handling obsolete contact records?

[LBurns]

I have a simple contact database, with one table for contact info, and a linked table for their donations.
What's the best (and necessarily simple) way to flag a contact record as no longer valid? Say, the mail we send them is being returned, or we know that the person is deceased?


It seems as if we don't want to DELETE the contact record, because it might have donation records associated, AND we might want the record to remain for future reporting... we just want to stop sending mail there.
I thought of a macro that would erase the address contents, so even if we printed a label, we wouldn't mail it out.
Thanks for any ideas!

[pbaldy]

One option is a status field of some sort. If you do a mailing, base it on a query that excludes those records.

[alansidman]

Add a field to your contact table. ReturnedMail perhaps. Set its format to Date. In your form, create a control that is bound to the ReturnedMail Field. When you have an invalid address, type in the date it was returned. You can then filter out these records that have dates in a query by setting the criteria to Is Null.

[LBurns]

One option is a status field of some sort. If you do a mailing, base it on a query that excludes those records.

yes, thanks. I think I have to "deface" the record, in case someone ELSE creates the labels, or if I should forget to exclude those records.

[LBurns]

I like that! I'd like to save the date. and also blank out the faulty address for good measure. thanks!

[pbaldy]

yes, thanks. I think I have to "deface" the record, in case someone ELSE creates the labels, or if I should forget to exclude those records.

Your call, but I'd write the application so it happened automatically. What if you later want to know what the address was?

[LBurns]

er.. uh.. application? I see what you mean, though.

now, how do I mark the thread as solved?

[pbaldy]

It's in Thread Tools at the top of the thread.

[Missinglinq]

I actually never delete Records, but use a status Field, as Paul suggested, to mark Records that are no longer active.

alansidman's suggestion is great, too, when you want to keep track of when a Record was made redundant.

Linq ;0)>

[LBurns]

Right! okay! thanks, all!