What? No Citations? Update 1

The first step, for me, is to Identify, with a FACT, everyone in the database that does NOT have a Citation. In this case, everyone.

But, in reviewing each profile, other things are looked at. For example, Place Names. I can fix many of them, as I go.

I have all Birth, Marriage, and Death dates, where I only have a Year in the database, I change that to ABT. To make sure I have done that, I use a Saved Report to review the work that I have done.

This is an example of this process.




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Copyright © 2019 by Cousin Russ

What? No Citations ?

I have a Family Tree Maker file that I had researched 10 to 15 years ago. Many versions of the program ago, but a friend asked me for some information from that file.

I had opened it several times over the years, but was very disheartened to notice that ALL of my Citations were gone. ALL of them. I went to my oldest back up, same deal.

I did have an external drive crash, had recovered it, but still no back up's with Citations.

This is one reason why I recommend "testing" your back ups.

So, what do I do ? I have this very important person asking me questions about folks in this database. I, of course, wanted to be able to say yes or no to questions, but be able to provide Source Information.

After some dialog, mostly that I didn't have answers to the questions, I thought about what I should do, This database has about 1250 profiles, with some good information. Some Dates, some places, many relationships, but no Citations.

I should mention, that this line has some stories that I know about, and have a cousin connection, in my Master File, but that cousin connection also happens to be in THIS FILE. That is one of the reasons that I had looked at this file some time ago. I need to get this file, up to my standards.

Here is my PLAN:

Get this file Online to see IF what I have, will generate HINTS from Ancestry?

7,039 Hints
5,595 RECORD Hints

The data that I have, Names, Dates, Places AND Relationships are doing what they should be doing, Generating Hints.

I totally use these hints for all of my research, that I can Online, to gather enough information to know what I need to look for, and where, when a visit to a repository / archive it required.

I did a couple of Web Merges, to make sure that I would get the expected results, that is GOOD Hints. The one's I have tried, all were accurate, presented no conflicting information (so far). So the theory that the file and linked Ancestry Member Tree would give me good hints.

As I said earlier, I have created my standards for my file (now files). How I do things, manage Filenames, Citations, Place Names (historic and current), Research Log and ToDo Lists.

My first step is to Marks ALL Profiles with a Fact that I will use to show me that this Profile is NOT Documented. I use the Undocumented Fact Report on a routine bases (usually daily). That would be of no use on this file. So, ALL profiles will have this Fact, so when I run the Undocumented Fact Report, I can Filter OUT, all profiles that have this Fact. When all of the Facts for each profile is documented, I can Remove that Fact and run that report again.

While I am Adding that Fact to each profile, I am looking at the profile, mostly for Place Names. This file is so old, that we did NOT have a Resolve Place Name utility, so place names were not in the proper format. So while I am looking at the Profile, I will resolve those Place Names that I am able to (quickly). For example, I had 341 Unresolved Place Names and now am down to 224. Still a lot, but most of those unresolved place names will require a RECORD to correct the place name. There are many that are involved with Virginia / West Virginia historic place names. As I have posted before, I will double enter those place names to include the historic place name and the current place name for the Map feature.

Also, there are many place names from England and Ireland. I am not even trying to address those place names until I look at the records. Many of the 224 Place names all into that category.

ALL of my Birth, Marriage, and Death Dates, that only have the Year, I change to "Abt. YYYY". So, that clean up is being done. I have also deleted a number of Birth, Marriage, and Death Dates where I might have the Year, AND another entry for complete data and place name. I'll delete that Year only entry.

I have already run the Data Error Report with ALL Profiles what appear in that report are Marked with a Fact with that name AND a ToDo item for that profile. I know that the only way I will resolve most of those errors, is with a Record. They are ALL Marked and will resolve them when I am looking at records.

When I finish marking all of the Profiles as being not documented, I will invite this researcher to this Ancestry Member Tree to allow them to look at my data themselves. I have a "File Note" profile, in my database and in the AMT, where I add all of the information on how I handle this file. Why I do "stuff" in the file. Why did I do THAT ??? see the File Notes.

I already have a number of "stories" about the people in this File. I have visited a number of place where this "line" traveled through or to. One of the stories, that I have documented, is this line had an encounter with George Washington and his brother, as the family were neighbors of the Washington's.

I can't forget my Cousin Connection from my Master file, NOR can I forget the connection to my Mother's family, that may have a connection. I had forgotten that connection until I started to look at the file.

Finally, I am writing this blog post, as one of the things I am tracking, is how good or bad are the Hints we get from our online trees, from Ancestry. I have done this study several times in the past, and in the past I have experienced a high rate of success (90% - 95%). With all of the changes in Family Tree Maker and how we receive our Hints, I want to see how the hinting system is working today.

Lesson Learned:

1) Test your Back Up's

2) Don't Delete your "old" Back Up's.


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Copyright © 2019 by Cousin Russ

Undocumented Fact Report - Update

UPDATE: Undocumented Fact Report Management

Actually, that worked out well, and I have marked all 1,678 Profiles that have undocumented Facts. Far more than what I wanted, but it is now manageable. I know what I have to work with AND a Plan on what to do, going forward.

