Each folder dependency rule has two “sides” – the source and the target:
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The source is the folder, contact type, or saved search that the Folder Dependency Analyzer checks when determining whether a rule applies to a contact.
Note that you cannot use extended searches in a folder dependency rule.
- The target is the folder, contact type, or folder type that is dependent on the source. Folder Dependency Analyzer will add or remove contacts in the target entity.
One way to think of this is: the source determines whether a contact is added to or removed from the target. For example, one of the out-of-the-box rules included with InterAction states the following:
Contacts that have the Our Personnel contact type but are not in the Personnel Information folder are added to the Personnel Information folder.
In this case, the Our Personnel contact type is the source, and the Personnel Information folder is the target. The rule adds contacts to the Personnel Information folder based on a condition determined by the Our Personnel contact type.
A rule to remove a contact from the Personnel Information folder would look like this:
Contacts that are in the Personnel Information folder but do not have the Our Personnel contact type are removed from the Personnel Information folder.
This example is just to illustrate the relationship between the source and target. Do not create a rule for removing contacts from the Personnel Information folder, as this will cause you to lose data. For details, see “Practicing Safe Folder Deletes” in Defining What the Rule Will Do.
Note that the source is still the one that defines the overall dependency. In the first example, a contact that has the type must also be included in the target folder. In the second example, a contact that does not have the type is not allowed to be in the target folder. In both cases, contacts are added/removed from the target folder based on inclusion in the source (Our Personnel contact type in both examples).
Defining Multiple Rules for the Same Contact Type or Folder
A single contact type or folder can have multiple rules assigned to it, as either the source or target.
For example, the Client contact type is used in six different rules. It is the source for five rules that add contacts to the following folders:
- Client Information
- Client Financial Information
- Company\Person Information
- Client Personnel
In all of these examples, contacts with the Client contact type are also added to the above folders.
The Client contact type is also the target for one rule:
Contacts that have the Top Client contact type but do not have the Client contact type are added to the Client contact type.
When defining rules that use the same types, be careful not to create conflicts or circular rules.
Using a Saved Search as the Source for a Rule
You can select a saved search as the source for a rule. In this case, the rule will apply to contacts that meet the criteria defined for the search. This allows you to create dependencies based on any criteria you can define in a search. For example, you could create a search that finds clients with revenue greater than a defined amount, then automatically add these to the “Top Clients” contact type.
You must create and save the search in the Windows Client. Every saved search has security settings that indicate which users are allowed to open the search. When defining a folder dependency rule that uses a saved search as criteria, you must be logged on to InterAction Administrator as a user with access to open the search.
For example, the “Inactive Personnel” search can be opened by anyone in the group “Firm Personnel Administrators.” To create a folder dependency rule using this search, you need to log on to InterAction Administrator as either the system administrator user or a user within the Firm Personnel Administrators group.
Security for a Saved Search in the Windows Client
You can only use a saved search for direct dependencies, not company association dependencies.
Using a Folder Type as the Target for a Rule
You can choose to use a folder type as the target for a rule. In this case, contacts will be added or removed for all folders assigned that type.
For example, you could create a rule like the following:
Contacts that are both ‘Deceased’ contact type and in the Marketing List (with sponsorship) type folders are removed from the Marketing List (with sponsorship) folders.
This is basically a shortcut for removing contacts from multiple folders at once. Instead of specifying a separate rule for each individual folder, you can create a “blanket” rule for all folders within a folder type.
In the above example, you would still need more than one rule to account for all marketing lists since InterAction includes two marketing list folder types out of the box:
- Marketing List (with sponsorship)
- Marketing List (no sponsorship)