System Setup Guide

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This document is a walkthrough of the Administration menu, which contains almost all of the settings used to administer your whole Charitylog system. This is a long document. Rather than trying to read through the whole document in one go, you might like to consider using the links out of Charitylog to find the help content you need. Above the navigation menu on each Charitylog page is a button like this: File:Wikibutton 1.png. Clicking on this button will take you to help content relating to that page.

If you haven't already done so, it is strongly recommended that administrators read the Introduction to Charitylog for Administrators and the Quick Start Guide for Administrators before this one.

Contents

Accessing the Administration section

To set up your system you will need access to the Administration menu. It is at the bottom of the main menu which appears in almost every Charitylog screen. If you can't see it, it is because you do not belong to a user group which is granted access. You need to contact one of your system administrators and request to be moved to one of the relevant User Groups.

Our Details

This section is for details of your organisation.

Text entered in the box will be shown to all users when they log in (under the user-specific username/password entry page).

Contact email address

This is the reply-to address that will appear on system generated emails. It's worth checking this before your system goes live; sometimes in pre-implementation it is set to the email address of the main contact in your organisation, which is often the chief executive. Leaving it set like this may lead to users sending out emails which appear to have come from your chief executive.

It's important to have something filled in this box, as without it, system generated emails will be sent as if they have no sender, which often means they get diverted to spam folders. Note that the system won't check this email address for validity, so it's up to you to format it properly. Alternatively, you might like to use a "donotreply@" address.

Referral Audit

The Referral Audit feature is intended for service managers to independently audit the work your organisation has done, usually by telephoning the client and checking that they are happy. Clicking the "Referral Audit" link will show you a display of the referrals on your system. You can narrow these results by date range, the user that entered the referral, Project, whether they have been checked already, and whether the referral(s) in question are complete.


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Clicking a "Check" button will show you -

  • The client's contact details
  • The details of that referral
  • Simple diary outcomes
  • A "Check Completed?" box.


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You may like to consider using Simple Diary Outcomes specifically for audit checking, since Project-specific outcomes are almost always better when structured as Ladder Outcomes.

Once checked, you can fill in the required outcome and/or add notes, set the "Check Completed?" field to "Yes", and click the "Save and Close" button.

Standard Document Setup

Publication Setup

Setup of Publication Categories is dealt with in the Administrator Guide to Office Functionality.

Standard Letter Templates

Standard letters are dealt with in the Administrator guide to Office Functionality.

Uploaded Doc. Categories

This menu item shows the categories that are set up on your system to categorise uploaded documents, which can be uploaded and stored with the details of any organisation/person on your system. Users can use the categories to categorise a document when they upload it. An example set of categories is shown. You can use these categories in any way you like - whatever suits your organisation.


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Drop-Down Lists

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Throughout your Charitylog system there are drop-down lists. Drop-down lists are simple, and fundamental to Charitylog. In particular, if you have certain reporting requirements, you need to make sure that the drop-down lists are set up so that users can log data which matches these requirements. For example, if your funder has a certain list of ethnic origins that they want you to categorise your contacts by, you will need to make sure that the drop-down list of ethnic origins matches their list.

Each list can be configured by clicking on a link in Administration > Drop-Down Lists. Each list also displays the number of times each option is currently used across the system.

If you need to adjust a list, you cannot delete items, but you can make them inactive, which means that they will not appear anywhere in the system any more (apart from on the setup page).

Note for system administrators and chief executives

Because all of the drop-down lists are customisable, getting these drop-down lists correctly set up is a very important way to start your Charitylog implementation. They will be set up for you depending on what you enter on your pre-implementation spreadsheets. There are default values for some of them (for example, the list of age ranges), but remember that these can be changed. However, it is difficult to change drop-down lists when users have already started using them, as you risk compromising the integrity of your data - so give the drop-down lists some careful thought before you start implementation, if possible.

Some drop-down lists (like Age Ranges) are universally used in the same way. Some are slightly less specific, and can be used for anything that your organisation needs. Your Implementation Consultant will be able to help you set these up and advise you on which is most appropriate to use.

Accomodation Types

Accommodation Types are found on the Personal Details tab of person-related records - clients, carers, volunteers and so on.

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Age Ranges

The Age Ranges drop-down list is in fact a set of age bands. When a user enters a date of birth on a client's record (or another person type), the system will automatically set their age band accordingly. You may have sets of standard age bands which you have to use, set by a national body or a funder. Alternatively you may be at liberty to choose your own.

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Clicking on the name of an age band will let you edit it, set the upper and lower limits, and so on. Care should be taken with the display order to make sure that the age bands display in age order, unless there is a very good reason not to - users will often find it confusing if age bands are displayed in any other way.

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Benefits

If your organisation does any work around helping people to apply for benefits, and/or you need to store information on what benefits your clients are currently receiving, you will need to set up these benefits in this drop-down list. When recording information about a client, users can pick the relevant benefit and the figures will automatically be carried in according to this list. Here, the list has been set up with the different rates for the two DLA components (as at May 2013).

