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Database Administration

Learn how to use the Database Administration (DBA) to manage the housekeeping of your Profile database.

Written by Terence Cassidy

Introduction

The Database Administration (DBA) module allows you to manage the housekeeping of your Profile database. With this module you can:

  • Update and delete records and events in bulk

  • Manage the number of Documents & Files on records

  • Remove data that is no longer useful to your business

  • Transfer ownership of records and events between users (e.g. when a user leaves or changes role)

🤓 Tip: Only users with the relevant security permission can access the Database Administration module.

⚠️ Important – Before You Begin:
A full, verified backup of the Profile database must be taken before running any Database Administration function. Once changes have been made, the only way to reverse them is to restore from a backup. We also recommend that all users are logged out of Profile before running any DBA functions.

Accessing the Database Administration Module

To open the DBA module, navigate to:

  1. Click Menu (System Admin) and then click DBA

The following options are available:

  • Delete by Saved List

  • Housekeeping Delete

  • Last Action Update

  • Merge Records from File

  • Mass Update by Saved List

  • Mass Delete of Events

  • Mass Update of Events

  • Merge Duplicate

  • Mass Delete of Multimedia

Replication Sites: Using the DBA module on replicating sites requires careful consideration. Large-scale data changes on one database will increase cycle times while changes are replicated. Contact the Helpdesk for further assistance.

Delete by Saved List

This option allows you to mass-delete records (Organisations, Vacancies, Contacts or Candidates) from a Saved List. All records flagged in the Saved List will be permanently deleted.

⚠ Restrictions – The following records cannot be deleted:

  • Candidates with invoices or timesheets outstanding or processed in the last year

  • Vacancies with invoices or timesheets outstanding or processed in the last year

  • Organisations with vacancies that have invoices or timesheets outstanding or processed in the last year

How to Mass Delete Records

  1. Create a Saved List of the records to delete using Profile's search facilities. Ensure all records to be deleted are flagged in the list.

  2. With the Saved List open

    1. Click Menu (System Admin) and then DBA

    2. Select Delete by Saved List

  3. The reference number of the open Saved List will default into the window. If the list is not open, enter the reference number manually and press Return.

  4. The Delete by Saved List box displays the details of the list. Check these are correct and click OK.

  5. A confirmation box appears:

    • If entries have not been flagged, click No to cancel.

    • If the information is correct, click Yes to proceed.

  6. The delete program runs and a confirmation box appears when complete. Click OK.

The program deletes all entries in the Saved List and then deletes the Saved List itself.

Housekeeping Delete

This option removes the following types of records from the database:

Record Type

Deletion Criteria

Orphan Records

Events with no associated Candidate, Vacancy, Organisation or Contact

Saved Lists

Not flagged as Keep, AND not updated or used to output information for 3+ months

Standard Documents

The Months to Hold field is greater than 0, AND the current month is greater than the month last updated + months to hold

Standard Documents – Months to Hold Reference

Months to Hold

Current Month

Result

0

Not relevant

Document will not be deleted

Greater than 0

Less than last updated month + months to hold

Document will not be deleted

Greater than 0

Greater than last updated month + months to hold

Document will be deleted

How to Run Housekeeping Delete

  1. Ensure no records are open in Profile.

  2. Click Menu (System Admin) then DBA.

  3. Select Housekeeping Delete and click OK to begin.

  4. Click Yes to confirm.

  5. When complete, a confirmation message is displayed.

5. Last Action Update

The Last Action Update option enables mass updating of the Last Action dates shown in the General Details banner of main records:

  • Last Candidate Action

  • Last Contact Action

  • Last Action (Organisation)

  • Last Action (Vacancy)

The Last Action date is determined by events recorded against the main record. The relevant usage numbers in Menu (System Admin) > General – Code Maintenance are:

Usage Number

Description

274

Candidate action event type

275

Contact action event type

276

Organisation action event type

277

Opportunity action event type

279

Action event outcome (outcomes that do not update Last Action date)

If the availability of an event type or outcome is changed, or a new event type/outcome is added, run this option to update all Last Action dates accordingly.