OBSERVATIONS:

There were two observations: 1 - Most of the Undocumented facts, not going into detail, was PRE-Family Tree Maker Version 2010. As I did not see many Citations that were using the Template Feature, which was added in  FTM2010. 2 - Some of the Undocumented Facts were probably entered in a Version, prior to Version 16,  the last of the DOS Family Tree Maker versions.

We didn't have the tools / features that we have today. AND it reminds me to use the Undocumented Fact Report daily. That does NOT mean that all of the Facts are Documented (yet), but at least I KNOW which profiles have Undocumented Facts.

Going Forward:

Over the past number of years, I spend time moving my Sources (Source Groups) into the Source Template Feature. As I work these undocumented facts, I MUST look at the Citations for the Fact WITH Citations and then make sure that those Sources of the Citations are using the Template Feature.

I have a spreadsheet with all of my Source Groups, I know how many each Citations the Source Groups have, and how many Source Groups are using the Template Feature. So I know where this project stands. As I clear any Undocumented Facts in a profile, I will Delete the No Documentation Fact (marked Private), just to make sure that I did, in fact clear that undocumented Fact.

In the description Field, I entered:

• Find A Grave
• No Documentation
• Undocumented Fact
• Undocumented Facts
• and 4 specific Source names, that are books in my library

I explained  about the 2nd though 4th item in the earlier blog post. I did not have to change that Plan.

Using the new "Smart Filter" feature of FTM2019, it really helped me keep track of which Profiles I had identified and those that I needed to identify. It also helped me actually clear the Fact that did not have a Citation in earlier versions of Family Tree Maker. IF the profile fit into those description listed above, I did not resolve them in the report, but will use the No Documentation Fact to clear those up.

I had to keep in mind, which category I was dealing with. For those with the "sex" Fact, I used the Name Citation, and Pasted it, into that Fact. But, for the others, I wanted to use my No Documentation Fact citation for that. Remember that Family Tree Maker has TWO "clipboards", the Windows Clipboard, and the FTM clipboard for those Citations.

The Undocumented Fact Report provides the ability to use the "Individuals to Include" option. I selected Include ALL, then Filtered OUT, any profile where the "No Documentation" fact Existed.

This next image is the New "Smart" Filter feature. I call it the Dynamic Filter. In previous versions, once you set a Filter, it is static. Each time I return to the Individuals to include that number on the Right would decrease, meaning more profiles had that Fact. IF I put that Fact on 5 profiles, that number would decrease by 5. Applying (button at the bottom) the report would update.

I started with 12,636 Profiles (People) in the Left Column and there are 1,678 in the Right Column when I completed AND the Report had NO entries. I have identified everyone that had at least one fact without a citation.

Because I Cited each of that "No Documentation" fact, I had a check and balance. I went to the Source Workspace, found my No Documentation Citation and ensured that I had used that Citation 1,678 times. And I did.

Here is where the "Smart Filter" / Dynamic Filter feature really helps. In the People Workspace, Tree View, Filter, it will open the existing Filter window, where I select Filter IN, No Documentation Exits, which moved that 1,678 names into the Right Panel. 

Then I wanted to Filter OUT the No Documentation (description) "No Documentation", so I can see only those that does include that description. In this case it was 605. None of those profiles have any documentation. Sounds like a lot, and it is, BUT I will look at those profiles that are related to that profile. I got that information from somewhere, and most likely from one of those other family members.

It's not clear on this screen capture, but there is a pencil ICON on the Right, next to the "trash can" where I can Edit that Filter Out, to get the other numbers for each of the above description items. AND, this "Smart Filter" / Dynamic Filter, shows exactly what the various items that make up what has been filtered in and out.

Summary:

Profiles with Undocumented Facts =1.678
No Documentation = 605
Undocumented Fact = 286
Undocumented Facts = 386
Find A Grave = 3

The four books that I have as sources = 398

Now for the Undocumented Fact, where this started, I didn't count. But, I know that my Undocumented Fact Report, when I started this, was 169 pages long. When I completed this, that report was 122 pages. If the report has 20 Profiles per page, that would mean that about 940 profiles, and they have been resolved.

Lesson Learned: Run the Undocumented Fact Report FREQUENTLY, my, now best practice, DAILY.


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Copyright © 2019 by Cousin Russ

Undocumented Fact Report Management

I understand that many users don't care about Sources and Citations. Over the years, I have learned how important they are. I have also learned how to manage that issue. I want ALL Facts with a Citation, even those Facts that I create and the I use for my purposes to maintain the file.

Working with two (2) new files, in the past three years, I learned to run the Undocumented Fact Report Daily. By doing so, and I can keep this issue under control. That is FIX the issue, based on the work that I did that day.

I took those two files and merged them into my Master database. That experience is a whole other topic. Because for the past two or three years I was in the habit of running the Undocumented Fact Report I ran it for the first time in my Master database. What I ended up with was a 169 PAGE Report. Shocked, to say the least.

