Retrieving Old Budget information

Can I restore a pre-Oct 17 MLS backup file to obtain a YTD budget report for a ward or branch?

Here's the steps I would take while logged into MLS with Administration rights:

1. Backup the current database to ensure no data is lost.

2. Restore the pre-CUBS data file using the Restore From Backup option in the File menu. (Do not do any send and receives until the backup from step 1 has been restored.)

3. Print the old budget information (and any other pre-CUBS reports that may be needed).

4. Restore the backup created in step 1.

I had to move the appropriate folder out so there were no active databases before it would give me the option to restore.
Also, I had to change the date on the computer to 17 October or it would lock me out and tell me that I needed to do a send and receive to update to CUBS.

I have used a separate stand-alone system to do this. I set the system date to 1:00am on 17OCT. I installed MLS 3.2.1 (NOT 3.2.3) and restored from the 17OCT backups using the multiple units feature in System Options. As long as the system stays at 17OCT (like the movie Groundhog Day), I can generate pre-CUBS reports. After my units are resolved, the MLS program and data will be removed.

A few oddities I don't have time to look at :
1. I can refresh from a file when the system time is earlier than the backup time.
2. I can login to MLS at a time earlier than the last time I logged in.
These unexpected "features" have lessened my workload greatly.

Where can I get install files for MLS version 3.2.1?

sgoodrich wrote:Where can I get install files for MLS version 3.2.1?

If you are following the above steps to keep the system date at October 17, there is no need to use MLS 3.2.1 -- MLS 3.2.3 will work just fine. I've done it 5 times with no problems. You can get MLS 3.2.3 from the MLS download site.

Through the years of trolling the LDSTech Forums, I have come to respect Alan_Brown's comments. I would follow his suggestion of using MLS 3.2.3 and see what happens. If it works for you, you're home free. If you have problems, post a "return and report" status

In my case, I tried MLS 3.2.3 and was stilled locked out of financial access, even though the date was past 24OCT. I didn't think of trying 3.2.3 with 17OCT. I was desparate so I simply started using earlier versions.

If you have problems with 3.2.3, I would be willing to post 3.2.1, but the size may preclude that option.

Good luck.

knoxj wrote:If you have problems with 3.2.3, I would be willing to post 3.2.1, but the size may preclude that option.

Although your willingness to help is admirable, please note that it is not appropriate to post anything here publicly which is or was available only on the password-protected MLS download site.

But fortunately, it is not necessary, since 3.2.3 will indeed work fine.

Thanks for the responses. I was able to download the install file and access the information I needed.

knoxj wrote:I have used a separate stand-alone system to do this. I set the system date to 1:00am on 17OCT. I installed MLS 3.2.1 (NOT 3.2.3) and restored from the 17OCT backups using the multiple units feature in System Options. As long as the system stays at 17OCT (like the movie Groundhog Day), I can generate pre-CUBS reports. After my units are resolved, the MLS program and data will be removed.

A few oddities I don't have time to look at :
1. I can refresh from a file when the system time is earlier than the backup time.
2. I can login to MLS at a time earlier than the last time I logged in.
These unexpected "features" have lessened my workload greatly.

I am trying to set up MLS 3.2.4 on a stand-alone system, but can't seem to get it to run. It is a computer that uses Vista Home Premium, but I am trying to run it in a window that is using XP compatibility. Most of the time, all I get is the system trying to load resources. A couple of times I have gotten to the beginning screen, but when I select restore, nothing happens. Does anyone have any ideas?

I could drive over to my Ward building, but that is 1/2 hour away.

B Stahmer wrote:I am trying to set up MLS 3.2.4 on a stand-alone system, but can't seem to get it to run. It is a computer that uses Vista Home Premium, but I am trying to run it in a window that is using XP compatibility. Most of the time, all I get is the system trying to load resources. A couple of times I have gotten to the beginning screen, but when I select restore, nothing happens. Does anyone have any ideas?

I'd point you to this post which has discussed this already.

crislapi wrote:I'd point you to this post which has discussed this already.

