MemberFuse Data Synchronization

Important! Social Networking Account integration with NetForum is deprecated. Build: 2014.01

Data Synchronization between MemberFuse and netFORUM

When your MemberFuse site is first created, all records in netFORUM are transferred (regardless of member status) with the fields defined in the sections below synchronizing. After the initial transfer, data synchronization from netFORUM to MemberFuse will occur on a real-time basis as of the 2011 Build.

Important! While Extender Fields are included in the real-time synch from netFORUM to MemberFuse, User Defined Demographics are only synched on a nightly basis.

Note: Only individual and organization records with email addresses are synced.

Individual Viewable Synced Data Fields

Data fields are defined as viewable if, once synced from netFORUM, they are able to be seen (and searched on) within a MemberFuse profile on the Member Info and Organization tab(s). Some, like the AMS ID and user email fields, are found only in the Members Admin module, viewable only by administrators.

The following Pro and Enterprise data fields sync to MemberFuse and are viewable:

Pro Enterprise MemberFuse
ind_cst_key ind_cst_key AMS ID (customer ID—admin only)
eml_address eml_address Email (admin only)
ind_first name ind_first name First Name
ind_last_name ind_last_name Last Name
ind_title ind_title Title
adr_line1 adr_line1 Address1
adr_line2 adr_line2 Address2
adr_city adr_city City
adr_state adr_state State
adr_post_code adr_post_code Zip
adr_country adr_country Country
cst_org_name_dn Affiliated Organization

Individual Non-Viewable Synced Data Fields

Data fields are defined as non-viewable if, once synced from netFORUM, they are not visible to end-users of the MemberFuse Social Community but they are still needed by MemberFuse to make determinations on how synced records are treated. For example:

  • Member Flag

  • Receives Benefits Flag

If either of these two flags is set in netFORUM on an individual’s record, the individual is considered a member by MemberFuse. As a result, the following two actions will occur in the MemberFuse Social Community once the record is synced:

  • The individual is placed into the Member Role

  • The individual is visible in the Member Directory

If neither of these two flags is set, the individual is considered a non-member by MemberFuse. As a result, the following actions will occur in the MemberFuse Social Community once the record is synced:

  • The individual is placed into the Non-Member Role

  • The individual is not visible in the Member Directory

Pro Enterprise MemberFuse
cst_receives_benefits_flag cst_receives_benefits_flag Visible in Member Directory
cst_member_flag cst_member_flag Member role & permissions
ind_int_code = 'Staff' ind_int_code = 'Staff' Staff role & permissions
(if not Member) (if not Member) Non-Member role & permissions
cst_no_email_flag cst_no_email_flag Email Notifications Off

Tip: An individual’s e-mail is not visible within the Social Community beyond the log-in process. If their primary e-mail is changed in netFORUM, their log-in to MemberFuse is changed immediately as well. Further, if the customer has opted out of communication within netFORUM, he/she will have to disable notifications within MemberFuse as well on their own individual profile.

Organization Viewable Synced Data Fields

Just as with individuals, organization fields are defined as viewable if, once synced from netFORUM, they are able to be seen (and searched on) within a MemberFuse profile on the Basic Info and Members tab(s). The following fields from netFORUM apply:

  • Organization Name
  • Description
  • Primary Address (Address 1, Address 2, City, State, Zip, Country)
  • Primary Email
  • Primary Phone
  • Website
  • Organization Type (Currently Org type is searchable in MemberFuse but is not used in any other manner.)
  • Primary Contact (If an individual is designated as a primary contact of an organization in netFORUM, they are set as a primary contact of the organization in MemberFuse as well. This grants them permissions to moderate the organization in MemberFuse.)
  • Each organization will also list those individuals as employees that specify it as their primary org. (Primary Org field from the Individual Viewable Synced Data Fields section)
Pro Enterprise MemberFuse
org_name org_name Organization Name
cst_bio cst_bio Description
adr_line1 adr_line1 Address1
adr_line2 adr_line2 Address2
adr_city adr_city City
adr_state adr_state State
adr_post_code adr_post_code Zip
adr_country adr_country County
eml_address eml_address Email
phn_number cst_phn_number_complete_dn Phone
cst_web_site cst_url_code_dn Website
org_ind_cst_key org_ind_cst_key Primary Contact

