Westside Fellowship

Demo Data Management

Demo Data Management Guide

This guide covers how administrators can manage demo data sets for training and demonstrations.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Understanding Demo Sets
  3. Loading Demo Data
  4. Resetting Demo Data
  5. Best Practices

Overview

Demo data allows you to demonstrate the church management system's features without affecting actual church data. Demo data is isolated from real data using a `demo_set` column that filters records appropriately.

Key Concepts

ConceptDescription
Demo SetA named collection of demo data (A, B, or C)
IsolationDemo data is completely separate from real data
ResetRestore demo data to its original fixture state
LoadAdd demo data from fixture files

Who Can Manage Demo Data?

Only users with the admin role can access demo data management.

Understanding Demo Sets

The system includes three demo data sets, each representing a different church size:

Demo Set A - Small Church

  • ~10 members
  • Basic events and sermons
  • Simple ministry structure
  • Good for quick demonstrations

Demo Set B - Medium Church

  • ~50 members
  • Fuller event calendar
  • Multiple ministries and working groups
  • Good for feature walkthroughs

Demo Set C - Large Church

  • ~200 members
  • Comprehensive data across all features
  • Complex ministry structures
  • Full volunteer and care tracking
  • Good for comprehensive demonstrations

Loading Demo Data

How to Load a Demo Set

  1. Navigate to Admin > Demo Data
  2. Find the demo set you want to load (A, B, or C)
  3. Click Load Set [A/B/C]
  4. Wait for the loading process to complete
  5. The status will update to show "Loaded" with record counts

What Gets Loaded

Loading a demo set adds the following data:

  • Staff members
  • Ministries and working groups
  • Events (past and future)
  • Sermons
  • Announcements
  • Prayer requests
  • Rooms and reservations
  • Volunteers and assignments
  • Households and members

Loading Multiple Sets

You can load multiple demo sets at the same time. Each set's data is tagged with its set identifier, so they don't conflict with each other.

Resetting Demo Data

Reset vs. Reset & Reload

ActionWhat It Does
ResetClears all demo data for the set (leaves it empty)
Reset & ReloadClears the set and reloads it from the original fixture

When to Reset

  • After a training session: Return data to a clean state for the next session
  • After making mistakes: Undo changes made during demonstrations
  • Before a demo: Ensure data is in a known, consistent state

How to Reset a Single Set

  1. Navigate to Admin > Demo Data
  2. Find the demo set you want to reset
  3. Click Reset Set [A/B/C] to clear the data
  4. Or click Reset & Reload to clear and reload fresh data

Clearing All Demo Data

To remove all demo data from all sets:

  1. Navigate to Admin > Demo Data
  2. Scroll to the Danger Zone section
  3. Click Clear All Demo Data
  4. Confirm the action when prompted

Warning: This removes all demo data from all sets and cannot be undone.

Best Practices

For Training Sessions

  1. Before the session: Reset & Reload the demo set you'll use
  2. During the session: Demonstrate features freely - changes only affect demo data
  3. After the session: Reset the data for the next session

For Demonstrations

  1. Use the appropriate size: Match the demo set size to your audience's church size
  2. Practice first: Walk through your demo script with the data beforehand
  3. Reset between demos: Start fresh for each demonstration

General Tips

  • Demo data does not affect real church data
  • You can safely delete, edit, or create records in demo mode
  • Users viewing the site in demo mode only see demo data
  • Changes made to demo data persist until reset

Troubleshooting

Demo Data Not Loading

Problem: Clicking "Load" doesn't add any data.

Solutions:

  • Check for error messages on the page
  • Ensure you're logged in as an admin
  • Try clearing the set first, then loading again

Demo Data Mixed with Real Data

Problem: Demo data appears alongside real church data.

Solutions:

  • This shouldn't happen - demo data is isolated by the `demo_set` column
  • If you see this, contact the system administrator
  • The database may need its demo context configuration checked

Reset Doesn't Clear Everything

Problem: Some demo records remain after reset.

Solutions:

  • Some tables may have foreign key constraints
  • Try clearing all demo data using the Danger Zone option
  • Contact support if the issue persists

Getting Help

If you need assistance with demo data management: