Overview
An attendance batch is used to add the attendance for an event on a particular date. This allows you to select multiple people to show they attended the event, which then creates attendance records for each person. This is used to track attendance throughout the year for reports.
There are multiple ways to enter a batch into Shepherd’s Staff. There are two different versions of batch entry (Advanced and Basic), along with WebTools, and the ability to import a file. Once a batch is created, it must be posted before the attendance records are added. Once a batch is posted, options for editing it become very limited, so be sure to have all attendance entered correctly before posting the batch.
If a batch is posted by mistake, all attendance records and event records must be deleted, and the batch must be recreated. If only a couple of people are missing from the batch, entering the attendance from the detail view is the easiest method. If the batch was posted for the wrong event, date, or type, you can use the Fix attendance posting mistakes utility.
Note
Batches can be edited by only one person. If you are using a networked database, having more than one person edit a batch will cause errors and possibly corrupt the data once the batch is posted. Because of this, there is now a field on the batch view that displays who is editing the batch.
Key Parts
» Add—Opens a new window where you can select the event, date, and entry method. This window will also display the last time the event occurred.
» Edit—Edits the selected batch. This is also how you can change the entry method.
» Delete—Removes the selected batch. This cannot be undone.
» Post—Submits the selected batch, and creates an event record and attendance records for all people who attended.
» WebTools—This button opens a window where you can select the batches that have been completed in WebTools and import them into Shepherd’s Staff. WebTools needs to be synced for batches to appear in this window.
» Unlock—Unlocks the batch. If a batch is being edited by another user on a network, the batch becomes locked. This means no one else can edit it until the other user is finished. Before clicking the *Unlock* button, confirm no one else is working with the batch. If two people enter attendance into the same batch, the database can become corrupt.
» File—Clicking this opens a window allowing you to import and export batches. This is used if you create batches from a remote location but do not have access to WebTools.
» Export—Exports the batch grid to an Excel file.
» Print—Creates a batch report and opens the print preview that lists all the attendees for the selected batch.