Dave, thank you. I was missing the crucial payments file step. Could you please confirm that I did this properly?:
1.After hitting "find all",
The "find all" is not necessary. No problem just that
you don't have to do it.
I hit "view payments"2.then "find" 3.I typed in the date range in "post date" and the source code in source code box 4.I hit "find" 5.then for names, I hit "transfer to names"
Looks right to me.
Also, I want to be sure I know what the Payments File is - by hitting the Payments or View Payments, does that get me there�that simply?
Not exactly. The ebase system consists of 29 files that are
related in various ways. The names file (and summary, profile, and
custom) contain information about the individual or organization
- address, phone number, email, etc., The payments file contains info
on a payment - the date, amount, what it was for, and a record number
that connects it with the person who made the payment. This is a
FileMaker file, similar to but separate from the names file.
Because these files are related, you can view data from other
files through a layout. For example, seeing a list of payments on a
layout in the names file.
When you click on Payments, the green tab in the upper left of
the home screen, you are jumped to the Payment History screen in the
names file. You are still in the names file, but viewing some data in
the payments file. Look at the very top of the window, and you'll see
the name of the file - on the Mac it's in the center of the title bar,
on a Windows machine it's to the left.
When you click on View Payments, you are jumped to a layout in
the payments file. Check the title bar - you're in a different file.
In this case, the amount, date, etc., are in the current file, and the
name and record number at the top of the window are related field from
the names file. You're looking in the other direction from the Payment
History screen.
Similar arrangements between a History screen and a Data Entry
screen exist when viewing Notes, Actions, and Contacts.
The query I performed to get a list of donors is this: I hit query, then #2 Donor, then in the Last Contrib Date I typed in the range 5/1/2002�5/10/2002, then I entered the Source Code in that box. The list does contain donors with payments in that range for this particular source code I'm using for my search, but it also contains donors who gave within that range but for other reasons.
Am I wrong or is Ebase? By entering the date range and source code, shouldn't I get a list of people who only fit these criteria?
I know this is simple and I should know, but i'm stuck. Thank you so much for your help
Actually it's not so simple. The problem you're having results from using the field Last Contribution Date, which a lookup field that is located in the names file, rather than payments.
If I'm hearing right, you want a list of people, each of whom sent you a check within the first 10 days of May, in response to a solicitation with a specific source code. By using Last Contribution Date you are getting people each of whom gave your their latest contribution within the specified period (with any source code) and who have given you a payment (at any time) with the specified source code. Searching in related files, in this case the names file, is a subtle but very important difference.
To get the list you want, search in the payments file for payments made within the specified period and with the specified source code. If you want to run thankyou letters, you can do it right from the payments file. If you need the list of names, you can use the Transfer to Names button on the View Payments screen to jump to the names file. The found set of names records will be the people related to the set of payments you just found.
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