Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do we pay the initial purchase price only?

A. Yes that’s correct. If we release a new version (some are free) or you wanted to increase your membership capacity licence then there would be an additional one off fee to update but unlike a lot of other software there are no ongoing renewal fees. With others charging monthly or annual renewal fees its not hard to do the maths to prove that ‘Membership Database Pro’ is a much more cost effective option over time for your club or organization.

Q. What are Member Types within the program?

A. Defines different groups of members which may, or may not have different subscription fees. For example a flying club may have two Member Types, [Pilot] members and [Associate] members or this could even be broken down further. Lets take gender for example. The type named [Pilot] could be further split into two different types. i.e. [Pilot (M)] for males and [Pilot (F)] for females. Splitting the members into various Member Types gives you more flexibility when it comes to printing reports and invoices etc. because you can do a print run for a single type only or any combination of types as selected from the ‘Select & Sort’ window.

Q. What are Category Types within the program?

A. Sub groups of Member Types. For example you could have a category of 'Committee' made up of any members regardless of their Member Type. The use of categories is optional but you must have at least one Member Type.

Q. How many Member Types and Categories can we have?

A. There is not really a limit to Member Types but for ease of use it's best to keep them to around 15-20 max. if you can. Categories on the other hand are limited to 12.

Q. What are Member Numbers? (not related to Membership Capacity)

A. Normally membership card numbers and can be any number between 0001 and 9999.

For convenience the program by default will select the next free member number but simply override it by keying in an existing member number, any other number or to create gaps for later entries. The program will automatically check for and disallow duplicate numbers.

TIP: Member Numbers could also be used as another method of grouping members.

Q. Can we increase our initially purchased nominated Membership Capacity?

A. Yes. Please contact us for pricing of the available capacity increases.

Q. Does the program have Password protection?

A. Yes. In addition four different password security levels can be set. These range from full non restricted use to minimal use where the user can not make any changes to the members.

Q. Does the program have data backup protection?

A. Yes. The program has its very own data Backup/Restore utility program which backs up ALL the programs data into a single file named 1.BKP
TIP: The 1.BKP file can be sent as an email attachment to a home or other computer as an 'off site' backup copy.

Q. Can we email a member?

A. Yes, click on the members email address from the Browse Members window.

Q. Can we do Mass (also known as Bulk) email?

A. Yes but not directly as mass email requires specialized software with server functionality.


Step 1. Export members to a CSV text file (see ‘Export Email’ option under the [File] menu).

Step 2. Import the CSV text file into your mass email or word processor software.

Q. Can we make a temporary change to a members subscription fee?

A. Yes. There is a 'Subscription Override' found in 'Update Members' from where the default subscription fee for the Member Type can be set to any other value. For example a part year subscription for a new member. An override report can be printed for these members only..

Q. Can I check the data for missing member details?

A. Yes there is a 'Data Integrity' report found under the [Reports] drop down menu.
A screen shot of the available options can be viewed here (scroll down to view).

Q. Can I print address labels?

A. Yes, you can setup the program to print to almost any type and size of label as they can be defined by the user. Please note though that you can also print letters, invoices etc. for use with window envelopes eliminating the need to use labels. You can also create a ‘Mail Merge’ file for use with a word processor (see the ‘File’ menu). 

Q. Our membership is currently in a spreadsheet, is it transferable?

A. Yes it can be done. There is a cost involved as it needs to be done by DJ Computer Services because each different set of spreadsheet data needs to be converted on an individual basis. We normally ask for a copy of your spreadsheet file (i.e. XLS file) then from that we can work out whats involved and provide a free quote. All data supplied to DJ Computer Services is handled with very strict confidentiality. In all fairness it usually boils down to which is the most cost effective as it can be much cheaper to re-enter all the members yourself. Data conversions done by DJ Computer Services is really only suitable for very large memberships to be cost effective.

Q. Can we run the program in a network environment?

A. Yes the data files can be ‘shared’ so this should not be a problem BUT because network setups do vary we strongly recommend that you test the program in your own network environment thoroughly using the trial program prior to purchase. The trial is suitable for such testing purposes because its the full complete program, its only the membership data that is limited in the trial.

Q. Can we run the program on an Apple Mac computer?

A. Membership Database Pro is a native Windows program and will run on any Windows computer without requiring any additional functionality. We understand Windows programs can be run on a Mac computer using emulation software but since we have not tested this ourselves we can not say that’s its something we would recommend. The good thing about the trial is that its the complete full program so you could test it fully for free on your Mac using Windows emulation software if you wanted.

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