Tips for a Successful Mass Update Run

For a successful mass update:

• Test your update on a small group first.

• Use the correction option only if you are certain that you want to override data.

  If possible, add a new effective-dated row, instead.

• Familiarize yourself with the online transaction to understand the rules governing the component before trying to automate it using the Mass Update process. When you update a component using Mass Update, it is governed by the same rules (such as defaulting and required fields) as when you access the component online.

• Create several simple Mass Update IDs that you can use in combination instead of trying to create a complicated one that changes everything.

  In addition to being more flexible, this approach facilitates identifying the source of errors.

Important:

The Mass Update feature uses services to update data. Services run all of the business logic that is associated with a component, which ensures that the components function correctly and that the data is consistent. However, updating the data in this manner, while more complete, is slower than some other methods (such as a SQL update). When you run a mass update, take steps to improve performance, such as limiting the size of the transaction set, performing the update at night when server traffic is low, or both.