Tech Forum

After upgrading to the latest MLS, we are no longer seeing the option to print membership record updates. Is this by design? It used to print the update and then ask if we wanted a copy for the Bishop. Now it just does the send and receive with no prompts.

Thanks

I don't know if it's by design, but that's happy news for college YSA wards and other wards that transfer more than 50% of their members in and out every semester! It always takes forever to click through all of those popups.

Yes, the Membership Record Update Report no longer prints since the upgrade to 3.8.5. I wish I knew why. I understand the YSA wards not wanting to print, but for the rest of us it helps us to make sure records were updated correctly. I have submitted a message to GSC and received a reply that told me to check things I have already done. I asked them to promote this problem to the programmers. We'll see if they do. I'll probably wind up calling - that seems to get the best results.

Out of curiosity, is there something in the options where that can be turned on/off?

You might want to check the version of Java being used for MLS. The patch system will update MLS, but it can't update Java. I'm wondering if this is a side-effect of running outdated java?

Note: MLS uses a statched, private install of Java - downloading java and installing it won't help.

There's two way to check for the current Java version. If in Program Files/Program Files (x86), you see a "jre8", you're in good shape. If you only see a "jre6", then MLS is running an old version. Also, if the java is old, MLS will chose a "Urgent task" to update - even if it's at the version it's nagging you about.

The fix is to download MLS and install on top of the existing MLS. It doesn't hurt anything and won't trigger the need for a security reset.

Yeah, downloaded and installed the program after running the patch when the update came out. But thanks for the suggestion. And there's no on/off selection for that report. It just asks if you want a second copy for the bishop (which I've always said no).

Today I received a reply from Salt Lake on this. It is copied below. Although they say the Membership Record Update Report can be found in LCR, I'm pretty sure it isn't. I believe she is really talking about separate reports, such as in the Members Moved In and the Members Moved Out reports. I wish they would have addressed this is the MLS Release Notes for 3.8.5.

Dear Brother Porray,

Our programmers are aware of this change. As we pull away from using MLS, updates are being made in Leader and Clerk Resources (LCR). This has allowed us to access reports and update records from any location. The membership record update report will no longer print off automatically from MLS, but you can find it in LCR and print it off manually.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to call or email us.

Thank you for your service.

Laura Robertson
Local Unit Support
mlssupport@ldschurch.org
801-240-3500
1-855-537-4357
Monday and Friday 6:00 am - 9:00 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

Yes, I think you're right that she must have been referring to the Members Moved In and Members Moved Out reports.

Greetings. I also wrote to headquarters about the membership record update reports not printing since the latest version of MLS was released, a change that was not mentioned in the release notes. I was told that this change was intentional. At some time in the future, a change log will be made available in LCR.
Sincerely,
Steve Wasserbaech

Having the new move in report in MLS, while a hassle for YSA wards, was a nice "in your face" notification that you have a new individual/family in your ward. You had to address the notification in MLS before you could do anything else, either print it or cancel, and it was a one shot deal. If you canceled (ie, didn't print), you couldn't go back and print it later.

With that notification removed, there's no way to know if records were moved in unless you proactively look at the report in LCR every so often.

Ward clerks, and perhaps bishoprics, should be notified when new records arrive (and it would be nice to know when records are pulled too).