Organization Non-Viewable Synced Data Fields

Just as with individuals, organization fields are defined as non-viewable if, once synced from netFORUM, they are not visible to end-users of the MemberFuse Social Community but they are still needed by MemberFuse to make determinations on how synced records are treated. For example:

  • Member Flag

If this flag is set in netFORUM on an organization’s record, the organization is considered a member by MemberFuse. As a result, the following action will occur in the MemberFuse Social Community once the record is synced:

  • The organization is visible in the Organization Directory

If this flag is not set, the organization is considered a non-member by MemberFuse. As a result, the following action will occur in the MemberFuse Social Community once the record is synced:

  • The organization is not visible in the Organization Directory

Pro Enterprise MemberFuse
org_cst_key org_cst_key ams_id (Org ID)
org_ogt_code org_ogt_code orgs_types_id (Org type ID)
cst_member_flag (non member) OR cst_no_web_flag cst_member_flag (non member) OR cst_no_web_flag Hidden (Org hidden from non-members)
ind_org_cst_key org_cst_key Organization ID Key

Event Viewable Synced Data Fields

As with individuals and organizations, event fields are defined as viewable if, once synced from netFORUM, they are able to be seen (and searched on) within MemberFuse and are seen on the Event Profile screen on the Event tab. The following Pro and Enterprise fields sync to MemberFuse and are viewable:

Pro Enterprise MemberFuse
evt_tzn_key evt_tzn_key event_timezone
evt_start_date and evt_start_time evt_start_date and evt_start_time start_date
evt_end_date and evt_end_time evt_end_date and evt_end_time end_date
CREATED VIA EVT_KEY evt_event_url registration_url
prd_name evt_title title
prd_description evt_short_description description

Event Non-Viewable Synced Data Fields

As with individuals and organizations, event fields are defined as non-viewable if, once synced from netFORUM, they are not visible to end-users of the MemberFuse Social Community but they are still needed by MemberFuse to make determinations on how synced records are treated. The following Pro and Enterprise data fields sync to MemberFuse and are not viewable. For example:

  • The prd_post_online_flag

If this flag is set in netFORUM on an event’s record, the event is marked as “active” by MemberFuse.

Pro Enterprise MemberFuse
evt_key evt_key ams_id (Event ID)
ANONYMOUS USER usr_cst_key creator_id
prd_post_online_flag evt_delete_flag = 0 Active (event displays)
NOT SET evt_delete_flag = 1 deleted

Custom Demographics – Individual & Organization

Custom demographics are displayed in the MemberFuse Social Community under the user’s Information tab on his/her Member Profile. If the demographic has been flagged in netFORUM as searchable by selecting the Show Online and Show in External Find checkboxes then they are searchable in MemberFuse as well. Note that if custom demographics are changed in MemberFuse, they will be synced back to netFORUM immediately. This includes user defined and extender demographics.

Custom demographics may be synched to MemberFuse through the User Defined Demographics Setup pages or a flag on the Edit Column form. Just one checkbox - Social Community.

Additional Viewable Synced Data Fields

Because address and date formats vary based on location, date formatting between MemberFuse and netFORUM is synced to reflect user localization choices. If the location is set in the MemberFuse Locale Admin module, individual and organization addresses synced to netFORUM will reflect the address and date style of the location selected in MemberFuse.

For example, if Japan is selected as the primary locale and default country in MemberFuse, date styles and addresses will be arranged in the Japanese style on netFORUM. With the settings above, synced dates in netFORUM appear as YEAR/MONTH/DAY. Addresses under the "Japanese" setting would appear as:

Country
Prefecture Name
Street Name

For more information on the MemberFuse Locale Admin module, please review the Localization module section in the 2011.07 MemberFuse Release Notes.

Additional Non-Viewable Synced Data Fields

Two additional fields should be considered when dealing with netFORUM records. Note that these fields are non-viewable, which means they are not visible or searchable, however they are still used by MemberFuse to make determinations on how synced records are treated.

