System Date Recovery

Our Ward Executive Secretary came in this morning and did work using MLS without realizing that someone had altered the windows system date. The result has been that MLS now is stuck at December 26th 2011. The remedy on the tech support site advises to use the last backup and then reconstruct from there. That is my basic question...how to reconstruct.

Our last backup was on Dec. 19th in the morning. We have had 3 batches transmitted since that point in time. I assume that we will need to re-enter all of the contributions and expenses made since that point in time. What happens though when those batches are retransmitted? Do we need to contact church headquarters to inform them of the repeated batches? Are there any other reparations that will need to be made?

Thanks

grayjohn wrote:Our Ward Executive Secretary came in this morning and did work using MLS without realizing that someone had altered the windows system date.

While you certainly need some help, and probably by phone support with SLC, I'd make certain this "someone" knows the problems caused, and doesn't alter the system date again! If it's an honest mistake, and somebody needs training, then you know what needs to happen. After all, this is a computer that contains sensitive financial and personal info on ward members...Is your clerks office secure?

Yes, the office is secure, and, yes, I am sure this was an honest mistake on someone's part. I have been using MLS for over three years now and I must confess that I was unaware that a change in the system date would have this type of irreversable impact on MLS. I haven't had a chance yet to catch up with all of those with access to the computer to make sure that all are aware of this issue. Is this issue mentioned in any of the official clerks training materials?

grayjohn wrote:Yes, the office is secure, and, yes, I am sure this was an honest mistake on someone's part. I have been using MLS for over three years now and I must confess that I was unaware that a change in the system date would have this type of irreversable impact on MLS. I haven't had a chance yet to catch up with all of those with access to the computer to make sure that all are aware of this issue. Is this issue mentioned in any of the official clerks training materials?

It's mentioned in many places:

• Using MLS: Ward and Branch Instructions
• Introduction to the Member and Leader Services (MLS) Software online lesson (slide 20)
• Member and Leader Services wiki article

Although you might not have seen all the places it's mentioned, every user of MLS should have taken that online lesson.

The Changing the system date wiki article also gives a suggestion for preventing such accidental changes in the future. Now that MLS 3.3 doesn't have to run under an administrator account, you should be able to make it even more certain that no one can casually change the system date.

grayjohn wrote:I assume that we will need to re-enter all of the contributions and expenses made since that point in time. What happens though when those batches are retransmitted? Do we need to contact church headquarters to inform them of the repeated batches? Are there any other reparations that will need to be made?

Under CUBS, it is not necessary to re-enter the contributions -- if you contact Local Unit Support, they can send the batches back down to you. Other information entered into MLS since the last backup (such as home teaching information) will need to be entered again.

grayjohn wrote:The remedy on the tech support site advises to use the last backup and then reconstruct from there. That is my basic question...how to reconstruct.

By tech support site I am guessing you mean on the LDSTech Wiki at the MLS article in the System Date Recoverysection. How to reconstruct is covered in another wiki article, MLS installation and repair.

grayjohn wrote:Our last backup was on Dec. 19th in the morning. We have had 3 batches transmitted since that point in time. I assume that we will need to re-enter all of the contributions and expenses made since that point in time.

I am not certain about this under CUBS. If nobody gives a better answer here in the forum then I would contact LUS. You may need to do this anyway.

Edit: I see that Alan has that answer and responded while I was composing mine.

grayjohn wrote:I have been using MLS for over three years now and I must confess that I was unaware that a change in the system date would have this type of irreversable impact on MLS. ... Is this issue mentioned in any of the official clerks training materials?

Official clerk training material now includes the LDSTech Wiki, the LDSTech forums, and the LDS.org website. So in that regard yes it is covered (See the wiki article Member and Leader Services). There is a lot of information that is available. That information is growing day by day. So in that regard something like this may not have come to your attention amidst all the other "more important" things you should know.

aebrown,
Thanks for your replies. Very helpful information!

Thank you JD