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Categories of Need

Categories of need are one of the lists without a prescribed function, and you can use them to categorise clients if needed (example shown).

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They do have one specific use, which is for Supporting People. If your organisation does not take part in Supporting People, you can use them in any way you wish.

Client Personal Options

The Client Personal Options menu is likely to be expanded or restructured in a future release. At present it only has one option in it - Payment Methods. This is mirrored from Payment Methods in the Accounts module. The "Client Personal Options" menu can be ignored unless you are using the Accounts module, and even then you should not need to actually use it.

Communication Methods

The list of Communication Methods on your system are used whenever a contact is recorded with a client (or any other Organisation or Person type). Users will pick from this list when recording the contact, to say what form that contact took. If you want to report on the different numbers of contacts your organisations has carried out (telephone calls vs office drop-ins, etc) then this list needs to be set up from the start to reflect the contacts you want to track. An example set of communication methods is shown here. Note that these are subject to Display Order, and because users will use this drop-down list all the time, it is important to set the order correctly.

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Consent Rule Text Entry

This menu item will let you enter options which will appear on the client's Client Contact Rules section. You can add different forms of consent for different scenarios, and then use the Client Contact Rules feature to record whether that consent has been obtained or not.


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Contact Types

Contact Types are an extra level of categorisation, separate to Communication Methods. For example, as well as logging the communication method, you might want to categorise your contacts in one of the categories below:

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These Contact Types can be set by the user when recording a contact - see this page for details. The ability to enter a Contact Type from the Record a Contact screen also needs to be turned on for each Project you want them available for: see this page for details of how to do this.

Courses & Qualifications

This list of courses and qualifications is specifically for logging the experience and qualification of your organisation's volunteers or staff.

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Clicking on the name of a course/qualification will show its details, along with an option to say whether it is a course or a qualification. The Type which is set will govern whether it is available from the Courses link or the Qualifications link. For details of how to log these, click here.

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Data Dictionary Fields

The Data Dictionary fields are fields in Charitylog for which you can change the options available. Clicking the link will show you the available Data Dictionary Fields.

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Clicking on the name of one will let you enter new options. If you want to delete an option, blank out the line in question and click "Save Details".

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Disabilities

This is the list of disabilities available on your system for logging clients and other people. This will be set up according to your pre-implementation spreadsheet, or with a default list if you do not provide a list. Commonly the list of disabilities used by voluntary organisations is one set at regional or national level to help reports from different organisations match one another.

Districts

Together with Towns and Counties, Districts help categorise people according to where they live. Districts are slightly different to Towns and Counties in that there is no set way to use them (Town and County are usually pretty obvious, and trying to use them in a way that is non-standard can confuse clients and users). They are used differently according to the needs of different organisations, and often organisations based in cities use them differently to organisations based outside major towns/cities.

They are often used to categorise clients' locations by broad or vague areas. For example, an organisation based in a city might use them as shown below:

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Note the "Out of our funded area" option - some organisations are only funded to work within certain areas and using Districts in this way can help you report on specific areas, and make sure that you are not doing too much work in a non-funded area.

Ethnic Origins

This is the list of ethnic origins available on your system for categorising clients and other people. When you first start using Charitylog, this will be set up according to your pre-implementation spreadsheet. You can change or add to it as you wish.

Living Arrangements

Living Arrangements can be used to categorise organisations and people.

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Marital Status

Marital Status is used to categorise organisations and people.

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Membership/Skills Groups

This list is a list of the groups, committees, skill areas, or interests which carers, staff, volunteers and trustees may either belong to or have. They are usually referred to as "Groups and Skills". There are many places that they can be used in the system, and so the list you enter here may be quite diverse - there's nothing wrong with this. A common set of Groups and Skills might be set up to do with the various volunteer roles that your organisation might need. Creating Groups and Skills for volunteers such as "Befrienders", "Gardeners" and so on will enable users to look within these categories when assigning volunteers to clients.

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Organisation and People Categories

These are reporting categories used for Organisations and People. You can use any list of categories you want - it simply depends on what you want to report on. For instance, if it would be useful to know "how many referrals we have had over the year from GP surgeries", you would need a category called "Surgeries" that you put all of the GP surgeries into. The categories can also cross other divides - for example, you could have a category of "Health Groups" which includes voluntary organisations, paid-for health clubs and classes, gyms, and so on. These categories are usually used to categorise Organisations and Referrers, but you can also use them to categorise Staff, Volunteers and Suppliers.

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Referral Sources

Referral Sources are separate to Referrers themselves - rather, they are used to capture data about where somebody heard about the services of the organisation. Users can enter a Referral Source (as well as a Referrer) on the Record a Contact screen. If you want this to happen, you need to enable it in the setup of each Project.

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Relationships

Relationships has options for Personal Relationships and Carer Relationships. They are used in two places - from the Relationships screen, and as part of Carer Assignments.

