Below are the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Data Bridge that we answered, compiled, and made available for you as reference. You can refer to this FAQ when you are uncertain and need clarification. You can also check our Help Docs on Social Good Software website for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Data Bridge

What can the Data Bridge help us do?

Data Bridge is a tool that helps synchronize your Altru data and your list from the third-party email marketing tool. This app will act as a bridge so Altru can supply the missing information to your mail provider, and at the same time, the mail provider can also fill in the missing data on your Altru records.

As your list of constituents in Altru grows, the Data Bridge can automatically help keep that email list up-to-date in your email marketing tool and vice versa.

What tools can I connect to the Data Bridge?

We support the following third-party tools:

• Mailchimp
• Constant Contact
• Active Campaigns

Does turning on the Data Bridge automatically create a new record in Altru?

Data Bridge will automatically create a new record in Altru when you enable the setting “If a constituent is not found in Altru create a new record”. We recommend keeping this function disabled unless you have a specific use case to use it. 

Will the Data Bridge ever merge a record?

No. The Data Bridge will never merge data, but if you need a cleaning tool for your records, please check out our Deduper tool. 

Will the Data Bridge override or delete information in Altru?

No. The Data Bridge app is a data enrichment tool and does not override information. The app can update the constituent’s identification, like the name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and subscription attribute, if this information is missing on Altru records but available in your mail provider.

What information can the Data Bridge add to Altru?

Through the Data Bridge, you can update the following information:

1. Given name
2. Last Name
3. Phone number
4. Email Address
5. Mailing address
6. Subscribe/Unsubscribe attribute

Will the Data Bridge override information in the third-party tool we integrate (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Active Campaign)?

No. Data Bridge is a data enrichment tool and does not override information.

For example, if someone’s given name in Altru is different from Mailchimp, there will be no updates on both system. It means the given name in Altru will stay the same, and the given name will not be changed on the mail provider side.

However, if someone’s email address is found in Altru but not on your mail provider, Data Bridge will push the missing data, which is the email address, from Altru to your mail provider. 

Can we preview a list before publishing the integration?

Yes. You can preview the list by navigating to:

Data Bridge > Widgets > Select the integration > Click on the Preview tab.

Please reach us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com if you have questions or need clarifications. We are always happy to help!

Data enrichment service works during the syncing process between Altru and mail providers like ActiveCampaign, MailChimp, and ConstantContact. Altru will supply the missing contact information for your subscribers on the mail provider. The mail provider will also fill in the personal identification not available on the Altru side.  

Below is how the data enrichment service works with your records. As you observed,  no updates happen even though the mail provider and Altru have different given names because the given name is already available in both systems. On the other hand, the phone number and address on the mail provider side are missing but available in Altru. Thus, from Altru, it will bring the information to the mail provider side to fill in missing data. Also, Altru has missing information that is available in the mail provider. Therefore, the mail provider will fill it in. 

When operations between the mail provider and Altru happen, updates to a specific constituent record in Altru will occur. Will be added a note that tells what activities or operations happen on this particular record. 

Note that data will not overwrite, specifically personal identification like first name, last name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and any information already on the record. If Altru and the email provider have the data available, there will be no updates on the two systems.

Please contact us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com for questions and clarifications. We are always happy to help!

Data Bridge is a great tool that makes it possible for your Altru records and data from mail providers such as ActiveCampaign, ConstantContact, and MailChimp in sync. To effectively use this app, view your settings for your mail provider to check if it is configured correctly.

View the Data Bridge Settings for Mail Provider

1. Go to your Social Good Software account.
2. Proceed to Data Bridge.
3. Click the Data Bridge you already configured.
4. Head over to Widget and click the integration, which can be ActiveCampaign, ConstantContact, or  Mailchimp.

5. Proceed to Settings to check if it’s all set up correctly.
   1. Under Widget Settings are
      • Widget Name: Name of the mail provider you want to integrate with Altru
      • Update Frequency: How often the updates happen in a day
      • Mailing List:  Name of the list you created in your mail provider where contacts will be syncing.

