TroopMaster sending/reciving data from council

[moosetracker]

I have seen comments that you can link troopmaster to the council database. But not much except some people don't like it, others like it.. and the council gets lots of your information.. It sounded like you were constantly linked and connected.

 

Our unit doesn't want it, but being district Training Chair some unit is asking about it, Sounds like they are expecting this link to kind of "sync" the two systems for training & advancement.. council tells them what they have, they tell council what they have.

 

I only found this link,

http://www.troopmaster.com/scoutnet.html

which more seems like a push to council for your advancement & Rechartering. Never did that, about the rechartering.. I thought the advancement peice was more entering the data in myscouting, and pushing it in this way.

 

So is there something to do a constant link to the council DB? what data is sent to council? does it also update your Troopmaster, or just push data? And why did people not recommend that you use it?

 

 

 

Thanks..

[gcnphkr]

There is no direct link between Scoutnet and TroopMaster. You can export data from TM and import it into Scoutnet. There is no method to go the other way.

 

It would be much harder for a large troop keep track of things without it.

[Mrw1]

For recharter and for advancement, the data is exported from Troopmaster and then uploaded to ScoutNet.

 

The advantage here is that you have entered and checked the data before it gets sent and so you know it is correct in the ScoutNet database. This will save you trouble in getting errors corrected in Advancement records through Council (which is super frustrating). The other thing it does is ensure the ScoutNet records are up to date as you may or may not have the Council data entry person be up to date with entries.

 

And when you turn in an Eagle app and they need to check dates to ensure the boy has earned the proper ranks and merit badges, you know all the data is present in ScoutNet with the same dates used on the app.

[ScoutNut]

You can do both your recharter, and advancement, online in ScoutNet, without using a program like Troopmaster. It just takes a bit more time to enter.

 

 

[moosetracker]

Thanks guys,

 

This kindof solidifies the research I did on it. It was just that comments were made on the forum that there was a way to hook up.

 

I did not want to email the person who ask, saying "No" you can't sync.. Just push data for Advancement & Recharter." To have egg on my face when someone a week from now shows him how it can be done.

 

I also planed to tell him about the process in the online area of myScouting website. That is the one our Council prefers, and we will be offering training for it at the Nov. Roundtable.

[oldsm]

Not sure just how much of this is ScoutNet functionality and how much is just my Council. But...

 

1. When doing advancement, I can choose to sync with the ScoutNet database, which will likely change some of my data (such as middle initials/names, etc.), which I don't want to lose. So I haven't done this.

 

2. I use TroopMaster for all troop-based advancement recording. It's fabulous. When it's time to submit advancements, I just print a report from TM for COH/Form 4403. That gives me a written summary of the things that need to be added to ScoutNet.

 

3. My Council pushes on-line Internet Advancement. As the troop's Advancement Point Person (and SM), I have an IA unit number and password that let me enter data directly into ScoutNet. When it's entered (manaully, using the Troopmaster report mentioned above), I click Submit. ScoutNet prints a confirmation report which I have to sign and turn in to Council in order to be able to purchase MB's and rank advancement. It works like a charm!

 

I have found that some ScoutNet information from years past is wrong: dates, wrong badge credited, MB's never entered (even though I have the paper backup that was submitted in 2006), etc. I can fix it myself in ScoutNet (and ScoutNet will print on the summary report that a date was changed, etc., as an audit mechanism). Check with your Council Registrar. This is one of the best things to happen in a long, long time, IMO.