| Title: | NAR's Central Database (CDB) |
| Submitted by: | Rapattoni Magic Software Support |
Issue: |
What is the NAR CDB mandate, how does it affect me, and what do I need to do about it? |
At the NAR annual convention in November 2007, the following resolution was approved:
All POEs should set a goal to be Central Database (CDB) compliant within two years of the date this policy is adopted, and that they must be CDB compliant within four years.
As a result of NAR’s resolution, all associations that serve as a Point of Entry (POE) for membership information are required to be CDB compliant by June 30, 2012. NAR has further stated that as of June 30, 2012, the existing NRDS batch upload/download will no longer be supported. This means that any association not CDB compliant will have to make all membership data changes manually on the Realtor.org website. This statement bears repeating:
If your association is not CDB compliant on June 30, 2012, you will need to make all of your member and office changes both in your local database and on the NAR Realtor.org site.
In response to NAR's mandate, Rapattoni spent over a year developing an optional CDB connectivity feature for Rapattoni Magic v9.28. This feature became available in the first quarter of 2010. Since then, CDB compatibility for Magic has been installed and implemented for a number of local and state associations. With this new feature, when a POE enters changes into their membership system, those changes are immediately updated in the National Realtor Database System (NRDS). Likewise, when a member changes personal information directly at NAR, those changes are updated automatically in the POE’s local database.
In addition to NAR connectivity, this new feature includes management utilities that assist you with implementation. They also provide support for the day-to-day issues that may arise. These sophisticated utilities allow you to use your Magic system even if the CDB site is down because your changes can be automatically pushed to NAR once the CDB is back up again.
Rapattoni believes that many of our 250 customers will wish to purchase this new module to become CDB compliant. Converting your system to use the CDB will require training and an implementation plan. Rapattoni will be happy to assist you. The amount of time required for this process will vary; however, you should allocate at least two weeks to become fully CDB compatible. Because a significant amount of both Rapattoni technical and support staff time is required during this implementation, you should schedule your installation well in advance of NAR’s deadline of June 30, 2012.
The best way to prepare your database for synchronization with the CDB is to review and clean up your data files so your system will be ready to communicate with NRDS. We have two Magic Resource Center articles that can help you clean up your data. Links to these articles are available here:
- Data Review and Clean Up – Part 1
What reports and utilities can help me review and clean up my Magic data? - Data Review and Clean Up – Part 2
What additional reports and utilities can help me review and clean up my Magic data?
Please note that you will need sufficient bandwidth for CDB connectivity. Also, the CDB module is only available for customers who are currently running Magic v9.28 or later. Customers with earlier versions of Magic must upgrade before the CDB module can be installed. If you plan on becoming CDB compliant by installing Rapattoni’s CDB feature, please call our Sales Department for a quote today at 1-800-722-7338.
For additional questions concerning CDB Connectivity, please contact our Magic Support Department at 866-730-7115.