How to Run Last Action Update

  1. Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Last Action Update

  2. Click OK

  3. Click Close when finished

6. Merging Duplicate Records

The Merge Duplicate option combines two duplicate records into one. It works for both Organisation and Candidate records. After merging, the duplicate record is deleted.

Merging can be done in Single Mode (one pair at a time) or File Mode (a batch list from a text file).

⚠ Important Warnings:

  • Account Management: Account Management details will not be merged. Review the account management hierarchy before merging organisations or contacts.

  • Temp/Shift Bookings: Merging candidates with temporary or shift bookings may result in duplicate bookings. Correct the data before merging.

  • Only users with the relevant security permissions can use the Merge option.

What Gets Transferred – Candidate Records

  • No General page information is transferred from the duplicate to the master

  • Person Type is transferred only if it exists on the duplicate but not the master

  • All Addresses are combined (duplicate's Main address becomes non-main)

  • All Codes are transferred (no duplication of existing codes)

  • All Documents & Files are transferred

  • All Events are transferred

  • Career records are transferred; if the master has a current career, duplicate career records become Previous

Staff records cannot be merged. Entering a Staff Person reference number will display an error.

What Gets Transferred – Organisation Records

  • General page information is not transferred, except Also Known As aliases

  • Address information is combined (duplicate's Main address becomes non-main)

  • All Code information is transferred (no duplication of existing codes)

  • All Documents & Files are transferred

  • All Events are transferred

  • All Position records (Employees & Contacts) are transferred

  • All Vacancy records are transferred

  • Duplicate Invoice Contacts become Other Invoice Contact

6.1 Merge Record – Single Mode

Whole Record Merge

  1. Open the duplicate Candidate or Organisation record and go to the Summary page.

  2. Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Merge Duplicate

  3. The Merge Duplicate window opens with the duplicate record pre-populated.

  4. Enter the name of the master record to merge into and click OK.

  5. A confirmation box warns that this process is irreversible. Click Yes to proceed.

  6. Click OK on the confirmation message. The duplicate record is deleted.

Organisation Address De-duplication

  1. Go to the Organisation Address page in list mode and highlight the duplicate address.

  2. Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Merge Duplicate

  3. Use the Finder icon to select the Master address and click OK.

  4. Click Yes to confirm the irreversible merge.

  5. The duplicate address is deleted. The following linked records are transferred to the master address: Vacancies, Contacts, Employees.

Position De-duplication

Two position records can be merged if the person has the same reference number (the organisation reference may differ).

  1. Display one of the following pages: Organisation Contacts, Organisation Employees, or Person Career.

  2. Highlight the duplicate position.

  3. Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Merge Duplicate

  4. Select the Master position from the dropdown list and click OK.

  5. Click Yes to confirm. A confirmation message appears when complete.

6.2 Merge Record – File Mode

File mode allows a batch list of records to be merged in one process.

  1. Create a plain text file (e.g. in Notepad) with one pair of records per line in the format:
    ​DuplicateRefNo, MasterRefNo Description (e.g. Name)
    Example: 3447, 3247 Anil Alim

  2. Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Merge Records from File

  3. Click … to browse and select your text file. The first 6 records are displayed in the merge window.

  4. Optionally tick Check all references before merging to validate references before running. Invalid references will prevent the merge from running.

  5. Click OK to run the program.

  6. Click Yes to confirm the irreversible merge.

  7. Click OK when the confirmation message appears.

Records are merged line by line. If an error is encountered, you can choose to abort — subsequent lines will not be processed.

7. Mass Update by Saved List

This option allows records to be updated in bulk using a Saved List. For example, if a user leaves, their Responsible User field can be updated across all their records.

Accessing the Mass Update Screen

  1. Open the Saved List of records to be updated (ensure all entries are flagged).

  2. Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Mass Update by Saved List

  3. The Saved List reference number is auto-populated. If not open, enter it manually.

Mass Update Screen Fields

Field

Description

Tab

Dropdown of all areas on the record that can be updated. Options vary by record type.

Field / Code Type

The specific field or Code Type to update. Displayed as a Code Finder or dropdown depending on the Tab selected.

Old Value

The current value to be replaced. Required when updating; leave blank when adding new codes.

New Code Type

Enabled when a Codes page is selected. Defaults to the same type as the old code but can be changed.