When entering new matching relationships, remember that you need to enter the relationship in both directions - for example, if you enter a "Husband" relationship, you will also need to enter a "Wife" relationship to be used for the other person.

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Religions

The list of religions available on your system for logging people's details.

Service User Groups

Service User Group is intended for grouping people together for reporting purposes - beyond that there are no specific ways you "should" use Service User Groups, so you can use them for anything you need.

Sexual Orientations

The list of sexual orientations available on your system.

Status

Like Service User Group, Status is a flexible field that you can use for anything you need.

Termination Reasons

These are the reasons you can attach when you terminate a client's involvement with a Project. For more details about "Clients In Project" and Termination, see this page.

Unless you are certain that you need to make use of it, it is better to ignore the concept of Clients In Project and Termination.

Town Lookup Edit

Town Lookup Edit provides a way to fill out the Town, County and Postal District fields quickly and easily. You can set up Towns, and for each Town, associate a County and a District. Users can then select the correct Town when entering information to the system, and the County and District fields will automatically be filled in.

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If you are using Postcode Anywhere, this will override Town Lookup Edit.

Town Lookup Edit tutorial

Equipment

This menu item lets you set up pieces of equipment which can then be logged as loaned out to people. It is useful if your organisation provides equipment like laptops, accessible hardware and so on. You can also use it to log equipment that is provided to staff. Assignments can be made by way of the "Equipment" link which shows at the bottom of a Client's Details screen (ditto any other person type).

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Equipment History

This is a report to show what equipment assignments were made and when. You can specify a date range, enter part/all of the name of the piece of equipment if you want to report on something specific. You can then opt to show the results on screen (Display/Print) or download an Excel spreadsheet to your computer (Export).

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Extended Orgs & People List

The Extended Orgs & People List is an Administrator-only search, which searches all of the Organisations and People on your Charitylog system at the same time. This is the only search where this is possible; all of the searches that end users can carry out are limited to one Type. A series of options for narrowing the search are available, as shown. If you wish, you can search only one Type.

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There are some particularly useful features to this search. In the results, you can set Organisations' Info Links by clicking the "Info Links" button.

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The search also shows on the results which Type(s) is/are associated with each Person or Organisation. Clicking on the name of one of the results will let you see the list of available Types in one column, with the option to select as many as required.

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Information Links Headings

Information Links are covered in the Office Functionality chapter.

LSOA Areas and Wards

Super Output Areas (SOAs) are a national geography created by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for collecting, aggregating and reporting statistics. Using this feature in Charitylog, you can have postcodes "drive" selection of MSOA, LSOA, Ward, Locality and Local Authority. You would not want to set this up from scratch, as the list of postcodes even for a small geographical area would be very large. Rather, if you want to use SOAs, you will probably already have a strategy for getting the SOAs that cover your area. You can then provide a spreadsheet to Charitylog with all of these postcodes and associated SOAs, which can then be added to reports. Note that the LSOA and MSOA are not stored on the client record, but when you export a report with SOA data attached, the system puts together the client's postcode with the SOA table and adds the SOA data to the exported spreadsheet.

We do have a feature in development to enable postcodes to drive selection of everything else - ward, postal district, county and so on. This would replace/incorporate the functionality of Town Lookup Edit, Postcode Anywhere, and SOAs. This system is likely to take a while to develop, but please give us a ring on 01989 763 691 if you would like to discuss this proposed feature, and/or feed into the development discussion.

Projects and Referral Entries

Projects are a fundamental concept within the Charitylog system. They are covered in a separate chapter: Projects.

Referral Reasons

Referral Reasons are a set of reasons that can be attached to referrals. The unique aspect of Referral Reasons is that you have control over which Projects they are used for, so each Project can have their own set, if required. Optionally, users can also enter multiple reasons. Clicking the menu item will show you the list of Referral Reasons set up on your system, if there are any, along with the Projects they are associated with.


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Clicking on the name of the reason, or clicking the "Create New Reason" button, will let you edit the name of the reason and which Projects it is available to.

If you want to classify your referrals with more details than Referral Reasons will allow, you might like to consider using Classification Codes.

Security

Anonymise Clients

The "Anonymise Clients" menu item is a specific search used, as the name suggests, for wiping personal data from details of clients who will have no more dealings with your organisation. You might choose to anonymise clients for various reasons - if they have died, moved away etc. More likely, it is because that individual has had no dealings with your organisation for a predefined period - for example, 7 years - and your data protection policy requires you to turn their data into a form which cannot identify individuals and where identification is not likely to take place. The "Anonymise Clients" feature allows you to do this, whilst retaining important data for your historical reports.

Clicking on the "Anonymise Clients" menu item will show you a search form:


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This search will only show clients who are not active, and have had all their involvement with Projects terminated. Once you have found the clients you need, you can anonymise them.

For more details about active and non-active Clients, click here. For more details about terminating a Client's involvement with a Project, click here.

Backup

The "Backup" menu item has two functions.

Backup of your database

This will allow you to download a complete copy of your data from the system. You do not need to use this in day-to-day activity, as all data is securely backed up by the data centre. This menu item is to be used in the event of your system becoming unsupported. We have a copy of our source code held by a solicitor. In the event of Charitylog becoming unsupported, you will be able to obtain a copy of our source code. By putting this together with a backup from your system, you will be able to restore your data and carry on working.

This backup cannot be used without the source code. If you need to get figures and data out of your Charitylog system for reporting purposes, you can do so using the Reports menu item.

Backup of uploaded documents

You can also download a compressed copy of all of the Uploaded Documents that have been stored on your Charitylog system.

Classification Codes

The coding system is a way of classifying activity. It is a hierarchical structure, so selecting a certain option in level 1 then gives sub-options in level 2, and sometimes there is a third level, a fourth, and so on. This diagram shows an example, with a Residential Care code grouping. Each option picked has an associated code, which is automatically added to the referral. When the user has selected an option in each level, the final code output is created and added to the details of the referral.

The arrows show the available paths to take. The red arrow shows the path actually taken, down to the final code creation: B2E, which actually means "Personal Expenses Allowance, within the Payment and Charging section of Residential Care".


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You can create your own code groupings like this - use the "Create New Code Grouping" button to make a new system.


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...and once you have created your new code grouping, click "Edit" to be taken to the main codes entry screen.


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Once a main code is created, you can then create further sub-codes within it, with the "Go To Sub-Code" button....


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...and you can add further sub-codes within that sub-code...


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...and so on.

Note that you can give your own code system as many levels as you need, but consider how easy (or otherwise) it will be for day-to-day users to enter the codes. It's best to keep any coding system as streamlined as possible.

Questions attached to codes

At each level of the classification coding system, you have the option to add a question if a certain option is picked. When the users selects that option, a field will appear for entry of an answer to a question.

Click on the name of a sub-code:


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Then click the "Save and Enter Questions" button.


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You can now enter a question to associate with the code. In this case, a question has been added to a "Bus Timetables" code, which will ask the client for the date they started using the bus in preference to a car. Click "Save Details" when complete.


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You will now be returned to the question display screen, with your new question shown.


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When a user picks this code, a date entry box will appear below it for an answer to be entered.


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When to use codes

  • Using classification codes is good when you want a hierarchical structure. It is particularly useful if you have a large amount of possible codes that you want to use - breaking them down into levels like this means it is easy for end users to select from even a very large list of codes, without actually having to know the codes in the first place. They can simply pick the appropriate code in level 1, then pick the most appropriate code from level 2, and so on.
  • Codes are also useful because you can log several codes against each contact, and therefore against each referral. In a project where you discuss a wide range of issues with a client at one visit, this can be a useful way to log all of these at once. This would not be allowed by Referral Reasons etc.
  • Finally, code entry can be optional or forced - so forcing code entry will ensure that something is entered against each referral.

When not to use codes

Against the above points, you should balance the following -

  • Forcing code entry puts in another step to the process of recording contacts. Codes can be very useful, but using them when they are not really needed can add unnecessary hassle to an end user's day-to-day work.
  • Only use codes if you have a general reporting need for that level of detail. If you do not need great detail, you may be able to use Referral Reasons, Project Subcategories or an Extension Database on referral entries.


Customisable Tab Settings

This menu item allows you to control which data fields are shown on the General Details and Personal Details tabs of Organisation/People records. Using these, you can decide exactly what data will be shown, field by field.

  • This can be put together with the following features to gain fine control of data visibility.
    • User Settings - Personal Tab Access and Project Visibility
    • User Generated Org/People Types

If you need help configuring these parts of the system, please speak to your Implementation Consultant, or call our support line on 01989 763 691.

Delete Referrals

To be used when users have entered incorrect data, or entered data twice.

Use with extreme caution - in case of double entry, make sure all data to be kept has been transferred to the Referral which will survive. We advise that you only use the Delete Referrals feature under specific guidance from us.

Extension Databases

Extension Databases provide a way of adding to your Charitylog system, if you find that the standard setup doesn't quite do what you want. They can be used in all sorts of different ways - you can create them:

  • To appear on every Client Details screen (or indeed on any Details screen required)
  • To appear on the Client Personal Details tab (so you can restrict view access to them if required)
  • To appear on a Club or Clinic Details screen
  • To appear after recording a contact - either once per chain of actions, or after every action in the chain

You can use them in the following ways:

Extension Databases are covered in their own chapter: Extension Databases.

External Referral Settings

This menu option relates to the Referral Portals Module.

Help

The Help section contains the following.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Charitylog system.

Documentation and Guides

Downloadable help documentation. In time, this will be replaced by this manual.

System Updates

Updates that have been made to your Charitylog system, along with details of new features etc.

