nFS Technology – some background information

On this special day for nFS – did you know this is a special day? – I thought you might be interested in the following information posted by the Ancestry Insider (http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/), one of my favourite sites to read:

The technology of the New FamilySearch tree (NFS) was one topic FamilySearch product manager, Ron Tanner, talked about at the recent South Davis Family History Fair.

Tanner shared a 1995 quote from Howard W. Hunter, a deceased president of FamilySearch sponsor, the Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The quote expresses the Church’s belief that technology plays a divine role in FamilySearch’s genealogical efforts:

In recent years we have begun using information technology to hasten the sacred work of providing ordinances for the deceased. The role of technology in this work has been accelerated by the Lord himself, who has had a guiding hand in its development and will continue to do so. However, we stand only on the threshold of what we can do with these tools. I feel that our most enthusiastic projections can capture only a tiny glimpse of how these tools can help us—and of the eternal consequences of these efforts.¹

The NFS tree website uses quite a bit of heavy technology. The tree runs on 640 servers, 370 of which are needed just to provide search capabilities. The tree now contains 1.4 billion people and takes 20 terabytes to store it. The tree database is so large, according to Tanner, that server manufacturers send them computers to test the computer’s ability to handle databases of that size. “We’re pushing the envelope,” said Tanner.

FamilySearch creates two separate backups of the NFS tree. One copy is created by continuously copying changes that are made to the tree. Periodically, they make complete copies that they also copy to microfilm.

Currently, new releases of the NFS tree software are rolled live on Sunday mornings from 2 to 3 AM. This one hour is the only window during the entire week that none of the Church’s temples are communicating with the system. FamilySearch is investigating technology to allow “hot” updates. While this makes changes more convenient, the technology is partly needed because bringing Asia online will completely close the current release window.

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Sources

1. Howard W. Hunter, “We Have a Work to Do,” Ensign, March 1995, 64; online archives (www.lds.org : accessed 13 March 2010).

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FamilySearch Indexing converts to LDS/FamilySearch Accounts.

A few weeks ago I wrote an article on LDS Accounts (8 February 2010 – I have added a link to it under categories on the right side of the blog page) and warned you that they were coming.  This past week Indexing converted to using an LDS Account for the sign in.  Your stake web site and wiki.familysearch are already using LDS Accounts.  nFS will be moving very soon to LDS Accounts with the next imminent update.

What happens when you now go to Indexing.familysearch.org for the first time since the change?  1.  It asks if you have an LDS Account or offers to make one for you.  If you make an LDS Account you will need your membership number and birthdate – at least you should know the latter!  2.  After signing in with your LDS Account it offers to help you merge information from your old Indexing account – you want to do this! 3.  To do the merge it will want you to enter your old (before LDS Accounts) user name and password for Indexing.  4.  Assuming you remember your old sign in it will bring up a summary screen of your old account including how many names  you have indexed so far.  5. When you click on the Merge button you get one of two results.  Either it says “Successful”  – you like this one! –  or “Failed” – not so nice!  Do not be discouraged by the Failed message – that is what I got the first time – just try again to merge . . .  and maybe try again with a little wait if more that 2 or 3 tries are necessary.

There is information on the change at indexing.familysearch.org under the News tab and this includes a link to a knowledge document on known issues and resolutions (kd 109578)

One of the really nice things about LDS Accounts is that you can edit your profile and change not just your password but also your user name.  May I suggest that you use a simple fairly short user name.  Obviously no two people can have the same user name – so first come first served on the good ones!  As many of you know mine is just my firstname and first initial of my last name – but I got mine a long time ago.

What is the difference between LDS Accounts and FamilySearch Accounts?  LDS Accounts are for members of the church and FamilySearch Accounts are for members of the public.  Sometimes they use the term FamilySearch Accounts to refer to both.

If all else fails call the April 6 number (1-866-406-1830) and ask for Indexing support or email support@familysearch.org  if you having difficulty getting into your indexing.  They might be busy this week   . .  .

Please help as many members as you can.

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Getting the most from the Family Tree view at nFS

I have a suspicion that most people haven’t really examined the features of the Family Tree view at nFS!!  Time to take a tour!  There are some very nice features to see.