2. Test Integration
   • This function will make you go through 22 tests to check if you set the Data Bridge accurately. These tests will help verify if you configure your settings correctly.

3. On the other side, you will see the settings for the mail provider (in this case, ActiveCampaign) and Altru. We recommend setting it up like the image below.

Altru Settings (Recommended): 

1. If a constituent is not found in Altru create a new record > Disabled
   • If enabled, it will create a new record in Altru based on the contacts found from a third-party mail provider, which in this example is ActiveCampaign.

2. If duplicate records are found update subscription attributes >Disabled
   • It will update all duplicate records when enabled.

3. Map fields for constituent > Enabled
   • Click the little gear to start mapping.

4. Add an attribute to the constituent for the selected list > Enabled
   • Will add attributes to the constituent records on a specific integration. Click the little gear to map the subscription attribute.

5. Attach a note to the constituent with SYNC updates > Enabled
   • It will attach a note type to a specific record in  Altru every time an update happens. Click the little gear to map a note type.

6. Once the Settings in the SGS app are correctly configured, enable the integration and click Save Settings. It will then start the syncing process between Altru and the mail provider (ActiveCampaign).

Preview your Integration

Proceed to the preview tab to see what will happen to the integration once enabled. It will show you side-by-side the contacts from the Altru and the mail provider, which in this case is ActiveCampaign. Note that it will only reveal the first 500 contacts, which shows what operations and updates will happen on both systems. 

Depending on the size of your list, it may take some time to generate the preview. Once it loads, you can apply filters to see the contacts that need updates, individuals that unsubscribe, and duplicate records. 

Click Sync Data to start syncing your data on both systems.

Sync Activity 

Go to the sync activity tab to check the operations that you did. Choose the date when you did the activity, and it will show you the details of the operation.

Data Cleanup

This function will help you clean your data. On the left are settings you can enable to have a clean record. Don’t forget to click save settings to save the changes you made.

The tool will not update your data on the system, but you can download the complete clean records in a CSV and XLSX format and upload them back to your mail provider so you will have clean data.

View your settings for your mail provider to audit and verify if you configure it correctly. Follow this process discreetly to make the two systems in sync.

Please contact us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com for questions or if you need clarifications. We are always happy to help!

Review your contact list to make sure that the syncing process works correctly. Go to your integration to check and verify if there are operations that happened on the two systems.

How to review the contact list

1. Log in to your Social Good Software account.
2. Proceed to the Data Bridge app and click the data bridge that you configured.
3. Click on the Widgets tab.
4. Select the integration or widget that you would like to review.

5. Go to the Preview tab. You will see the first 500 contacts and the operations that will happen once the data sync by navigating your cursor to the little icon beside the numbers. You can also apply filters to see those contacts that need updates, unsubscribe individuals, and duplicate records.

6. You can enable the integration if you are done reviewing the contacts. Go to the Settings tab and click Enable integration, then Save Settings. It will then update the data based on how frequently you set it to update.

7. Go back to the Preview tab and click Sync Data. The amount of time the process will take depends on the size of your list. 

You need to wait for the process to complete. Once done, you can check your Altru records and contacts from your email provider to see the updates.

Please contact us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com for questions or if you need clarifications. We are always happy to help!

correctly

To be sure that your Altru records and contacts from the mail provider like ActiveCampaign, ConstantContact, or  Mailchimp are in sync, the widget settings in the Data Bridge app must correctly configure before you enable the integration. This process applies to any type of integration you have.

How to enable the integration

1. Log in to your Social Good Software account.
2. Proceed to Data Bridge.
3. Click the Data Bridge you already configured.
4. Head to Widget and click the integration you are working on, which can be ActiveCampaign, ConstantContact, or  Mailchimp.
5. Go to Settings. Under Widget Settings, you will see that the update frequency was set once a day at 5:00 in the morning eastern time.

