HandsOn Connect provides the flexibility to allow users to customize the email alerts sent out by the system, and the email templates sent out by those alerts and the workflows that control them.

For this reason - when updates or bug fixes become available for email templates, correcting merge fields and improving on the messaging sent out by the system emails -- system administrators need to manually update their email templates.

If you've not customized your email templates in any way -- then its primarily a matter of replacing the contents of the exiting email template, with the 'new' content.

If you have customized your email template text in any way -- you will want to selectively review new email templates, and decide what content and merge fields you need to update.

Either way, this post will tell you how to find the most current versions of the email templates, and how to update your existing email templates so that all merge fields work with the latest version of HandsOn Connect.

The Default workflow user's email address is set, by default, as the Sender of all email alerts send through workflows.

It can be defined to be any licensed salesforce user in your organization - and typically is the System Administrator.

At Dreamforce, we were able to attend a session on formulas that was truly amazing. There are lots of posts and discussions about formulas and a great user group so if you need help trouble shooting a formula visit the Help & Training section in your salesforce instance as well as http://www.developerforce.com.

The formulas described below were presented at the Sept 22nd HandsOn Connect Community Lab. Recording available here.

Getting the right date filters so that you get the right information in a report can be tricky business. Here's a few tips:

1) Decide exactly what the question is.

For example: When you say you want to know about the # of connections in 2011, what exactly are you asking?

• How many connections were made during 2011?
• How many connections took place during 2011?

Notice those are very different questions. If someone signed up for an occurrence that takes place in January 2011, but they signed up in December 2010 then you're going to get different answers depending on the date you filter by.

• If you want to know how many people signed up (made a connection) in 2011, then the Connection Created Date is what to filter on.
• If you want to know how many connections took place during 2011, then the Connection "Start Date and Time" is the relevant date.

2) Decide which object really has the dates you want to use.

The most reliable record types for date information are either Connections or Occurrences. There are a lot of date fields in the volunteer opportunity record, but its when the OCCURRENCE took place that's probably relevant. And for individuals (volunteers), the Connection record is the right place to go. Be careful that you select the right date field that most clearly answers the question you want to answer in the report.