Deleting users

[jerbackus]

I found the follow in the MLS Help Manual on page A-2:

System Log In
Each member using MLS must log on to the system using his or her own user ID and password.

It sounds like the user ID should belong to the member, not the calling.

[EDDIEDOW]

I instruct ward clerks in our stake to click on the user name to be changed and put in a new user name, then link it with MLS to a member, and have the new user put in a new password. That effectively replaces the former user and does not creat long lists of inactive users. Don't know how that affects traceability, as I've never tried to trace anything. It seems the initials written on the finance report by the clerk and bishopric member doing the batch hardcopies would work as a trace. I suppose there may be a need to trace membership changes, but can't think of any now. The logon for membership should work as a trace.
Sorry about resurrecting an old thread. Thought I could help solve the problem of the long lists of former users.

[aebrown]

I instruct ward clerks in our stake to click on the user name to be changed and put in a new user name, then link it with MLS to a member, and have the new user put in a new password. That effectively replaces the former user and does not creat long lists of inactive users. Don't know how that affects traceability, as I've never tried to trace anything. It seems the initials written on the finance report by the clerk and bishopric member doing the batch hardcopies would work as a trace. I suppose there may be a need to trace membership changes, but can't think of any now. The logon for membership should work as a trace.
Sorry about resurrecting an old thread. Thought I could help solve the problem of the long lists of former users.

Thanks for contributing this suggestion. However, it seems to me that this would cause even worse traceability problems than some of the previous suggestions. If there is ever a need to reprint any deposit reports, the names on the reports will not simply be ambiguous (as is the case with user names based on callings), but will be incorrect and misleading (the name of a user will appear on the report who did not have the calling at that time).

I continue to wonder what the big problem is with long lists of former users. It is very rare that the MLS administrator ever looks at the long list. When you go to login, only active users are listed. So why is having many inactive users such a problem that clerks resort to practices that create other problems?

[EDDIEDOW]

I have a problem with anything that is unnecessary being on the machine's harddrive taking up memory, however slight. We are required to keep for specified time periods hard copies of financial reports, and back-up discs and year-end reports and their back-up discs. Is it really necessary to have this stuff in the MLS in addition to all the backups??
It may not be a big deal, but our machines are old and have gotten very slow with each update of MLS and etc. I'm not a computer person, but have to believe that anything we can do to free up memory is good.

[techgy]

I have a problem with anything that is unnecessary being on the machine's harddrive taking up memory, however slight. We are required to keep for specified time periods hard copies of financial reports, and back-up discs and year-end reports and their back-up discs. Is it really necessary to have this stuff in the MLS in addition to all the backups??
It may not be a big deal, but our machines are old and have gotten very slow with each update of MLS and etc. I'm not a computer person, but have to believe that anything we can do to free up memory is good.

If the pc's are running slow and they're an older model, one trick you can use to get more performance is to increase the amount of RAM that you have. This will have a huge effect on the performance of the MLS software.

I would agree with you that's it's helpful to keep the clutter to a minimum but what's on the hard-drive, aside from just using disk space, has little effect on the speed of the computer.

Having been there before, if you increase the amount of RAM that you have - up to at least the 1 Gig point, you'll get much quicker response from the MLS software. You should be working with your STS (Stake Technology Specialist) regarding these issue.

[russellhltn]

I have a problem with anything that is unnecessary being on the machine's harddrive taking up memory, however slight. [...] It may not be a big deal, but our machines are old and have gotten very slow with each update of MLS and etc. I'm not a computer person, but have to believe that anything we can do to free up memory is good.

Because of the way that hard disk space is allocated, I'd be surprised if deleting all the old users would result in even one cluster being freed up. I'm not sure how large a page is in RAM, but it may well be the same. However well intentioned, reducing the user list to save space is straining at gnats.

Freeing up space is good, but not if it causes the system to give false information.

[greggo]

I have a problem with anything that is unnecessary being on the machine's harddrive taking up memory, however slight. We are required to keep for specified time periods hard copies of financial reports, and back-up discs and year-end reports and their back-up discs. Is it really necessary to have this stuff in the MLS in addition to all the backups??

While maybe not necessary, I would certainly prefer to dig up old financial reports, etc. on the machine rather than search through paper or load from a backup.

The convenience would certainly be worth the extra hard drive use (which would be negligible).

[aebrown]

I have a problem with anything that is unnecessary being on the machine's harddrive taking up memory, however slight. We are required to keep for specified time periods hard copies of financial reports, and back-up discs and year-end reports and their back-up discs. Is it really necessary to have this stuff in the MLS in addition to all the backups??

Not only is it convenient to have the previous reports in MLS, as Greggo mentioned, but you have no choice. MLS keeps all past financial information for the record retention period. You have no ability to delete any former deposits, even if you wanted to "clean up" old records.

[EDDIEDOW]

Thanks for all the info.
By the way, I am the Stake Tech. Specialist, as well as butt't Clerk, Membership.
Yes, Heavenly Father has a sense of humor.
You brought up things I'd never known.
If we want to get more RAM, what's involved? Does the Stake or the Ward or who pay? How much are we talking about, ballpark?

[jdlessley]

We know the tempation is great to get answers to your questions but they are best answered another thread. Any responses to E&LDow's questions should be addressed at this thread.