I am sure all of you got the notice of the new nFS training site for FH Consultants.  If you tried to get on the site the day it was announced you probably couldn’t because everyone was trying to get there!  The training site does not have the capacity of the full nFS – so you have to hope to get one of the working spaces.  The nickname for the training site is the “sandbox.”   It is a space where you can practice and try all the nFS features but not in real data.  A great place to learn!  As you enter the site you will be prompted for your LDS Account and on the next page you will be offered a pdf download of practice exercises.  This tour of the Family Tree view mostly comes from those practice exercises – so the numbers start with #14.

14. At the top of the pedigree and details screen, click Change View, and select Family Tree.

15. Notice that only the pedigree is displayed. Click a name to view the individual’s summary

information on the right.

16. On the right, click the Details view.

17. Click a right arrow to expand your pedigree. If available, expand your pedigree several generations

along one line.

18. Using the Zoom Bar at the top left, click and drag the zoom tool to zoom out, click and drag the

pedigree to move it, and click and drag the zoom tool to zoom in.

19. Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom out and zoom in on the pedigree.

20. Use the plus (+) and minus (-) keys to zoom out and zoom in on the pedigree.

21. Use the arrow keys to move the pedigree up, down, left, and right.

22. Use the Navigator button (the 4 headed icon with a square in the middle)  to move the pedigree up, down, left, and right.

23. Use the Home and End keys to move to the beginning and end of your pedigree.

24. Click the name of an individual listed on the far right of your pedigree, and then click ) to see the direct line from the individual listed on the right to the first person in the pedigree.

25. Click (Align Family button) to line up the pedigree from the individual listed on the right to the

first person in the pedigree.

26. Click (Show Descendants button) to see descendants for an individual.

27. Click (Show Ancestors button) to see ancestors for an individual.

28. If the Show All Wives button or Show All Husbands button is displayed, click it to

view other spouses for an individual.

29. If the Show All Parents button is displayed, click it to view other parents for an individual.

Printing a Pedigree Chart

30. At the top, click (Print button).

31. On the Print window, click Print. Notice how the pedigree looks when printed. – if you have built out a big enough pedigree chart it will be a multi page (cascading) chart

Printing a Family Group Record

32. On the right, above the summary information for an individual, click Family Group Record.

33. On the family group record view, at the top, click Print.

34. On the Print window, click Print. Notice how the family group record looks when printed.

35. Click Close Window.

Exploring the List View

36. At the top left, click the Family Tree drop-down list, and select Individual List.

37. Notice that the individuals in the list are the same individuals that were on the family tree view.

Click one of the column headings to change how the list sorts.

38. Click an individual’s name to view his or her information on the right.

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Which FamilySearch Certified Affiliate Software is Best for Me?

by Ileen Johnson

FamilySearch Certified Affiliates are third-party companies that provide products and services with features that are compatible with FamilySearch programs.  Certification indicates the affiliate’s declaration of compliance with FamilySearch requirements. Note that these products and services are independently developed and supported by their respective organizations, not by FamilySearch.  To see a list of certified software programs and Internet links to their Web sites, click this link:  http://www.familysearch.org/eng/affiliates/index.html.

New FamilySearch features that can be certified are Access, Helper (assist others), Multi-Language, Ordinance Reservation, Ordinance Request, Ordinance Status, PAF Add-In, Print, Research Wiki, Print Service (poster-size reports), Synchronization (between new FamilySearch and personal database), and Update (publish new data to FamilySearch).  New FamilySearch and all affiliate programs access the same database, but the affiliates add features to help users perform new FamilySearch functions.  The affiliates also perform some functions not yet available in new FamilySearch, such as print charts and reports, and download data from new FamilySearch.

Do I have to use one of these affiliate programs?  No.  If you wish, you can work directly from within new FamilySearch, but the affiliate programs may help simplify and speed up your work, especially that of  synchronizing your personal database with new FamilySearch and vice versa.

So, which FamilySearch Certified Affiliate Software is best for me?  Well, that depends a lot on you.  Does your computer use a Windows operating system or is it a Mac?  Are you willing to change to another genealogy software program, or are you happy with the one you already have?    Answers to these questions will help lead you towards the right affiliate program for you.  This document will comment on five programs:  Ancestral Quest 12.1, FamilyInsight, RootsMagic 4, MagiKey Family Tree and Legacy Family Tree, all of which have established telephone support lines and online tutorials or videos to help you get started.

Other affiliate programs not discussed here include several utilities that access new FamilySearch and provide one or more certified features.  Some are Web-based, some associated with popular genealogy Web sites, and some are stand-alone programs to be used from home computers.  New affiliate programs are being certified on a regular basis, so be sure to check http://www.familysearch.org/eng/affiliates/index.html frequently.  Links to affiliate Web sites can be found by following the above link.

