Question Save file - reset field contents to "zero."

[nicolaasjan2005]

Hi All:

Either I'm having a brain freeze or I can't see for lookin'...

I am creating a database for our church's financial secretary. Every year, contributors are provided with numbered offering envelopes. At the beginning of a new year, when the envelopes are issued for the year, often the numbers are different.

What I need to do is be able to save the 2007 files, then for the start of the new year, be able to enter a new envelope number for an existing family and resetting the contributions to zero, to start the new year, but still be able to access the data from prior years in terms of envelope numbers and total contributions.

Can someone please steer me in the right direction? There are likely previous posts on this type of issue, but I've tried many combinations of searches in the forums and have come up dry.

I'd like to be able to accomplish the resets with a mouse click on a button on the switchboard (if possible...)

 

[georgedwilkinson]

A couple of comments. First, there are a number of systems available for churches that don't require any development at all. One popular software is called ACS and I believe you can actually purchase it at Lifeway.

The other note, if you are developing this yourself: You should have a table to record a contributor's offering envelope...don't store this data in the person's record as that breaks the rules of normalization and causes problems like the one you're seeing. In your ContributorEnvelopes table, you will need a from and to date and a status in addition to the obvious MemberID and EnvelopeNumber.

HTH.

 

[nicolaasjan2005]

Thanks George! Sometimes a "kick start" is all that's required!
I ptrefer to develop this db myself. There are lots on the market, however, none can quite compare tp personal preferences. Thanks again!~

 

[georgedwilkinson]

I totally understand your logic on this. I've "started" working on a church system several times and never really finished, though I do keep my choir and music data in a home-grown database.