Support

The Support Ticket feature is under development. It allows you to generate a support ticket to be sent to us, and also allows you to generate a key so that a Charitylog help team member can share your screen to solve problems.

Input Field Rules

Input Field Rules are an important way to streamline data input to your Charitylog system.

Standard Input Field Rules

Users should always start the process of recording a contact with a search for the person in question (usually a Client). This is to make sure that the person in question is not already entered to the system (and remember that because the whole organisation is sharing a data pool, it is quite possible that the person in question has been entered by a different service within the organisation). If the person is already on the system, they can check the History tab, see if the referral is already started, and if so, carry on from there. If the person is not on the system, they can then use a "Create New" button to make a new client/volunteer/etc.

At this point, they are taken to a blank record for editing. In the case of a Client, the blank record looks like this.


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As you can see, there are a lot of fields available (and there are actually twice as many as shown, because there is a Personal Details tab available too). Seeing this amount of data entry can easily put off an end user. Furthermore, the user has no way of knowing what the organisation's policy is on data capture - so some staff members may take down a lot of details, while others only record a name.

Input Field Rules solves this problem. You can set up a set of rules for a general, organisation-wide minimum data set. This will create a new button on a client search result, "Record a Contact for a New Client".

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Rather than go to a full client record for editing, this will take a user to a screen with a data entry form which will be driven by the Standard Input Field Rules. So if the Standard Input Field Rules are set to require a (sur)name, forename(s) and a postcode, the data entry screen you will see will look like this:


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This is much more palatable to an end user than a full, blank client record.

The system-wide (Standard) Input Field Rules are set up by clicking the "Input Field Rules" menu item, then the "Edit Rules" link:


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This will take you to a screen where you can set any of the data to be stored with one of four options -

  • No Rules
  • Show on entry screen (but allow to be left empty)
  • Warning if not filled in
  • Must be filled in


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Use "Warning if not filled in" with caution. Setting a field to this option will show the box in yellow on the data entry screen, and if the user tries to save details without entering any data in that box, they will be shown a popup warning for that box. If there are several boxes set as "Warning if not filled in", the user will be shown several warning popups, which can be quite cumbersome.

Project-Specific Input Field Rules

Standard Input Field rules are effective, but they are not enough to deal with the varying data capture needs of a whole organisation. More often than not, the different projects within one organisation will have different requirements, for example -

  • As well as standard data, the Information service needs to know clients' telephone number, email address, and preferred method of communication.
  • As well as standard data, the Housing Support service needs to know clients' living arrangements, employment status and whether they have a disability.

...and so on. Incorporating all of these requirements into the Standard Input Field Rules would be tiresome, and would mean that each Project has to capture data for the sake of other Projects. This will lead to increased workload and pressure on staff, so must be avoided. Instead, you can use Project-Specific Input Field Rules to deal with these requirements. Click on the "Input Field Rules" menu item. At the bottom of the page are the Input Field Rules for each Project.


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Click "Create Rules" next to the Project you want to set the Input Field Rules for. You will see a similar screen to that which is displayed for standard rules.


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Shown above is the example scenario for the Information project, requiring "Preferred Method of Communication", "Main Telephone No." and "Email Address (Main)" to be filled in. These Input Field Rules are added to the standard rules, so you do not need to set "Surname", "Forename" and "Postcode" as required in the project specific rules - they will be carried over from the standard rules.

If you now use "Record a Contact for a New Client", and enter the required (Standard) details...


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...and click "Save Details", you can then pick the Project to be used, in the usual way. In this case, "Information" is selected. The system then checks the Project specific Input Field Rules, and if there is data not yet stored on this client, you will be prompted for it.


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In this way, each Project can require its own data set, without burdening all other Projects with its requirements.

User Group Specific Input Field Rules

You can also apply a set of Input Field Rules to any User Group set up on your system.


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Just like Project-specific Input Field Rules, these are added to the Standard (and Project if used) Input Field Rules. You cannot use Group-specific Input Field Rules to allow groups to enter less data than standard, only more.

Applying Standard Input Field Rules to the Client Record

There is another place that Input Field Rules appear - in Operational Rules. There is a field which lets you set your system to apply the standard Input Field Rules to the Client Record itself. Use with caution, as it can slow/frustrate data entry, but if you want your users to be prompted frequently to preserve the data you store for clients, it's there if you need it.


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Input Field Rules for anonymous contacts

Recording anonymous contacts has a slightly different relationship to Input Field Rules - namely that recording of anonymous contacts will not function until you have set up some Input Field Rules to suit. To create some Input Field Rules, click the "Create Anon. Rules" link as shown:


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Even if you don't enter a requirement for the "Name" field, it will appear on anonymous contacts anyway. Although it seems a bit silly to require a name from an anonymous contact, this field is important for two reasons:

  • Recording an anonymous contact doesn't just "lose" the person; rather, it does create a client on the system, and that client is named "Anonymous Client". Over time, a lot of anonymous contacts will create a lot of clients with the same name. This isn't ideal, but it does mean that if a client who was previously anonymous comes back to have some work done with your organisation, you at least have some chance of finding the relevant anonymous contacts and merging the client records. Creating a new client each time also means that your reports for "how many client contacts have we had" will have the correct numbers in.
  • This field, when used for Recording an Anonymous Contact, allows the end user to look up surnames on the system and check that the client is not, in fact, already on the system. This commonly happens when clients have involvement with one project more than others - they may not realise that everyone is using the same database.