Personal Ancestral File (Win) has been available for many years as a free download and was last updated in 2002.  The  LDS Church will continue to support this product, but no further upgrades will be provided.  PAF remains a good, solid program, but lacks some of the features newer programs have.  Some fields added by affiliate programs are saved, but cannot be viewed in PAF.  If you are using Personal Ancestral File for your personal  database and want to continue to do so, consider Ancestral Quest or FamilyInsight.  Both these programs work with PAF and can be accessed from the PAF Tools menu after installation.

Ancestral Quest (Win) is the program the LDS Church selected as the base for Personal Ancestral File 4 and 5, so there are a lot of similarities between the two programs. If you are a PAF user, AQ will look and feel like a major upgrade to PAF 5. You’ll enjoy using the familiar charts and reports, advanced filtering, and other screens. You’ll find new capabilities and reports, including the ability to synchronize your PAF data with new FamilySearch, spell-check notes, record research tasks, direct lookups on Ancestry.com and the ability to work on a single master file with relatives. If you are new to family tree software, you will find AQ to be a complete, easy-to-use program that will handle your needs and give you lots of extras. AQ can use the same .paf data file that is used by PAF 5, so you can use AQ by itself as a replacement for PAF, or if you prefer to continue to use PAF 5, AQ can be used along side of PAF to synchronize your PAF database with new FamilySearch. Ancestral Quest is ranked as having the best listing tool and the most comprehensive synchronizing, which means there are more ways to sync, and you’ll see more of the NFS data while syncing. It includes a built in utility for downloading ancestral lines from new FamilySearch, and an Ordinance Reservation and Tracking System that helps you reserve ordinances and maintain your ordinance card inventory. Ancestral Quest offers a 60-day free trial – not a limited “basic” version, but the full program. The purchase price is US$29.95.

FamilyInsight (Win/Mac) opens your PAF database, PAF backup or a GEDCOM from any family history database manager and uses it to search new FamilySearch. During the time FamilyInsight is in use, the PAF program cannot be used with that same file. This is to prevent loss of data if you were to edit the file in both programs simultaneously.  FamilyInsight can be accessed through the tools menu in PAF 5 or by opening  a file directly into FamilyInsight.  When FamilyInsight closes, data is saved back to your PAF database, a new file, or as a new file type or name.  GEDCOMs can be saved to various GEDCOM formats without loss of data.  You can add new data fields, notes, sources, information or new individuals in FamilyInsight either manually or by updating from new FamilySearch or from other files.  LDS Confirmation and Initiatory fields cannot be viewed in PAF but are saved and will show when the file is opened in FamilyInsight the next time. FamilyInsight is multi-lingual and is noted for its thorough duplicate record match capabilities. It has been ranked as best standardizer (of place names) and best separator.  It is the only program that will let you separate incorrectly-combined records on FamilySearch easily and remain working in the program at the same time.  When you synchronize a record with new FamilySearch, FamilyInsight will combine on new FamilySearch those records you marked as matches,  add new individuals and information to your file,  and copy data from your file to new FamilySearch.   You can reserve names for ordinances or assign them to the temple to do.  Ordinance Tracker, on the FamilyInsight tools menu, uses simple drag and drop to assign names to the temple, print Family Ordinance Requests, or unreserve names.

RootsMagic 4 (Win) is a full-featured genealogy software that won the 2009 FamilySearch awards for “Easiest to Synchronize with FamilySearch” and “Best FamilySearch Dashboard”.  RootsMagic can directly import from Personal Ancestral File, FamilySearch, and other programs to quickly get you up-and-running. Most RootsMagic users use it as their main personal database, but data may be brought back into PAF using a GEDCOM file.  In July 2009, Family Tree Magazine wrote, “Probably the best all-around genealogy program, RootsMagic offers a winning combination of features for both casual and serious genealogists.”  With screens that are clean and easy to navigate, RootsMagic includes tools to find and fix problems, print charts and reports, and find and reserve missing temple ordinances.  Other features include running RootsMagic directly from a USB drive, a SourceWizard which writes source citations for you, integrated web search, book publishing, creating Shareable CDs, and more.  While the full version of RootsMagic sells for US$29.95, a completely free version named “RootsMagic Essentials” is also available which includes all of the FamilySearch features of the full version.

