Deleting contacts from Outlook/BCM

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Guest

I recently started using BCM. First, I copied my Contacts into the Business
Contacts in BCM. Then, I made an account record for each client family in
the Accounts in BCM folder. This way I can have all my notes for one client
family in the Accounts in BCM folder.

However, now I have records in duplicate or triplicate for some individuals.

My question is if it is safe to delete the client contacts (and family
members) from the Contacts folder? I understand that all of the history
included for each record of my Contacts folder did not move to the BCM
folders. So, should I just archive all of the Contacts folder and then
delete the client records?

Thanks,
 
Dave,

After re-reading your comments several times I am still not entirely clear in
understanding exactly what you are trying to do but here are some thoughts
anyway that are hopefully relevant. Everything basically depends upon how
you choose to link which record items to which record items. This was a bit
confusing to me when I first started using BCM with Outlook because I tended
to "over-think" my intended business processes and how to adapt BCM to them.
If you have any Business Activity items linked to a Business Contact record
in BCM those linked items will pass-through and diplay on the Account record
also once you link that Business Contact record to the Account record. I am
possibly unclear in my understanding but perhaps that is why you perceive to
have duplicate and triplicate records for some individuals. Which record
item are you viewing the duplicates on, the Business Contact record or the
Account record?

If you delete a Business Contact that is currently also linked and displayed
through an Account record, the items that were linked to that now deleted
Business Contact record are also removed from the Account record unless you
choose first to go in and manually unlink all of the activity history items
from the Business Contact record and then re-link them directly to the
Account record before deleting the intended Business Contact record.

I would suggest that you experiment with a few fake examples to duplicate in
advance what you are trying to do and then learn via trial and error if the
outcome is the intended one that you desire. Just create some made up
activity items and practice linking and changing the linking, etc. This was
the easiest way that I found to really "get-it" and become comfortable with
what I was doing in this regard with BCM.

I hope that helps.

-THP
 
Additonal comment:

I would recommend reviewing this topic in the BCM Quick Start Guide. Click
on the Business Contact Manager folder in the Outlook folder list. Then
click on 'Read the Quick Start Guide.' Navigate down along the left column
to the topic entitled "How Accounts, Business Contacts, Opportunities, and
History Items are Related" and click on this highlighted link. The diagram
and discussion displays relationships and provides item definitions, etc.

Best wishes,

-THP



Tim said:
Dave,

After re-reading your comments several times I am still not entirely clear in
understanding exactly what you are trying to do but here are some thoughts
anyway that are hopefully relevant. Everything basically depends upon how
you choose to link which record items to which record items. This was a bit
confusing to me when I first started using BCM with Outlook because I tended
to "over-think" my intended business processes and how to adapt BCM to them.
If you have any Business Activity items linked to a Business Contact record
in BCM those linked items will pass-through and diplay on the Account record
also once you link that Business Contact record to the Account record. I am
possibly unclear in my understanding but perhaps that is why you perceive to
have duplicate and triplicate records for some individuals. Which record
item are you viewing the duplicates on, the Business Contact record or the
Account record?

If you delete a Business Contact that is currently also linked and displayed
through an Account record, the items that were linked to that now deleted
Business Contact record are also removed from the Account record unless you
choose first to go in and manually unlink all of the activity history items
from the Business Contact record and then re-link them directly to the
Account record before deleting the intended Business Contact record.

I would suggest that you experiment with a few fake examples to duplicate in
advance what you are trying to do and then learn via trial and error if the
outcome is the intended one that you desire. Just create some made up
activity items and practice linking and changing the linking, etc. This was
the easiest way that I found to really "get-it" and become comfortable with
what I was doing in this regard with BCM.

I hope that helps.

-THP
I recently started using BCM. First, I copied my Contacts into the Business
Contacts in BCM. Then, I made an account record for each client family in
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[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
Thanks,
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Click to expand...
 
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