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Insert Audit Report

The Insert Audit Report (also called the Record Insert Audit Report) is a feature which can show you all submissions made to the database either by a particular user, to a particular table, or both.

Use only under guidance from Charitylog.

Integrated Add-on Software

eziTracker Settings

Postcode Anywhere Settings

Text Anywhere Settings

Make Assessment Forms

Assessments is covered in its own chapter: Assessments.

Operational Rules

Client Record Rules

  • Force Client Telephone Number Entry?
  • Force Client Address Line 1 Entry?
  • Force Client Postcode Entry?
  • Force Status Entry?

These four options relate to the Client Details screen. They can be used to help ensure data is captured. If enabled, each will force the relevant field to become a "must be filled in" field. When a user views the Client Details screen, if they try and save a record without the relevant field filled in, the system will pop up a warning box and will not let them save the record without the relevant information. Essentially it makes sure that no client can be active on the system at all without this piece of information. In this way it is even more universal than the Standard Input Field Rules (which only apply when recording a contact). It can be a burden to users, so should be used with caution, but it can be effective.

Force "Check for Duplicates" Button Use?

Setting this to "yes" will mean that a user is not permitted to create a new client on the system without having first used the "Check for Duplicates" button.

Use Standard "Input Field Rules" validation on Client Records?

Setting this to "yes" wil apply the Standard Input Field Rules to every client details screen, so the data capture requirements will be imposed every time a user saves a client record. Like the first four options on this tab, this option should be used with caution.

Use People/Organisation ID as Account Code

Setting this to "yes" will carry someone's unique Charitylog ID number into their Accounts Code field on the "Client Details" screen, in order to create invoices for them from the Accounts Module. You may be given accounts codes by your funders, or you may already have them created - but if not, using Charitylog IDs to do so is a neat solution.

If using this option, it will not simply go through the system and fill all boxes in - you will need to go to each record and manually re-save it (using a "Save Details" button or the equivalent). This will create the code.

Prefix for Account Code (If Using Org IDs)

This relates to the above option. If "Use People/Organisation ID as Account Code" is set to "Yes", this prefix will be added to the automatically created accounts codes.

Limit GPs and Surgeries by District?

If set to "Yes", this will mean that once a District is set on the Client Details screen, the only GP Surgeries and GPs available to be selected on the "Personal Details" tab for that client will be those GPs and Surgeries also located in that District.

This is good if your organisation covers a large, densely populated area with a lot of Surgeries, in which case the selection list would become long if not limited by District. On the other hand, it will make it more difficult to record the fact that a client might attend a Surgery or see a GP who is outside their District of residence.

Override Default Limit For Number Of Contacts In History Tab?

Selects whether or not to make the History tab (on Organisation and People records) as long as it could possibly be, even if the org/person has many contacts here, or limit it to a system-wide setting (currently 200).

Maximum Number of People/Organisation Results Before Search Is Shown

This setting governs how long a list can be before the user is prompted to run a search. For example, if this number is set to "5", and you only have four clients on your system, when a user clicks the "Clients" link, they will simply see a list of those four clients. However, if you have six clients or more on your system, when a user clicks the "Clients" menu item they will be shown a search form instead, prompting them to run a search for the client.

Although the screen is big enough for lists to become fairly long, you are advised to keep this number low. The sooner users are prompted to search the existing data, the better - this decreases the chance of any Organisations/People being duplicated on the system. Indeed, you may choose to set this number to zero from the start of your use of the system, meaning that users will always be given a search box rather than seeing a list.

RaC/New Referrals Rules

Force "Communication Method" on Record a Contact / Referral Details?

Setting this option to "yes" will mean that users cannot record a contact without specifying what the communication method was (telephone, office visit etc - set up from a Drop-Down List.

Disallow alteration of User Name on Record a Contact / Referral Details?

Setting this option to "yes" will mean that users cannot change the "Done By" name on Record a Contact - i.e. users will only be able to log work for themselves; they will not be able to fill in Charitylog for someone else's action and log it against that person.

Allow entry of "Represented By" (second referrer name) on Record a Contact?

This will show an extra box on Record a Contact, "Represented By", where the user can record if a client was accompanied by someone - family member, health professional etc. The field is not subject to any validation and is simply for text, so for reporting needs, this is best avoided.

Allow Project To Be Changed On Referral Edit?

If you are editing a Referral after it has been entered (which we do not advise apart from in specific circumstances) this will allow you to change the Project that the Referral is logged under.

