Customizing Person Status Rules
- 03 Mar 2026
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Customizing Person Status Rules
- Updated 03 Mar 2026
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The person status is a high-level classification of the person record that’s useful for querying and reporting.
Slate comes with person status rules that categorize records based on their position in some progression, like your application or donor cultivation process.
Creating a new person status
If the default person statuses don’t adequately describe your process, you can customize your database’s person status rules. Person statuses should be mutually exclusive: a person can meet the criteria for only one status at a time.
Person status rules are an essential part of any organization’s strategy and are a great way to ensure that all records in the system are categorized correctly.
To create a custom person status:
Go to Database → Prompts.
From the list of prompt keys, select
person_status.Select New Prompt.
In the Value field, enter a name for the status, for example,
Enrolled.Select Save.
Creating a new person status rule
To automate the assignment of your new status to certain person records:
Creating the rule
Go to Database → Rules.
Select Rule Groups.
Select Person.
Select Person Status.
📝 Note the order of the rules; select a rule to see its Priority number. When you create a new rule, it will need its own priority number to place it in this order.Select New Rule.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Enter a name for the rule, like
Person Status: EnrolledType: Configurable Joins
Category: Records
Base: Person
Rule Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status (defaulted)
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority
Priority: Enter a number that places the rule within the existing priority order.
Status: Preview
Select Save.
Configuring the rule filters
We must add a filter to the rule that returns only records that meet our criteria.
For example, to create filters that identify enrolled students:
Select Join.
Configure the following settings (these are examples—your database will have different folders and forms):
Join: Form Responses
Type: Specific form, events, or template
Folder: Orientation
Form/Event: New Orientation Session
Select Continue.
Select Save.
Select Filter.
Configure the following settings:
Filter: New Student Orientation Registration Status
Status: IN Attended
Select Save.
Configuring the rule action
In the Action section, configure the following settings:
Status: Enrolled
Select Save.
Activating the rule
To activate each rule:
On the rule overview page, select Edit.
Set Status to Active.
Select Save.
Select Save on the rule’s overview page.
Perform a retroactive refresh on all records. This triggers all records to be evaluated by all rules.
Default person statuses and rules for Admissions
🤝 Using Slate for Advancement? Skip ahead.
The three default person statuses in Slate for Admissions databases are
Prospect
Inquiry
Applicant
These statuses exist in Database → Prompts under the person_status prompt key.
When you create a person record, a rule assigns a status to the record. For example, if a record is created from a request for information form, a person status rule assigns the status Inquiry.
You can find the default person status rules in Database → Rules in the rule group Person Status. They include:
Rule 05: Keep Applicant
Rule 10: Set Applicant
Rule 15: Keep Inquiry
Rule 20: Set Inquiry (Form Response)
Rule 25: Set Inquiry (Test Score)
Rule 999: Set Prospect
You can customize these statuses and their rules based on your needs. For example, you might add an Enrolled status to track enrolled students, and create a rule that sets it under certain circumstances.
If you ever need to recreate the default application status rules, refer to the following:
Rule 05: Keep Applicant
If a record currently has the status of Applicant, do nothing to that record and skip all remaining rules in the person status exclusivity group.
Go to Database → Rules.
Select New Rule.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: Keep Applicant
Base: Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority.
Priority: 5
Status: Active
Select Save.
Filters: Status IN Applicant
Action: No Action Rule: Select the 'do nothing' check box as your action. This will ensure that records that have a status of applicant will not change from that status.
Rule 05: Set Applicant
If a record has an application (either submitted or unsubmitted), then set the Person Status to Applicant; then stop evaluating the remaining person status rules.
Go to Database → Rules.
Select New Rule.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: Set Applicant
Base: Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority.
Priority: 5
Status: Active
Select Save.
Filters: Subquery Filter for "Has Application"
Status: Applicant
Rule 10: Keep Inquiry
If a record currently has the status of Inquiry, do nothing to that record and skip all remaining rules in the person status exclusivity group.
Go to Database → Rules.
Select New Rule.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: Set Inquiry
Base: Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority.
Priority: 10
Status: Active
Select Save.
Filters: Status IN Applicant
Action: No Action Rule: Select the 'do nothing' check box as your action. This will ensure that records that have a status of applicant will not change from that status.
Filter: Status IN Inquiry
Status: No Action Rule: Select the 'do nothing' check box as your action. This will ensure that records that have a status of applicant will not change from that status.
Rule 15: Set Inquiry (Form Response)
If a record has a form/event registration, then set the person status to Inquiry.
Go to Database → Rules.
Select New Rule.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: Set Inquiry (Form Response)
Base: Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority.
Priority: 15
Status: Active
Select Save.
Filters: Subquery Filter for "Has a Form Response"
Status: Inquiry
Rule 20: Set Inquiry (Test Score)
If a record has a verified test score, then set the person status to Inquiry.
Go to Database → Rules.
Select New Rule.
Enter the following configurations:
Name: Person Status: Set Inquiry (Test Score)
Base: Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority.
Priority: 20
Status: Active
Select Save.
Filters: Subquery Filter for "Has a Verified Test Score"
Status: Inquiry
Rule 999: Set Prospect
Set the person status to Prospect for all records that failed to match the filter criteria for any other person status rules.
Go to Database → Rules.
Select New Rule.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: Set Prospect
Base: Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority.
Priority: 999
Status: Active
Select Save.
