Add the ability to import Interactions using Alternate Lookup ID

From BB Support: tested this in sample site and can confirm that you can’t match constituent in interaction batch on the basis of alternative lookup id.
The client needs to provide constituent lookup ids to find a constituent.
FYI: In interaction batches, Constituent Matching options are not available in the “Configure Options” section

Would be useful for importing the same file for Constituents, Enhanced Revenue and Interactions based on an alternative lookup ID such as a Face to Face ID - and would take away the current need to export data after the Constituent/Enhanced Revenue imports and manually match data up outside of BBCRM, than use the edited file in order to import the interaction.

  • Khanh Ha
  • Oct 20 2016
  • Reviewed: Voting Open
Blackbaud CRM / Import
Organization Name (Please enter full organization name) Bush Heritage Australia
  • Feb 15, 2019

    Admin response

    Note:  The Bulk Import service allows importing interactions using alternate lookup id.

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  • Phil Higgs commented
    February 17, 2019 23:51

    Hi Everyone. Plan Australia have done a Customisation that might help. We would be willing to Share.  

    What we have done is add a new Constituent Attribute "SystemID". In the CSV file to upload, we then generate a uniqueID for each constituent. This can be anything but we use a formula to generate a Guid.  This could be your Alternate Lookup ID.

    We then run a Constituent Update Batch, including this attribute and "SystemID" Value.  Once committed the attribute is on the Constituent record.

    The Customisation part is a copy of the Blackbaud Interaction Batch. We included an additional field for  "SystemID" and on the Commit process took away the Constituent Matching component, and forced the Constituent search on the "SystemID" Attribute value.  Attribute values are deleted when matched.

    The Interaction batch can be committed knowing that the Constituent is correct 

    If anyone is interested in knowing more please contact Raman.Katyal@plan.org.au

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  • Admin
    Pat Conley commented
    February 15, 2019 20:33

    That is currently the case.  And, Bulk Import will soon be available for Azure-based customers outside of North America.

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  • Ruth Macfarlane commented
    February 15, 2019 17:43

    Thanks for letting us know that this is available in the Bulk Import Service. I think I had understood that service was only available in North America and only for cloud based BBCRM customers. Do I have that wrong?

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  • Asif Siddiqui commented
    May 02, 2017 22:52

    this would be very useful for CBM Australia as well.

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  • David Wanless commented
    March 08, 2017 03:11

    It's very frustrating that we can not use Alternate Lookup IDs in importing Interactions.  We can when importing Revenue, so why not Interactions?  This limitation makes for a great deal of extra manual processing.  We have to import the constituents, run an export, cross reference the export and augment our import file, then do the Interaction import.  This is not only time consuming but error prone.  Is there any way we can hurry this fix along?

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