Allow entry of "Contact With" on Actions?

Setting this option to "Yes" will display a "Contact With" box on actions, which can be filled in with any Referrer. This is useful if you do work on behalf of a client, and deal with other organisations. Note that the "Contact With" box will not show on the initial contact entry.

Allow use of "Priority" ratings on Actions

Setting this option to "Yes" will allow users to log outstanding actions as "High Priority" or "Normal".

Security Rules?

Keep an audit of Record Inserts?

Sets whether or not to keep details of who has edited records in your database, which feeds into the Insert Audit Report.

Keep an audit of Page Visits?

Sets whether or not to keep details of who has visited pages. You should leave this set to "Yes", although at the moment this is only used by our programming team for diagnostics.

Limit Staff Timesheet Access to

Sets whether users can view all timesheets, or only edit their own.

Password-related options

These are self explanatory.

Miscellaneous Rules

Sending Emails: Review Emails Before Sending?

Selects whether to send emails immediately or let users preview them before sending.

Start and End Time of Working Day

These are used by the calendars in Charitylog, with the default start time being the office start time for each day, and for the default time on an outstanding action in the Record A Contact screen. It is also used for Support Workers default working day automatic entry.

Consent Text (Consent Help Button on Client Record)

This text will be displayed if a user clicks the "help" icon next to the "Consent Given" box on a Details screen (for an Organisation or Person). This is ideal for writing in a prepared script for users to read to clients, making sure they understand how you will use their data.

Email Footer (Company Information) Legal Text

This text, if entered, will appear at the bottom of system generated emails under a horizontal rule. It does not override the standard footer set up on that letter template, but appears in addition to it - the standard footer will be above the horizontal rule, and the legal text will be below.

Changing Menu Order

Once you have finished working with Operational Rules, you may notice that there is an extra button across the bottom of the "Operational Rules" screen, "Save Details and go to Menu Order" - as shown:


File:A system menu 1.png


The screen which follows allows you to change the order and structure of the main Charitylog menu, which all users see down the left hand side of the page. The most common reason to change the standard menu is to make your most frequently used options accessible, and to make using the system easier.

After clicking the "Save Details and go to Menu Order" button, you will be taken to the "Menu Option Structure" screen.


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The columns show the following:

  • The first number is a number associated with that menu item
  • Option name - the name of the menu item
  • Standard Program Section - where to find the menu item in the default menu setup
  • Submenu Of Option Ref. Number - if this menu item is within a submenu, the number of that submenu heading will be shown here. The main menu itself is number 0, and any menu item with a 0 in this column is part of the main menu.
  • Option Display Order In Section - the "weight" associated with that menu item. Items with the same weight will be ordered alphabetically.
  • Option Help Text - text entered here will become available as a pop-up help text box on the menu.

To demonstrate how to use all these, let's walk through the most common change to make to the menu structure; moving the "clients" link out of the "Organisations and People" submenu, and putting it at the top of the main menu.

This is how the menu looks as standard, with "Clients" located in the "Organisations and People" submenu:


File:A system menu 4.png


First we need to find the line associated with the "Organisations And People" submenu heading...


File:A system menu 2.png


...and also the one associated with the "Clients" menu item:


File:A system menu 3.png


Notice that the "Organisations And People" submenu heading is in section 0, which is the main menu, and has the number 262.

The "Clients" link is in section 262 - that is, in the "Organisations and People" submenu.

We want to take the "Clients" link out of the "Organisations and People" submenu and put it at the top of the main menu. So all we need to do is to change the "Submenu Of Option Ref. Number" entry for "Clients" to 0...


File:A system menu 5.png


...and if we want it to always appear at the top of the main menu, we should change the "Option Display Order In Section" entry to 1 (giving the item a "weight" of 1, and making it rise to the top of the menu).


File:A system menu 6.png


Now scroll to the very bottom of the page and click "Save Menu Order and Continue"...


File:A system menu 7.png


...and you should now see that your new menu order has become active, with "Clients" being displayed at the top of the main menu.


File:A system menu 8.png

Making a new menu grouping

Another common alteration to the menu is to create a new submenu, to keep the most commonly used menu items together.

To demonstrate this, let's make a new submenu called "Common Options", and put "Clients" and "Record an Anonymous Contact" in it. At the very bottom of the "Menu Option Structures" screen is a button, "Add New Menu Grouping".


File:A system menu 9.png


Clicking this button will take you to a screen where all the standard submenus are displayed. You can now specify what the name of your new group is going to be, and whether it's going to belong in the main menu or within another submenu. We are going to head the new submenu "Common Options", and put it within the main menu.


File:A system menu 10.png


Once these are filled in, click "Add New Grouping".

You will be taken back to the "Menu Option Structure" screen, where your new grouping will be displayed. You can now move it, or put other menu items in it, as before. Here's the new "Common Options" submenu, with "Clients" and "Record an Anonymous Contact" in it.


