removing users

Discussions around using and interfacing with the Church MLS program.
MCRONIN
New Member
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 4:53 pm

removing users

#1

Post by MCRONIN »

Good morning is it possible to delete user accounts? I know they can be renamed but there are outdated accounts that were set up with names of people rather than positions.
eblood66
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Location: Cumming, GA, USA

Re: removing users

#2

Post by eblood66 »

MCRONIN wrote:Good morning is it possible to delete user accounts? I know they can be renamed but there are outdated accounts that were set up with names of people rather than positions.
You should never name MLS accounts using positions. Always use names. See item 4 under Adding Users in the RKATS article Maintain MLS User Access. That article recommends using the member's preferred name. Also note item 2 in the same section. You should never just rename an account for a new user. Always create a new account for each user.

As for old accounts, if the user has not made any changes during the retention period (usually 3 years plus the rest of the current year), you should be able to remove the account by clicking the Remove link next to the name in the list of users in MLS. However, in other cases you can only inactive the user. This is also done by clicking the Remove link but the user will remain in the system until they are no longer connected to any changes in the database.
russellhltn
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Re: removing users

#3

Post by russellhltn »

eblood66 wrote:As for old accounts, if the user has not made any changes during the retention period (usually 3 years plus the rest of the current year), you should be able to remove the account
I believe this applies only to accounts that have handled finances or donation batches. In all other cases, you should be able to delete the account without having to wait 3-5 years.
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jdlessley
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Location: USA, TX

Re: removing users

#4

Post by jdlessley »

eblood66 wrote:As for old accounts, if the user has not made any changes during the retention period (usually 3 years plus the rest of the current year), you should be able to remove the account by clicking the Remove link next to the name in the list of users in MLS.
[Bold added for reference and emphasis.]
Just some minor changes and clarification: The word "changes" is more correctly "financial transactions". A user that has made membership changes does not affect the ability to remove that user completely. The financial record retention period is 3 years for the U.S. and Canada. It may be different for other countries.

eblood66 wrote:However, in other cases you can only inactive the user. This is also done by clicking the Remove link but the user will remain in the system until they are no longer connected to any changes in the database.
A deactivated user will not be visible to any user except an administrator viewing the System Options, Users tab.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
drepouille
Senior Member
Posts: 2859
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:06 pm
Location: Plattsmouth, NE

Re: removing users

#5

Post by drepouille »

MLS user accounts should be named after the member, not the position, and each account must be linked to a membership record. This is necessary to trace each change back to the person who made the change.
Although you may create two out-of-unit administrator accounts, they should only be created for stake clerks and STS, so they may provide support to the local unit.
Dana Repouille, Plattsmouth, Nebraska
eblood66
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Re: removing users

#6

Post by eblood66 »

jdlessley wrote:
eblood66 wrote:As for old accounts, if the user has not made any changes during the retention period (usually 3 years plus the rest of the current year), you should be able to remove the account by clicking the Remove link next to the name in the list of users in MLS.
[Bold added for reference and emphasis.]
Just some minor changes and clarification: The word "changes" is more correctly "financial transactions". A user that has made membership changes does not affect the ability to remove that user completely. The financial record retention period is 3 years for the U.S. and Canada. It may be different for other countries.
Actually, my experience is different. This includes a quick test on the test install of MLS. It seems that making just about any change will prevent the user from being deleted.

Actually, I just did another test. Even immediately after just creating a new user it would not let me delete it. It only inactivated it. I never even logged in using the new user. That seems like a bug but it's seems to be how it's working right now.
jdlessley
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Location: USA, TX

Re: removing users

#7

Post by jdlessley »

eblood66 wrote:Actually, my experience is different. This includes a quick test on the test install of MLS. It seems that making just about any change will prevent the user from being deleted.
Just yesterday under MLS 3.7 I deleted a former branch counselor and deactivated the former clerk. The counselor had not made any financial transactions, not even to e-sign a donation batch. Of course the clerk had.
eblood66 wrote:Actually, I just did another test. Even immediately after just creating a new user it would not let me delete it. It only inactivated it. I never even logged in using the new user. That seems like a bug but it's seems to be how it's working right now.
Sounds like a problem with either the installation of MLS or the database has a problem. We'll have to wait and see if others are having a problem deleting users before we claim there is a bug.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
rpyne
Member
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Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:13 pm
Location: Provo, Utah, USA

Re: removing users

#8

Post by rpyne »

I have prior clerks that have not lived in the ward for at least six years that cannot be deleted from MLS. I have a prior bishop that was released in 2005 that still cannot be removed from MLS.
cowboypriest
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Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 7:40 pm

Re: removing users

#9

Post by cowboypriest »

In my case, I can change the Member that belongs to a user name, but I cannot change a user name. Consequently and in contradiction to a previous poster, I would name the user name according to the calling. That way, when a new bishopric member is installed, I could change the members associated with those positions. Tell me where I am wrong.
russellhltn
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Location: U.S.

Re: removing users

#10

Post by russellhltn »

cowboypriest wrote:In my case, I can change the Member that belongs to a user name, but I cannot change a user name. Consequently and in contradiction to a previous poster, I would name the user name according to the calling. That way, when a new bishopric member is installed, I could change the members associated with those positions. Tell me where I am wrong.
The best I can do at the moment is the document Maintain MLS User Access where it says
Note: If you want to change rights for an existing user, click the user’s name on this screen. Do not assign an existing user’s account to another member. If the user has never had an MLS account in your unit before, set him or her up as a new user. To grant access to a prior user, find the member in the user table, and click Restore in the far right column.
But I'm sure others can find something more explicit. I thought there was a MLS message about the subject.


But let's try a different tactic. Ask yourself if in a situation where you need to find out more details about a financial transaction, which would you rather know: Who authorized something, or what calling they held? I think you'll find the "who" to be more important.
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