(Archive) GOLD 19.12 December 2019
December 15, 2019
Member Service
Following Up: Automated Tracker Purge Options Activated
What Is Changing with This Release?
As announced in CU*BASE release 19.05, we have developed a method to complete automated Tracker purges and will soon begin the process to purge data outside of the configured retention plans.
Now that you’ve had time to assess your Trackers, we will use this release to turn on the ability for your credit union to use Tool #277 Configure Tracker Types to physically configure the retention periods for your varying Tracker types. Though we will deliver reminders via Client News, do not wait to complete your configuration adjustments and to arrange for an archival solution if needed.You will be notified if your credit union is selected for the initial Tracker cleanup batch, otherwise, Trackers will be purged beginning on March 21, and once they are gone – they are gone. As noted in the 19.05 release, this monthly automated purge process will apply only to CU*Answers online clients. CU*NorthWest and CU*South clients will be notified about their standard retention periods by their data processor. Self-processing clients can decide whether or not to implement the new auto-purge routines or not, as desired.
As a reminder, these are the Tracker retention limitations:
|
Tracker Type |
Minimum Online Retention Required |
Maximum Online Retention Period |
|
Audit Trackers (AT) |
5 years |
7 years |
|
Notice Trackers (NT) |
5 years |
10 years |
|
Sales Trackers (ST) |
6 months |
3 years |
|
Collections Card (XX) |
10 years |
Permanent |
|
All Other Tracker Types |
6 months |
Permanent |
Why Are We Doing This?
Did you know that of all of the data tables stored in your credit union’s FILExx library, by far the ones using the most space are those that store Tracker conversations? For most credit unions Trackers represent nearly 80% of all the data you have stored about your members, including transactions! As a CUSO, part of our responsibility is to ensure that we are looking critically at data storage strategies to make the most of our credit unions’ investment in CUSO infrastructure and growth requirements. Bottom line...it’s time to clean house!
What Are the Next Steps?
After you review your configurations and set your retention periods, CU*Answers will begin with a small batch of credit unions to begin purging Tracker conversations. Since this first purge will entail purging a large volume of data, to allow us to evaluate and control the effect on system resources, the first wave of purges will take place in February for a small group of randomly selected credit unions. (If you wish to be among the first batch of credit unions, please contact a Client Service Representative for more information.)
What Will Be the Regular Purge Schedule?
Once we have completed the first wave of purges in February, the first all-credit union purge will be March 21, and again on the 3rd Saturday of each month, every month going forward.
What if I Want to Archive My Trackers?
If you are interested in retaining/archiving your trackers before they are purged, the Asterisk Intelligence team is ready to set your credit union up with a FILExxDW Data Warehouse (currently the only location to which these Trackers can be archived). Contact ai@cuanswers.com or visit the store for more information (store.cuanswers.com/product/data-warehouse-library/).
Data Analyst
Further Enhancements to the Online Data Dictionary
We continue to refine and enhance the information available in our online data dictionary, Tool #332 Database Search Assistant (shortcut: ASSIST). In each release we evaluate and tweak descriptions, add more relevant content, and make the tool an even more complete and valuable resource for our teams, both internal and at the credit union. Check it out!
Accounting/Back Office
Subsidiary Configuration Update Sets the Stage for More Development
Thanks to the Accounting Focus Group for their assistance in this series of enhancements.
With this release we have updated all the subsidiary configuration screens, Tool #244 Configuration CU Subsidiary Controls, including the category, department, G/L, and vendor agent screens. Now suspend, reactivate and delete the codes from the standard listing setup, and use new lookups to find G/Ls on the G/L configuration screen. Watch for more to come in the future, as this enhancement sets the stage for a series of other subsidiary enhancements already in the works, including a new subsidiary dashboard. Check out the Kitchen for more information. https://www.cuanswers.com/subsidiary-processing-enhancements/
EFT
Reminder: Flood to Cash Back Programs Available
Looking for ways to expand your credit card portfolio and to increase your credit union’s transactional usage? With the credit card cash back program, not only are you rewarding your members with a percentage back, you are increasing product sales and creating lasting memberships. Whether you need assistance in creating a new program and manually enrolling members or enrolling groups of members with a flood, SettleMINT is here to assist. This release has improved the back-office functionality of the Cash Back Reward program flood options and we are eager to assist your credit union in taking advantage of this feature.
Contact SettleMINT EFT today or visit the store at https://store.cuanswers.com/product/credit-card-cash-back/ to get started with options to create a new program or flood an existing one.