Thanks, that helped - I am now getting to where I can click on the Restore Files. However, I am now getting a message when I try to restore that says that "Java Platorm SE binary has stopped working." I have re-installed the MLS, but get the same error. Could it be I have an incorrect Java version? Any ideas?

MLS contains its own java install bundled with it, so no, it's likely that is not your problem. This post contains a similar problem, but no report on if the suggestion worked. This post related to java errors gave some more suggestions. Unfortunately, that post is still open-ended.

I have read a number of threads regarding the retrieval of the old information and I guess my finance newbyness is setting up a roadblock for me. So if this question seems silly please forgive me.

Why is it necessary to know what the old budget category amounts were?

I ask this because my understanding is that as of October 17, we are starting at zero, adding whatever the Stake determines to give us, and go from there. In my simple mind, it does not matter what an organization had before. Their only concern is what they have now (or soon will have).

I have to be missing something - if someone has the patience to explain, I will appreciate it.

idjeeper wrote:I have read a number of threads regarding the retrieval of the old information and I guess my finance newbyness is setting up a roadblock for me. So if this question seems silly please forgive me.

Why is it necessary to know what the old budget category amounts were?

I ask this because my understanding is that as of October 17, we are starting at zero, adding whatever the Stake determines to give us, and go from there. In my simple mind, it does not matter what an organization had before. Their only concern is what they have now (or soon will have).

I have to be missing something - if someone has the patience to explain, I will appreciate it.

The stake will give you one lump sum of money to work with, that most likely corresponds to your ward's total remaining budget allocation.

But of that lump sum, how much goes to the Relief Society? How much goes to the Elders Quorum? etc. All those budget figures will be at 0 on October 24. You need to transfer portions of that lump sum to each of those subcategories. You can only know those numbers if you have a Budget report (summary by subcategory) for October 17 or you can reconstruct those numbers some other way.

After working through 9 units plus the stake computer I have found that the data saved on the 17th of October is critical moreso for the "Other" accounts than the old budget categories.

I recommended to the units in our stake that with the deletion of some of the old unit specific Budget cateories (combined youth events, missionary, Bishopric/Clerk, and so forth) they end the year just using one or possibley two of the new categories and work out of them while it gives them time to figure out what categories they need to build in and have ready for the start of next year. Thus the need for knowing the old remaining balances and spending hours putting funds back into the remaining categories wasn't critical. The Bishop should have already had a fair idea of how the unit's auxiliaries stood budget wise and what still needed to be funded through the end of the year.

The data in the Other categories is far more important in my mind. Funds identified for Family History Centers, Boy Scouts, Young Women camps etc was really scrambled when the conversion lumped four years worth of data into one column and one needed to spend time figuring out how to get the exact amounts back to read what they did on the 17th.

Thus to me (and my opinion only) was that the printouts on the 17th were critical to rebuilding the Other accounts. A couple of our units failed to print out those reports which caused me to have to recreate them via using an another computer, installing MLS, and inserting a bak file to get that data. (of course I was extremely careful to uninstall MLS and associated files off the non unit computer - I actually used one of the family history computers to get the printouts and then uninstalled the MLS program)

Just explaining my idea of why the printouts from the 17th were/are critical.

I guess my stake is behind the ball in figuring out that we need to restore some of our wards back to a Oct 17 database to retrieve data that CUBS has wiped out. We were going to follow the instructions on using a stand alone computer with its clock turned back to Oct 17 but now that MLS 3.2.4 is out I can no longer get the 3.2.3 version off of the MLS download site. Does anyone know of an archive? If some one has an installer there are ways to share the file securely and not post to a public site. Please reply to this post and we can work it out.

Not having a good time in Meridian....

Jeff Papke

jpapke wrote:I guess my stake is behind the ball in figuring out that we need to restore some of our wards back to a Oct 17 database to retrieve data that CUBS has wiped out. We were going to follow the instructions on using a stand alone computer with its clock turned back to Oct 17 but now that MLS 3.2.4 is out I can no longer get the 3.2.3 version off of the MLS download site. Does anyone know of an archive? If some one has an installer there are ways to share the file securely and not post to a public site. Please reply to this post and we can work it out.

You don't need 3.2.3 -- 3.2.4 will work just fine for this procedure.