6. Enable the integration, then Save Settings. With this, updates of records on Altru and mail provider will happen every day at 5:00 AM eastern time.

Warning: Check your subscription plan with your mail provider before you click the Sync Data, especially when migrating a huge number of contacts, because the more contacts you sync, the higher your bill.

7. There is also an option to sync the record right away. Go to the Preview tab, then click Sync Data. It will then process the data immediately. Note that the syncing process will take some time, depending on the size of your list.

8. You can check all the completed activities by going to the Sync Activity tab. All the operations that happened will be available for you to review.

This process will ensure that your records in Altru and on the mail provider will always be in sync. But if you decide not to use the integration, just go to Settings, and disable the integration, then Save Settings.

Please contact us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com if you have questions or you need clarifications. We are always happy to help!

Audit the operations between the two systems to check if the syncing process runs correctly and verify if your contacts have been synced. Review the activity log to confirm if it achieved your desired output.

How to verify your contacts have been synced

1. Log in to your Social Good Software account.

2. Proceed to Data Bridge.

3. Click the Data Bridge you already configured.

4. Head to Widget and click the integration you are working on, which can be ActiveCampaign, ConstantContact, or Mailchimp.

5. Go to the Sync Activity tab to view all the activities that took place on a specified date.

6. To review the operations on a particular date, click the calendar icon and select the date you want to check.

7. Now, you can start reviewing the performed activities on both systems on your chosen date.

With this, it will be easier to check, review and verify the updates done on your records in Altru and mail provider.
Please contact us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com if you have questions or clarifications. We are always happy to help!

Required steps before you can add tags:

1. Set up your Data Bridge.
2. Configure your Widget in Social Good Software.
3. Create a list in Active Campaign where you can move your contacts from Altru.
4. Build queries in Altru to move contacts to ActiveCampaign.

How ActiveCampaign tags work with Altru

1. Go to your Social Good Software account.
2. Proceed to the Data Bridge you set up.
3. Click the ActiveCampaign widget you configured.
   1. Move to Settings. Make sure to set it up correctly. The name of the list you created in ActiveCampaign should be the same as the name of the Mailing List in the SGS Widget settings.

2. Proceed to Preview to view your Altru contacts. You can also enable the filters to check the status of your list.

3. Once done setting it up, you can click the SYNC DATA button to push your contacts from Altru to ActiveCampaign. Syncing the list will take some time, depending on the number of contacts you want to sync.

Warning: Check your subscription plan with your mail provider before you click the Sync Data, especially when migrating a huge number of contacts because the more contacts you sync, the higher your bill.

4. Once complete, you can proceed to the ActiveCampaign list to check the contacts you moved. Open the list to view the contacts you sync with Altru.

Adding Tags In ActiveCampaign

1. Open the record where you want to add tags. Scroll down until you find the tags section.

2. Open the same record in Altru. A dialog will pop out where you need to select the Constituent Page.

3. Proceed to Attributes in Altru to check if the list has been added.

4. You can now add Tags to ActiveCampaign, which these tags can be anything. With this, you can send emails specifically to the added tags depending on how you tag individuals.

Adding ActiveCampaign tags and how it works with Altru 

1. Add tags to your ActiveCampaign contact in the Tag section.

2. Go back to Data Bridge and click SYNC DATA.

3. Proceed to your Altru record once the syncing process is complete. You will see that the added tags in ActiveCampaign were moved to the Altru record.

4. You can also add tags through Altru and push them to ActiveCampaign. Just proceed to the Altru record and on the Attributes section, click Add button. A dialog will pop out where you need to fill in the Category and Value before clicking OK.

5. Go back to Data Bridge in Social Good Software and click SYNC DATA. Once the syncing process is complete, refresh your ActiveCampaign record so you will see the changes made.

With tags, you will be able to organize your contacts. It will be easier for you to send emails to people when they are categorized using tags.

Please reach us at support@socialgoodsoftware.com if you have questions or clarifications. We are always happy to help!