Our organization is looking for a consultant who can help with a Raiser's Edge recovery project, and I would like to talk to anyone interested in the work or could provide a referral.

We use Raiser's Edge and had a server failure during the summer. Our IT consultants have been able to recover the SQL data files but no one (including Blackbaud staff) has been able to attach the database.

Unfortunately Blackbaud does not handle forensic or data recovery projects so at their suggestion I'd like to talk to third-party consultants who might be able to determine what is going on. Corruption of the data files is not out of the question, though other data recovered from the same server is intact.

I can state this as two goals:

1) Determine what has happened to the data files and assess the prospects for total recovery

2) Gain access to the contents of the database, whether via the Raiser's Edge software or another solution that would allow us to
migrate the records.

A migration to SalesForce is in the question, and if it can be determined that our data is intact we are interested in talking about
what that would entail.

This database contains about 30,000 constituent records plus some multiple of that number in gifts and other transactions.

 Darrel

There is only one man for the job -- David Zeidman. He will work remotely with you, but he knows the backend technical aspect of Blackbaud data files like no one else.  He is who I would contact immediately. I think you can google David Zeidman and Raiser's Edge. probably find him right away. I think it's david@zeidman.co.uk

Hello Mr. Mark Kidd,

I am a database fundraising consultant based in the Chicago area.  I just finished a large database audit and migration leading to consolidating several databases into one - GiftWorks.  I have worked for The Alford Group as a database consultant for almost two years and served as a database manager in the social service sector. 

 From what you have described in your email, I appears that using the recovered SQL data you have, I would be able to map the various fields in the appropriate fields in SalesForce, by preparing an Excel spreadsheet for all your constituent and gift information by year. 

Where are you located.  I would look forward to learning more about your project. 

Regards,

Alex Tobin

Cell: 781-424-8480

 Sorry - it's david@zeidman.info