-
The documentation says Scoutbook users should not use IA2. But is the reverse ok? Can we primarily use IA2 to bulk upload advancement data and use Scoutbook to make one-off corrections or advancements? For example, I noticed that the text file generated by ScoutTrack doesn’t include the National Summertime Pack Award. So in that case, should we manually add those awards in Scoutbook?
-
When a change is made in Scoutbook, how long does it take for those changes to be reflected in IA2?
-
I noticed the spelling of a name was wrong in both Scoutbook and IA2. I corrected the name in Scoutbook, but the name was never fixed in IA2. In fact, a week later, the name reverted back to the wrong spelling in Scoutbook. What gives?
-
I heard a rumor that BSA IT intends to end support of IA2 sometime in the future. Is this true? If true, has a date been announced?
-
You should be able to use IA 2.0 to make corrections or add advancements. You are not limited to the bulk file upload.
-
Should be close to immediate, because they are both using the same database. Items in Scoutbook do need to be marked as Approved by a leader in the unit.
-
You need to contact your council and request that they correct the spelling of the name. After the council corrects the name, you should see the change listed in the Member Manager at my.scouting.org. The change in Scoutbook usually shows the next day.
-
Not that I know of. They might be thinking of the old Internet Advancement.
Jennifer, thank you very much for the quick reply.
I’m somewhat confused by your answer to item 1. I am a Key 3 Delegate, yet I don’t see a place to enter advancements in IA2.
I’m also confused regarding items 2 and 3. The name field appears to be editable in Scoutbook. I corrected the name, saved the changes and got a confirmation message that the change was saved. First, the name is not updated at all in IA2, even after several minutes passed, which leads me to believe there are two databases in use, not just one. Second, if name fields in Scoutbook are NOT meant to be edited, why are they editable, and why does it give a confirmation message after saving?
I have another, related question. A scout in our pack moved away last June. He still was showing up in both Scoutbook and IA2. I figured out the way to remove him from the pack roster in Scoutbook was to set and “end date” when he moved away. But 20 minutes later, he’s still showing up in the roster in IA2. When I click his name in IA2, I see the 404 page not found error. If the two systems are really using the same database, why aren’t changes made in Scoutbook taking so long to show up in IA2?
Thanks gain for your help!
IA2 pulls roster data directly from Akela, the BSA Person Database. Scoutbook maintains its own roster that is updated when Akela is updated. Units are permitted to update data in Scoutbook so they have good contact information while waiting for the council staff to update Akela. Changes made to personal data in Scoutbook are not pushed to Akela. This also allows units to enter new Scouts into Scoutbook to be able to communicate with them and mark advancement complete (not approved) while waiting for their membership applications to be approved.
IA2 uses the Scoutbook database for advancement.
As I said previously, IA2 uses Akela to obtain roster data. A Scout will remain on the Akela roster until:
- The Scout transfers to another unit
- Your unit recharters without the Scout on the roster
We will need to check with the develpers to find out why you received the 404 error.
Ah, ok. This is very helpful info @edavignon. That explains why things sometimes appear differently in Scoutbook and IA2. Just curious, does Akela also house it’s own set of advancement data too, or just membership info?
We are still waiting for our council to add a few new scouts into Akela. So in the meantime, we will add them ourselves into Scoutbook, as you suggested. When council finally gets around to it, I assume they will use the data we keyed in to create the record in Akela? Is that when the member ID gets generated? As I understand it, a member record has to exist in IA2 with a member ID before importing advancement data will work for that scout, correct? Until they exist in IA2, we need to manually input advancements using Scoutbook. I’m starting to understand. Thanks!
If you are a Key 3 Delegate, then you should be able to enter advancements in Internet Advancement. On the Roster page, select a Scout (or Scouts), then “Record Advancement”.
Regarding inactive scouts or scouts that moved away…
Which roster? Scoutbook, or IA2?
Also, we have a scout that has transferred but I still see him listed on the IA2 roster. How exactly do we remove him?
Thanks.
Wow. Ok, now I get it. The wording of that button confused me. Thanks very much for for your help.
When you add new Scouts in Scoutbook, be sure you use the same exact information that is on the application. This will reduce the chances of a duplicate record being created. Scoutbook is trying to match:
- Scout’s full name
- date of birth
With regard to your unit’s roster, your council can remove Scouts from your official roster during the charter year (this usually happens if a Scout transfers from your unit to a different unit in the same council). Another way is when units drop inactive Scouts from their roster at recharter time (units won’t see this reflected until after their recharter has been processed). Units can see their official roster at my.scouting.org.
Just wanted to let you know that we have some help documents and videos at the following link (for Scoutbook and Internet Advancement):
I’m just not sure of what the specific mechanism or procedure is to “drop” an inactive scout at recharter time.Would you please elaborate? Which tool, which screen which button?
Michael,
To drop a Scout at recharter, you do not include him/her on your recharter paperwork or somehow mark the Scout has dropped. At least in my council, all recharters this year will be done on paper.
Ok I understand. I am working with our Committee Chair who will be handing the re-chartering. I will make sure he doesn’t include the inactive scouts in the paperwork. I’m not sure if he does it electronically or if he submits a hard copy. It’s possible he generates a printout using one of the BSA tools - but not sure which one. I will ask and try to comment here for the benefit of other interested users.
Many units recharter online using the BSA’s Internet Rechartering system.
Yes, i think that’s how we do it. I assume there is an option to “uncheck” scouts who moved or who are otherwise inactive. I will consult with our committee chair. Thank you.
Right, inside of Internet Recharter, there is a step where you select the members that you are going to renew, and you deselect any members who are not renewing.