To run this report, go to the Publish Workspace, select the Source Report in the Collection Tab, select Undocumented Facts, then Create Report.

When the "Create Report" button is selected, I want to make sure ALL Individuals are included.

Then I realized one problem that really brought the importance of this report. A change, many versions ago, about the "Sex" Fact had been changed requiring a Citation. Many Records either state that as a fact or can infer that fact, and should be documented. Family Names / Given Names are not always obvious. So we were given the Citation field for that Fact.

That second image is the clue /  reminder to me as to why there were so many pages of Undocumented Facts. I have some clean up work to do. I had to develop a Plan to deal with all of these Undocumented Facts. What I was NOT going to do, is clean them all up right now.

As you may know, we can Edit the Profile, from the Report, by double clicking on the Name (that is bolded) and the Person View will appear.

The Sex Fact does not have a Citation, but the Name Fact does have a citation, This is a quick and easy way to resolve this problem, Copy the Citation from the Name Fact, and Paste Link to Source Citation. The Copy source citation is the ICON to the Right of the "New" and left of the Edit (Pencil) ICON. That is the Family Tree Maker Clipboard (not Windows Clipboard)

Then select the "Sex" Fact, and Past Link to Source Citation.

That process will take care of those Facts that did not require a citation from previous versions. Easy but time consuming and needs to be done.

BUT, the next profile had other Facts that did not have Citations. From my analysis since I started this clean up project, over the many versions of Family Tree Maker, some Citations were lost and / or unlinked from Facts. So I needed a PLAN.

My plan is to use the Filter Feature to help me manage those profiles that have one or many Facts without a Citation. To do that, I created a "No Documentation" Fact. That way, I can Filter In or Filter Out, anyone with the No Documentation Fact. The name of the fact is not important, that was just the one I chose.

Keeping in the Undocumented Fact Report, I would ADD that Fact to every person in that report AND put a Citation on that Fact. Here is my citation (Reference Note)

Worthington, Russ, [ ADDRESS FOR PERSONAL USE, ], File Citations; This is a "No Documentation" citation, where there are no citations on Facts.

As I started to go through this process, three things were seen.

1. No Citations on any Facts in that profile
2. Only ONE Fact without a Citation
3. A number of Facts without a Citation

Number 1 was may be a large problem, as there is not clue, on that screen to tell me where that information came from. More time involved, but in the People Workspace, Person View, looking at other information, especially a spouse, parents, or children. Clearly not in the report.

It became clear, that this phase of the project is to Mark All Profiles with a Citation issue. 

Number 2 and 3 are a little easier, in that I have at least ONE Citation on other Facts. I can review those citations to see if that record addresses the Fact(s) that are not documented. The Only one fact, should be an easy fix.

This is time consuming, but here is where the Filter In / Filter Out feature comes in very handy.

Lets say I added the No Documentation Fact to the First Page in the Report. I can now go back to the "Individuals to Include". Select ALL, Filter OUT, select the "No Documentation Fact", Any Data, and those profiles with that Fact will be removed from the report.

For me, this does a couple of things, Lets me focus on the easy fixes, or the ones that will take more time, and I can resolve that one fact that doesn't have the citation from previous versions of the program.

In looking at the Undocumented Fact Report, it became obvious which Profiles had that one fact, not documented. It included on the Name and the Fact.

I can fix them right then and there, as noted above.

Once all of the Undocumented Facts are identified what the No Documentation Fact, I can then get back to research and when I come across a Profile with that FACT, I can deal that that undocumented fact then, because I can see it in the List of Facts.

I marked the No Documentation Fact as Private, so only I can see it. In this example, I do not know the persons Name, (5 underscores), but when I look at the full profile, I see that this is a Spouse of someone in my database. I can look at the Citations for the Spouse, to pick up the Citation for this person, that has NO Citations on either Fact.

The No Documentation in the Fact Description field, may be an easy fix, or may be  not so easy.

My goal is to KNOW who has one or more Facts that are not documented. Using the Filter In / Filter Out feature, and get that Undocumented Fact report to Zero, then I can go back to my research. AND I can also go to the People Workspace, and use the Filter In Feature, to Filter IN all who have the No Documentation Fact, and further include, if I want, the No Documentation, Undocumented Fact, or Undocumented Facts in the description.

NOW, once I have all of the Facts documented in the Profile, I can DELETE that No Documentation Fact from that Profile. Now running the Undocumented Fact Report is important to be run frequently, with the goal of No / Zero profiles on that report (again, filtering out the No Documentation Fact).

Lesson Leaned: Run the Undocumented Fact Report daily
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Copyright © 2019 by Cousin Russ

FTM2012 - 580 - Undocumented Facts Report

An updated feature, Undocumented Fact Report, Added option to include only preferred facts.

There has been an Undocumented Fact Report, but users requested that ONLY Preferred Facts be included in this report. We now have that feature.

Publish Workspace, Sources Collection, Undocumented Report. In that screen is a check mark to "Include only Preferred Facts".

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 Copyright © 2012 by H R Worthington