New Value

The replacement value. Leave blank to clear the field.

7.1 Updating Information

Use this to replace an existing code or field value with a new one (e.g. change Skill Code from Credit Control to Systems Accounting).

  1. Select the Tab, Field/Code Type, Old Value, New Code Type, and New Value.

  2. Click + to add the entry to the table. Repeat for additional fields.

  3. To remove an entry, click it in the list and click –.

  4. Click OK. A message shows how many records will be updated.

  5. Click Yes to continue. A confirmation message appears — click OK.

7.2 Adding Additional Information

Use this to add new codes to records en masse (e.g. adding a new Skill Code to a group of candidates).

  1. Select the Tab, New Code Type, and New Value (leave Old Value blank).

  2. Click + to add the entry. Repeat as needed.

  3. Click OK, then Yes to confirm, then OK to complete.

7.3 Mass Update of Events

This option finds events matching specified criteria and updates them in bulk (e.g. adding an outcome to all events that currently have none).

Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Mass Update of Events

Criteria Field

Description

Responsible User

Filter events by the assigned user

Event Date From / To

Filter by the event date range

Create Date From / To

Filter by the date the event was created

Type

Filter by event type

Outcome

Filter by event outcome

Is Blank

Tick to search for events where the corresponding field is blank

contact_ref

Person reference number of a contact

opportunity_ref

Vacancy reference number

organisation_ref

Organisation reference number

person_ref

Person reference number of a candidate

  1. Enter your criteria and click OK.

  2. Click Yes to gather the events for updating.

  3. In the Mass Update screen, set the Field/Code Type, Old Value, and New Value.

  4. Click OK, then Yes to confirm.

  5. Click OK to apply the changes. A tick appears in the Com column for each updated item.

7.4 Deleting Information

The Mass Update by Saved List option can also be used to remove information from records (e.g. removing blocks or codes).

7.5 Mass Delete of Events

This option deletes events matching specified criteria.

Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Mass Delete of Events

Events with timesheets or invoices outstanding or processed in the last year cannot be deleted.

Use the same criteria fields as Mass Update of Events (see section 7.3). Additionally, choose a Delete Option:

Option

Effect

Whole Event

Deletes the entire event including any attached document

Attachment Only

Deletes only the attached document; the event record is retained

  1. Enter your criteria and click OK.

  2. Click Yes to delete, or No to abort.

  3. A confirmation window displays the number of events deleted.

8. Mass Delete of Multimedia

This option deletes documents from the Documents & Files page of records based on defined criteria.

Navigate to: Menu (System Admin) > DBA > Mass Delete of Multimedia

Field

Description

Record Type

Person, Organisation, Contact or Vacancy — a type must be selected

Document Type

The document type to delete (e.g. Word Document, WDOC)

Create Date From

Earliest create date to include (can be blank)

Create Date To

Latest create date; if blank, all documents from the From date onwards are included

Update Date From

Earliest update date to include (can be blank)

Update Date To

Latest update date; if blank, all documents from the From date onwards are included

Include Current Docs

Tick to include documents flagged as Current in the deletion

  1. Specify your criteria and click OK.

  2. The number of records to be deleted is shown — this is your last chance to cancel. Click Yes to continue or No to abort.

  3. A confirmation message is displayed when the deletion is complete.

9. Saved List Responsible User Mass Transfer

This process transfers multiple Saved Lists from one Responsible User to another in bulk — useful when a user leaves the company or changes role.

How to Transfer a Group of Saved Lists

  1. Open the Saved List summary screen.

  2. Click into the Responsible User field and select the user whose lists you wish to transfer.

  3. From the Other Actions menu, click Transfer Saved Lists.

  4. Use the dropdown to change the Responsible User to the desired recipient.

  5. Click Cancel to abort, or OK to proceed.

  6. A confirmation message is displayed when the transfer is complete.

Need Further Help?

UK / Europe / Americas

Jupiter House, Warley Hill Business Park
The Drive, Brentwood, Essex, CM13 3BE
Tel: +44 (0)1277 227778

Australia / Asia

Level 34, AMP Centre
50 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: +61 (2) 8216 0772

Helpdesk Email: [email protected]

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