MagiKey Family Tree (Win) is a new application that uses a GEDCOM file, so there is no need to convert your database when exporting or backing up your file. It is a;; great option for performing temple reservations, reviewing ordinance status, opening helper mode, and pushing up or pulling down information from FamilySearch without leaving the program. To help their users, they have online tutorials, an extensive help system, and release new updates at least once a month to stay current as FamilySearch changes. Although the interface has been designed for a beginner genealogist, it has many research features for enthusiasts. Cost is US$29.95 30 Day Free Full Version Trial.

Legacy Family Tree (Win) has recently published version 7.4.06 containing some new FamilySearch features with a promise of more to come soon.  Legacy users can expect frequent updates until the official release of Version 7.5.  Legacy will directly import a PAF file, and keeps PAF’s RIN and MRIN numbers.  The program is multi-lingual.  Legacy comes in the Deluxe Edition (US$29.95) and also in a free Standard Edition.  The same new FamilySearch features that are in the Deluxe edition are also in the free Standard Edition.

If you are still undecided about which software you should use with new FamilySearch, download the free or trial   versions and try them out using a copy of your personal database.  Be sure to keep a good backup of your current database before you begin experimenting.  Lest you long for features your chosen software does not have, keep in mind that developers are working hard to keep up with the competition and your software may soon have the features you desire.  And remember, you can always call your friendly family history consultant or stop in at the local family history center to try out the affiliate programs and possibly get help evaluating them.

Biographical note:  Ileen and her family lived for many years in Minnesota.  She started working in the Family History Center in Fargo in 1980 and has had FHC callings ever since–Zaragoza, Spain, Utah Valley Regional FHC at BYU, Geneva Heights FHC in Orem, and at the Family History Training Center in Provo.  She was a FamilySearch Support missionary in 2008 and 2009 and has been the list owner of FHCNET since 1998.  She currently serves as a Family history Consultant

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Something new . . .

Many of you are probably getting tired of reading articles by the same author.  So this week we are starting something new!  We have a guest writer!

We hope you enjoy her article.  I have added a brief biography to the end of the article.  This article is a little longer than our normal articles but I thought the topic and content merit the extra reading.

I hope this won’t be the only guest writer!  I invite you to submit your articles – what do you think others would be interested in reading?  Normally I try to keep articles to about 500 words – but I can be flexible!

If you don’t want to write an article would you please consider suggesting topics for future articles.

A special “Thank you” to Ileen Johnson for being our first guest writer.

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Getting Started with Family History Part 2

Talking of computers . . .

Should a beginner have their own personal family history recordkeeping system on their own computer?  Isn’t new FamilySearch (nFS) enough?  I feel quite strongly – but this is just my opinion and not policy – that each of us should have our own recordkeeping system on our own computer!  Why?  nFS will not let you see full information on living members of your family.  One day nFS will have a good system for sources, notes and media files but currently it doesn’t – although I know they are working on these things

. . .  but you can see the data on the family tree in nFS is there a way to download it into PAF or similar recordkeeping program?  There is a free program called Get Your Ancestors, approved as a 3rd party product by FamilySearch, that will let you download generations of information which you can use to create your own file.  Available at http://www.ohanasoftware.com or through link on  sign in page for nFS.

Which program would you suggest for a beginner?  Something simple!  I would suggest PAF or one of the products approved by FamilySearch to work with nFS.  One of them is called Rootsmagic Essentials and like PAF is free.  I haven’t tried Rootsmagic Essentials yet.  To see the list of products certified to work with nFS go to the sign in page for nFS and click on the link in the lower right “Click here for free, trial, and other products for new familysearch.”  There is a quite a list!  Some of them are free websites like All My Cousins that is interesting.  The stand alone products (and I hope I’m not missing any out!) are in alphabetical order:  Ancestral Quest, Family Insight, Legacy FamilyTree (nearly functional with nFS), Rootsmagic, and Rootsmagic Essentials.  All are good products.  Ancestral Quest and Family Insight can help your PAF  file synchronize data with nFS.  Synchronize means that these products can move pieces of data from your file into nFS and also move pieces of data from nFS to your file.  PAF remains a viable product if you like using it and are willing to learn an intermediary product.  Ancestral Quest, Legacy and Rootsmagic are alternatives to PAF.

This is like selecting between a Chevy and a Ford!  You will often hear strong  - often emotional voices – advocating one product over another, but each of us needs to select what we feel meets our needs.  Try to be nice to each other over your choices!

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