How to anonymize family and member data in ParishSOFT Family Suite
Overview
The following instructions allow removal of all identifying information from the active record without destroying the important data kept for statistical or other reporting needs. The General Instructions section gives an overview of how to update the fields. The Family Details, Member Details, and Staff Information sections show specific techniques for the most efficient updates (such as clearing multiple fields at once) as well as highlighting each field that must be cleared or changed to the specified text. The IQ section shows how to build an IQ query that will list all of the fields that should be updated through this process. This will help to identify fields which still need to be addressed.
Getting Started
Read through the General Instructions section which provides some key information for the task ahead. Next, remove any identifying information from the Family, Member, and Staff screens (when applicable) as shown below. Finally, check to ensure you have not missed any key information by creating/running an IQ report which reports each one of the identifying fields.
General Instructions for updating required and optional fields
To start, update all required text fields to the letters, GDPR. This is important for reporting purposes. Required fields are displayed with a red asterisk. All other fields that contain identifying information in the family details, the member details, and the staff information records may be blanked out with a few exceptions as noted below. Each screen may have a section with multiple tabs that need to be addressed.
Each screen is displayed below and uses the following key. The fields highlighted in ORANGE must be changed according to the information in the screenshot. The fields NOT highlighted may be left clear/no data.
Family Details including the Family Information and Notes tabs
Family Information Tab: Names and Contact Information
Select the Family record that belongs to the family who has requested to be anonymized.
In the Family Details/Family Information Tab, begin the process by replacing the Last Name and the First Name(s) with the letters, GDPR.
After clearing out all identifying information from the Family Details/Family Information screen, it will look something like the following:
Notes Tab: General, Pastoral, Health Info, and Dio Notes sections
Each field in the Family Details/Notes screen may be cleared by first clicking on the Edit Notes button. After clearing out the information in the Family Details/Notes screen, it will look similar to the following image:
- When a family requests to be anonymized, we suggest putting a note in the General Notes section indicating the request and the date. Then, again, when the work is done, add a date-stamped note indicating the request is fulfilled:
- After you have completed updating both tabs in Family Details, the next step is to remove the family from any workgroups to which they belong. Doing so will clear the Workgroups section that cannot be manually cleared on the Family Notes screen:
Member Details
In the Member Details record, continue the process by replacing the Last Name and the First Name(s) with the letters, GDPR.
Using the following screenshots and the same key found under the General Instructions, clear out each field which is highlighted in yellow while each field highlighted in pink should be updated to the information displayed in the screenshots.
Main | General | Contact | Sacraments | Religious Education | Misc. |
Member Details Screen
General Tab
Contact Tab
Sacraments Tab - Do not clear anything. This information is required for statistical or other reporting needs.
Religious Education Tab
Ministries
Misc Tab
Staff Information
In the Manage Staff screens, continue the process by replacing the Last Name and the First Name(s) with the letters, GDPR. Using the following screenshots:
In Administration > Manage Staff, click the staff member name then click Assignments
In Administration > Manage Staff, click the View/Edit Member Details button to get the Additional and the Addresses screens.
Additional
Addresses
Select the Expanded Phone #'s link to clear out any information that may be stored there.
Build an IQ Query
The information below gives general instructions for creating a query in IQ which can then be used to ensure all fields have been addressed. Building this report may seem like a lot of work at first, but it only needs to be built once. For step by step instructions on how to build a query, click here.
- From the Diocesan Suite > IQ tab, select the New Query option.
- In the Result Columns section, add each field that was changed or cleared.
- To cut down on how many fields you must select when using the Column Picker, you may mark category fields such as the Addresses field and the Contact Info field which will mark all fields in those categories. You may then unmark any fields you do not need. It is important to note that any field with the word 'logs' in its name is not part of the active record and these fields may be unmarked as they will only clutter your search results.
- In the Query Conditions section, select "Member's Last Name" and use the operator "is equal to" and the value "GDPR." Also, to filter out records you have already confirmed as fully anonymized, you may include the condition, "Families Date Last Updated" and select the time span which will include the records you just updated.
- Add the field Family/Notes.
Once you execute the query, you may scroll through the resulting report (using the slider bar) to see if there is any identifying information you failed to clear or change. Make note of this and update the field(s).
Updated