Filters: NO FILTERS A rule with no filters in an exclusivity group allows you to set a default assignment. Since all records that are not applicant or inquiry records should have the prospect status, do not include filters for this rule.
Status: Prospect
Customizing person status rules for Advancement
The standard Person statuses, along with their status rules, are as follows:
Rule Name | Exclusivity Group | Type | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
Person Status: Current Donor | Person Status | Person Status | 5 |
Person Status: LYBUNT | Person Status | Person Status | 10 |
Person Status: SYBUNT | Person Status | Person Status | 15 |
Person Status: Prospect | Person Status | Person Status | 20 |
Follow the steps below to create donor statuses within your institution's database.
Step 1: Create Person Status Prompts
Custom donor statuses may be created utilizing the person_status prompt key. To create the four donor statuses outlined above:
Select Database in the top navigation bar and select Prompts.
Select Insert.
Configure the following settings:
Key:
person_statusValue: Current Donor
Select Save.
Repeat steps three and four to create the remaining person statuses of LYBUNT, SYBUNT, and Prospect.
Step 2: Create Current Donor Rule
Create the first rule in the series of person status rules: setting the record as "Current Donor." This rule can be created by following the steps outlined below:
Go to Database → Rules.
Select Insert.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: Current Donor
Base: Configurable Joins Library (Preview): Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status (defaulted)
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority
Priority: 5
Status: Preview
Select Save.
The next step is to configure the appropriate filters to find records that meet the criteria of being a current donor. The example below identifies people who have made at least one gift within the previous 365 days as a "Current Donor":
Add a subquery filter and configure the settings as follows:
Status: Active
Name: Provide an easy to read name, such as "Gifts Made in the Past 365 days"
Type: Dependent subquery
Aggregate: Exists
Exports: N/A
Filters: Add a Join to the Gifts table. Once added, add a filter for a gift's date of ">= today: 365"
Select Save.
In the Action section of the rule, select Current Donor as the Status.
Select Save.
Step 3: Create LYBUNT Rule
The next rule to create in the series of person status rules is the "LYBUNT" rule. This rule can be created by following the steps outlined below:
Go to Database → Rules.
Select Insert.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: LYBUNT
Base: Configurable Joins Library (Preview): Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status (defaulted)
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority
Priority: 10
Status: Preview
Select Save.
The next step is to configure the appropriate filters to find records that meet the criteria of being a LYBUNT donor. The example below identifies people who have made at least one gift within the previous year, but not yet within the past 365 days:
Select Subquery Filter.
Configure the following settings:
Status: Active
Name: Provide an easy to read name, such as "Gift Exists Last Year"
Type: Dependent subquery
Aggregate: Exists
Exports: N/A
Filters: Add a Join to the Gifts table. Once added, add at least the following two filters
Gift Date >= today: 730
Gift Date <= today: 365
Select Save.
Select Subquery Filter.
Configure the following settings:
Status: Active
Name: Provide an easy to read name, such as "But Not This Year"
Type: Dependent subquery
Aggregate: Not Exists
Exports: N/A
Filters: Add a Join to the Gifts table. Once added, add the following filter
Gift Date >= today: 365
Select Save.
In the Action section of the rule, select LYBUNT as the Status.
Select Save.
Step 4: Create SYBUNT Rule
The next rule to create in the series of person status rules is the "SYBUNT" rule. This rule can be created by following the steps outlined below:
Go to Database → Rules.
Select Insert.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: SYBUNT
Base: Configurable Joins Library (Preview): Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status (defaulted)
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority
Priority: 15
Status: Preview
Select Save.
The next step is to configure the appropriate filters to find records that meet the criteria of being a SYBUNT donor. The example below identifies people who have made at least one gift within the previous 5 year, but not yet within the past 365 days:
Select Subquery Filter.
Configure the following settings:
Status: Active
Name: Provide an easy to read name, such as "Gift Exists Last 5 Years"
Type: Dependent subquery
Aggregate: Exists
Exports: N/A
Filters: Add a Join to the Gifts table. Once added, add at least the following two filters
Gift Date >= today: 1825
Gift Date <= today: 365
Select Save.
Select Subquery Filter.
Configure the following settings:
Status: Active
Name: Provide an easy to read name, such as "But Not This Year"
Type: Dependent subquery
Aggregate: Not Exists
Exports: N/A
Filters: Add a Join to the Gifts table. Once added, add the following filter
Gift Date >= today: 365
Select Save.
In the Action section of the rule, select SYBUNT as the Status.
Select Save.
Step 5: Create Prospect Rule
The final rule in the series of person status rules is the "Prospect" rule. Individuals who do not meet any of the previous rule criteria will default to this person status. This rule can be created by following the steps outlined below:
Go to Database → Rules.
Select Insert.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Person Status: Prospect
Base: Configurable Joins Library (Preview): Person
Type: Person Status
Folder: Person Status
Exclusivity Group: Person Status (defaulted)
Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority
Priority: 20
Status: Preview
Select Save.
No filters need to be added as this rule comes last within the exclusivity group. The only additional configuration is to set the rule's action. In this example, the status should be set to Prospect.
Step 6: Activate the Rules
Once the rules have been created, the final step is to activate them. To set the rules' statuses as active:
Navigate to each individual rule and select Edit.
While editing the details of the rule, change the status from "Preview" to Active.
Select Save.
Select Save, again, on the rule itself.
Once all of the rules are active, we recommend running a retroactive refresh on all of the records within the database. This will trigger the records to be evaluated by all of the rules, including the newly active Donor Status rules.
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