  • Deceased Flag: If this flag is checked in netFORUM, the MemberFuse account is deactivated. A deactivated record means that the account will not be visible or searchable but still available to your MemberFuse Admin for historical record purposes if needed.
  • Do Not Contact Fields such as Do Not Contact By Email: Keep in mind that Do Not Contact fields are not synced from netFORUM at this time.
  • Exclude From Social: Available on Individual and Organization profiles. Sets the profiles to inactive in MemberFuse.

Tip: As noted previously, if the customer has opted out of communication within netFORUM, he/she will have to disable notifications within MemberFuse as well on their own individual profile. An Admin may also assume the user’s account and disable notifications for them.

Excluding an Individual from MemberFuse

Occasionally, customers will request that their accounts not be activated in the MemberFuse social community. The Exclude from Social checkbox on the netFORUM Individual profile edit screen has been implemented for this request.

When selected, the customer may not log-in to MemberFuse from eWeb. Further, this action causes the user account to not be searchable or viewable in MemberFuse.

Because this is a “soft delete”, if the customer changes his/her mind and desires access to the community once more, deselect the Exclude from Social checkbox on the netFORUM Individual profile edit screen and the account will be reactivated (after the standard 24-hour period needed for updates to take place).

A quick glance at the Individual profile also indicates whether the customer has been removed from the social community. If the user has been removed, the Exclude from Social? setting under the Primary Membership Information section will be set to “Yes”.

Syncing Actions

Actions are not synced from MemberFuse to netFORUM. This means that if you delete a profile in MemberFuse the corresponding profile will not be deleted in netFORUM. The reverse is not true. If you delete a profile in netFORUM, for example, it will be deleted in MemberFuse. This is important to keep in mind. The exception to this is deactivation. Deactivating a group will not deactivate it in MemberFuse as well though this will change with future updates. Currently, you will still need to deactivate the group in MemberFuse as well.

When Synchronization Occurs

As noted previously, a batch process is completed each night to reflect changes in the groups you have activated and to synchronize the data between netFORUM and your MemberFuse Social Community. All standard data fields in individual and organization records are synced from netFORUM to MemberFuse on a real-time basis.

When a new group is activated, the activation process takes place immediately though the group members will still be updated with the (nightly) 24-hour sync. However, any new members added to the group will be synched immediately. Additionally, when a user logs-in to eWeb who is not a current user in MemberFuse, the user should be loaded on demand. Changes made in MemberFuse to individual and organization records are synced immediately back to netFORUM.

The three rules of thumb to remember (in general) are as follows:

  • FROM netFORUM TO MemberFuse = Immediately
  • FROM MemberFuse TO netFORUM = Immediately.
  • Group activation occurs immediately sans group members.

The Deactivation Process

Deactivation is currently not a synced action in netFORUM. When you deactivate a group in netFORUM, it is currently still active in MemberFuse. An Administrator in MemberFuse will need to access the Group Admin menu and manually deactivate the group there as well. Deactivation is recommended (not delete) in case you ever want to activate the group again. Updates in the future will automate this process.

Initial Roles after Implementation

Once synchronized, the individual is placed into the appropriate role in MemberFuse. Roles will have various permissions that define what a user may or may not do once on the site. Initial role placement after implementation is based on the following factors and conditions:

  • If the individual has a matching iWeb account, they are added to the Staff Role in MemberFuse
  • If the individual receives member benefits, they are added to the Member Role in MemberFuse
  • All other individuals are added to the Non-Member Role in MemberFuse. These individuals are also hidden from the Member Directory.
  • The Administrator, Staff, Member and Non-Member Roles are automatically created when the Website is launched and their permissions are set to the most common configuration. Administrators are free to add more roles and configure permissions as needed or desired however. A Super Administrator role exists as well and prevents any “Deny” permissions from being added to it. This role is essentially a ‘fail-safe’ that prevents an Administrator from inadvertently locking him/herself out. However, this is also a very powerful role so be judicious with whom you grant it to.

See Also