Convert Data Entry (CDE) fails to import correctly

I am currently in the office of the Philippines Manila mission, where we are using CDE to record our Baptism and Confirmation Records. We have one computer that can enter records fine, but occasionally there is another person in the office with some down time who can help recording Baptism and Confirmation Records. We copied the software from the first computer to another computer (this may be the problem), and tried exporting information from the computer with the copied software and importing it to the original computer. The CDE program says that the import was successful, but when we check for pending submissions it says there are none. Is there some "authorized" way we need to install the CDE software to the computer? We've made sure they're the same version. Is this feature just not working?

In short, we would like to use the computer with the copied software to speed up the work of entering BCRs. How do we get it to export and then import correctly to the original so that it can be submitted by the authorized computer?

It is most likely the program needs to be installed. This creates registry settings for the program that are not present when the program folders and files are only copied from one computer to another. Contact your area office for the installer, if available for multiple computer use. I have no way of knowing, but, it may be like MLS in that only one installation of the software may be installed for full functionality. When you contact your area office they will let you know.

To my knowledge, CDE can only be installed on one computer in a mission office. Your area office can confirm.

Alright, thank you very much! We were hoping for a way to speed up the process, but if it's forbidden, that's fine.

wertdl wrote:To my knowledge, CDE can only be installed on one computer in a mission office. Your area office can confirm.

A lot of missions install it on more than one PC - the important thing is to only transmit from one. Not official policy - just what is being done.

We have a similar situation in our mission office where we want to use a second computer to enter and submit baptisms during periods of downtime. We have successfully installed CDE on a second computer, and we can enter new convert baptism data fine on that second computer. But when we tried to submit the data, it said "sending" but soon failed, saying something about being not authorized. We then tried to export the new baptisms from the second computer (using a thumb drive), and importing them into the authorized computer. We found the "baptfile.dat" file, and it said it successfully imported the file. But we cannot find the imported entries.

Is there not any way to use a second computer to perform data entry, and then either submit it directly, or export/import it to the authorized computer and then submit it?

Thanks in advance for the help.

trohlfing wrote:Is there not any way to use a second computer to perform data entry, and then either submit it directly, or export/import it to the authorized computer and then submit it?

You have posted to a nearly four-year-old topic, but I think the answer has not changed. You may wish to check with the Global Service Center, but if CDE works the same way as MLS does, then no, it will only run on one computer.

When your second computer failed to send with a "not authorized" message, it was being told it was not the computer from which headquarters was expecting to receive a transmission. And if you successfully imported the file you mentioned, it is likely you deleted the file on your primary computer and lost all of that information.

trohlfing wrote:Is there not any way to use a second computer to perform data entry, and then either submit it directly, or export/import it to the authorized computer and then submit it?

No, there is no way to use a second computer for data entry with CDE.

Thanks for your replies. I can understand why the Church only permits records to be submitted by one computer. But what I don't understand is why it isn't possible to do the data entry on a second computer running CDE (but not submit them) -- and then export to a thumb drive, and then import them from the thumb drive to the official CDE computer, and finally submit them from that computer. We tried that, but even though it said the export and import operations were successful, there was nothing pending to submit on the official computer after the import.

trohlfing wrote:Thanks for your replies. I can understand why the Church only permits records to be submitted by one computer. But what I don't understand is why it isn't possible to do the data entry on a second computer running CDE (but not submit them) -- and then export to a thumb drive, and then import them from the thumb drive to the official CDE computer, and finally submit them from that computer. We tried that, but even though it said the export and import operations were successful, there was nothing pending to submit on the official computer after the import.

It wasn't designed for that. The import/export was for backup/restore.

I want to try one more round on this topic. On the CDE program main screen, the center panel is called "Convert Data Entry." One of the items under that section is called "Export Baptisms to a File." If you hover your mouse over that item, the following help message is displayed:

"Save baptism files to a disk so they may be transferred to a computer that can transmit them to the administration office."

That is PRECISELY what I want to do, so that gives me hope that it can be done, but maybe I am missing a step somewhere. Sorry to be overly persistent about this, but this help message makes it seem like the capability to export from computer A, import to computer B, and then submit from computer B must be designed into the program.

Thanks a lot!

trohlfing wrote:"Save baptism files to a disk so they may be transferred to a computer that can transmit them to the administration office."

That is PRECISELY what I want to do,

Being the feisty guy that I am, I would contact your mission help desk (probably the Global Service Center) and tell them exactly what you just said. If they do not have a solution, I would ask them to elevate the issue to the developers for resolution, and if they say it cannot be done, I would ask them to change the text of the help message.

One can always hope.

(Most here at the Forum are not experienced with the Mission software (CDE) but only with the Administrative/Clerk (MLS) software, which does not allow this sort of thing.)

It wouldn't surprise me but it was a function which was depreciated.

Had the same question for my mission office, this was helpful

Philippines Olongapo Mission - is having issues with CDE. Past data is blank. Having trouble entering new data. I'm new to the system and 5K miles away - doing a Zoom share in an hour. Any suggestions?

lorijeanscott wrote:Philippines Olongapo Mission - is having issues with CDE. Past data is blank. Having trouble entering new data. I'm new to the system and 5K miles away - doing a Zoom share in an hour. Any suggestions?

Please remember this is a user-to-user discussion forum, and there's no guarantee anyone with specific knowledge will ever see this thread. There should be official help/support request channels the mission office could use--but I don't know what they are.

The mission should contact the Global Services Department.

Is it possible to switch which computer you are sending the data from? So, still just have one computer sending data, just switch it to a different computer within the office.

Thanks!