match your search or filter criteria. Here you can view general information about each selected batch, including the date opened and pledge and/or contribution totals. For instructions on generating this report, go to How to Create a Batch List Report. 
• Batch Postings List report (Excel, PDF, or CSV file). This report provides details for transactions contained in each batch selected in the (filtered or unfiltered) Batches grid. For instructions on generating this report, go to How to Create a Postings List Report for a Batch. You can generate this report for an individual batch by clicking this action button to left of the batch in the grid: 

Click  Add New Batch to open the Batch Details page where you can add a new batch record. To view explanations of the fields in the batch record, go to Batch Record Details.

Click  to open and close the Filters panel.

Specify the sort order of your results:  

• Ascending: sorts alphabetic content from A to Z and numeric content from 0 to 9 (lowest to highest).
• Descending: sorts alphabetic content from A to A and numeric content from 9 to 0 (highest to lowest).

Select to sort the results on one of the following fields in the batch record:

• Batch Name
• Fund Name
• Online Giving
• Opened Date
• Closed Date
• Paid Count

Select the fund whose batches you want to view.

• To view batches with a created date in the past up to the current date, enter or select the past date in this field. Leave the To Created Date field (see next entry) blank.
  
• To view batches with a created date that falls within a given date range, enter or select the beginning date in the range in this field and the last date in range in the To Created Date field (see next entry).
• To view batches with a created date that falls on a specific date, enter or select the same date in this field and in the To Created Date field (see next entry).
  

• To view batches with a created date that falls within a given date range, enter or select the beginning date in the range in the From Created Date field (see previous entry) and the last date in range in this field.
• To view batches with a created date that falls on a specific date, enter or select the same date in this field and in the From Created Date field (see previous entry).

Select a status option to view batches that have a specific status:

• Any
  
• Open
  
• Review
  
• Closed 

Identifier that uniquely identifies the batch.

Name of the batch and the batch ID, a unique system-assigned code that identifies the batch. Clicking the link takes you to the details page for the batch.

Name of the default fund for pledges and contributions posted in the batch. 

Status of the batch in the posting process as one of the following: Open, Review, Closed.

System-assigned (read-only) value. Indicates how the batch was created, for example, manually created or import.

System-assigned (read-only) date. Indicates the date the batch was created.

System-assigned (read-only) date. Indicates the date the batch was closed.

Total number of pledges currently in the batch.

Total dollar amount of the pledges currently in the batch.

Total number of contributions currently in the batch.

Total dollar amount of the contributions currently in the batch.

Click  to open the Postings page for the batch. If the status of the batch is Open, you can enter contributions or pledges into the batch. If the status of the batch is Closed, you can view a list of contributions or pledges in the closed batch.

Click  to close the batch. Future changes to pledges and contributions in the batch can no longer be made.

Click  to generate a Batch Posting List report (an Excel or PDF file) that provides a list of contributions and pledges posted to the selected batch.

Removes the batch from your system. Note the following restrictions:

• Deleting a batch is permanent and cannot be undone.
• You must have Delete permissions tied to your login credentials to remove batches. 
• The system does not allow you to delete closed batches, so this button is not visible if the batch is closed.