File:A system menu 11.png

Referral Closure Update

This option will update all the Referral (Diary Entry) Closure dates in accordance with the preferences set against the Projects. If you have set 'Automatic Closure' to 'Yes', all Diary Entries will be checked and updated according to whether there are any outstanding Actions left or not. If it is set to 'No', no changes will be made to the Referral Closure Dates for Diary Entries in that Project.

Update Replica Databases

This option lets you copy your live database to your test system, for training and experimenting.

User Login History

This report will show which users have logged in to your Charitylog system and when, along with their IP addresses.

User Settings

Group Access

The Group Access screen allows administrators to control what each User Group has access to throughout the Charitylog system. It is one of the most powerful tools that administrators have in running the system, and is covered in its own document here: Group Access.

Users

About Users and User Groups

Users are the people who can actually log into your Charitylog system. They are not an Organisation/Person type - you can create a User who can log in without associating that User with any Org/Person. (Likewise, you can have an Organisation/Person who does not have an associated User record.)

More usually, though, a User will have an associated Organisation/Person record - most commonly a Staff member, but sometimes a Volunteer, Funder, Trustee or Referrer.

User Groups are set up to define how much access users have to the system. You can place the User in a User Group, and then configure the access rights for each group. Click on "Group Access", which will show you the groups active on your system.


File:SS 64.png


  • To edit a group, click the "Alter Which Group?" button and then click "Set Group Access Rights".
  • To create a new group, select the Create New Group button and click "Set Group Access Rights".
  • To copy the access rights to your new group, first create the group, then return to this screen, select the group to copy access rights from, and click "Set Group Access Rights".

For more information on Group Access, please see the User Access Management chapter.

Clicking the Users menu item will show you a list of all users that are set up on your Charitylog system.


File:SS 65.png


Click on the name of a user to edit.


File:SS 62.png


There are now five tabs which hold all the information about this user.

General User Details tab

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  • Full name
  • User name
  • Password (if you have access to the "Users" menu item, you can change passwords for Users)
  • Change password at next login - if you tick this box and "Save Details", the user will be prompted to reset their password when they next log in.
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Group - the User Group that this User is to be placed in.
  • Start Screen - the screen that this user will be directed to when they first log in. The Action List is the most common, but there are plenty of other options.
  • General Display Style - as well as the standard, there are large print and high-contrast variations.
  • Whether there is a link from this User to an Organisation/People record
  • Is this User also a Handyperson? - select "Yes" to make them available to have Handyperson work assigned to them.
  • Is this user a Referrer With Referrer Only Access - Select Referrer - this is a deprecated feature, and has been superseded by Pro-Referrers. It will be removed in a future release.
  • Personal Tab and Project access rules - we will cover these later in this chapter.
  • Active User? - you cannot delete Users, but you can make them inactive. This is usually done when a staff member leaves the organisation.

Referrals/Actions Settings tab

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Referrals Diary Defaults

Control this User's view of the Referrals Diary. The Referrals Diary is a legacy feature which will be deprecated in a future version.

Action List Defaults

Control how this User's Action List will appear. The user will still be able to change these options themselves at the top of their Action List, but these settings govern the default display. It is a good idea to set these defaults to whatever the Users find most useful - usually:

  • Own Entries Only
  • 7 days past and future
  • View all contacts done plus outstanding actions
  • Order by Action Date (descending) (newest at the top)
Client History ordering options

Choose how to order the History and Summary tabs on an Organisation/Person record for this user. Descending (newest at the top) is generally felt to be the most natural way for these to appear.

System Access tab

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  • Allowed to Merge Records? - choose whether this User will be allowed to merge clients, organisations, etc. together (if they have been entered twice in error).
  • Allowed to Enter Project Sub-categories? - choose whether this user can add a Project Subcategory on the Record a Contact screen or not.
  • Allowed to Delete Uploaded Documents? - on Organisation/Person records
  • Allowed to Delete Next of Kin Records? - on client records
  • Allowed to Delete Extension Database Records?
  • Allowed to Create Private Notes? - on Organisation/Person records
Login times

These can be used to govern when this User can log in. Usually there is no need to restrict login times.

  • Allowed to use Favourites? - see Favourites for more information.
  • Copy Favourites from Another User - use when setting up new users, to copy in Favourites settings (can speed up user entry)
  • Copy Access Rights from Another User - use when setting up new users, to copy in Project/Personal Tab access settings (can speed up user entry)

Project Access tab

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See the User Access Management chapter for details of how the Project Access tab operates.

Personal Tab Access tab

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See the User Access Management chapter for details of how the Personal Tab Access tab operates.

Courses and Qualifications

You can log Courses and Qualifications that this user has gained with the links at the bottom of the "User Account Details" screen, just above the "Save Details" button:


File:SS 70.png



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This concludes the System Setup Guide.

Click to go back to the Administrator Manual.

Click to go to the next section, User Access Management.