Find My Past Uploaded Gedcom inaccurate!

[ankerdine]

I wanted to transfer my family history information from Genes Reunited to Find My Past so I uploaded my Gedcom from one to another.

At first glance I noticed that lots of ancestors who should be dead are "living" having been born in 2014.

Is there a link to a previous thread on this query>

Judy

[weste]

That's weird!

[ankerdine]

Not only weird but annoying! I'll have to go through the 1200 or so names and check their births.

Judy

[pgmoir]

It is VERY weird and VERY annoying. And extremely frustrating when I discovered the reason. The problem has been caused not by the FindMyPast import, but the Genes export, and originates from when a previous developer introduced two fields for storing date of birth and death. One for year and the other for date. Some people add the year ONLY to the year field, some people split, and some do both and even some people enter DIFFERENT year values between the two fields, e.g. year of birth 1879 and date of birth 5 Oct 1875. So it gets very confusing. The current GEDCOM export on Genes uses the date field. I am currently in the process of testing a new GEDCOM export on Genes which will do its best to get the complete date from using the information entered in both fields and will include other missing information added into your Genes tree. This should hopefully be available in the next few weeks. With regard to transferring your tree from Genes to FindMyPast, don't worry as you will be able to transfer it again after the new GEDCOM export is in place.

Phil (Technical Lead - Findmypast/Genes Reunited Family Tree Team)

[dawnsh]

Hi Paul

Welcome to Rootschat 

I must say, it's very brave of you sticking your head above the parapet - answering the question on one hand and displaying your job desciption on the other.

This topic has been read over 100 times so there must be some interest in it and maybe more will find their way here as internet search engines pick up the topics here very quickly.

Dawn

[KGarrad]

Welcome from me, too!

And thanks for the honesty!

As an IT professional myself, I really appreciate your honesty in telling us how this happened.
It's far easier for us to understand, rather than a fobbed-off excuse, or complete silence!

Thank you, very much!

[scotmum]

Phil, are your responses/opinions here going to be 'official ones' or, as on Genes, will they be 'your own personal ones'? 

Just asking, as I know that on Genes, you have a 'disclaimer' added to your signature line. If needs be, you can add a 'signature line' here on rootschat too.

And I agree with KGarrard

really appreciate your honesty in telling us how this happened.
It's far easier for us to understand, rather than a fobbed-off excuse, or complete silence!

....would that more were so brave.


ps

dawnsh.... methinks an edit to the name you welcomed Phil with might be needed   

Posted by: dawnsh « on: Today at 08:13 »

Hi Paul

Welcome to Rootschat 

[Guy Etchells]

The question and indeed Phil's reply show why researchers should compile their "trees" on their computer at home before uploading to any on line site.
If one compiles the tree on ones own computer control stays at home.

It is much like any step in family history the researcher always makes the final decision.

I am not saying one should not upload trees to on line sites, there are advantages in doing so but please make sure you have the master copy of your work in an environment controlled by you rather than someone else (and make back ups).
Cheers
Guy

[pgmoir]

Thanks for the welcomes. For those familiar with my posts of old on Genes Reunited, I will always be honest and as helpful as best I can. And do my best to correct code errors where I'm able and capable of helping. And the opinions will also always be my personal ones, just like my blog. I leave official opinions to others.

I do agree with the advice on keeping copies of your personal data in different places. But remember your home PC can crash. My own laptop failed miserably about 12 months ago, and I lost everything that was on it at the time. Fortunately my family tree data had been backed up elsewhere!

Where you do most of your work should be your primary location, and for me that was always the desktop apps, but I also stored copies on Genes and Ancestry. I now use Findmypast for my primary source, mainly because I'm 100% comfortable with its safety (I wrote much of the system and I manage it on a daily basis), but also I find the interface more clear. [but it can still be improved!] I still have copies all over the place for hints, sharing, etc., and with the release of export, and improvements to import, I am also happier to move things about. My aim of the GEDCOM work was to try and capture 100% of data going in and out. Quite a challenge as every system deals with data in slightly different ways. The only advice I give is just don't forget where you put your tree, and I (personally) also recommend keeping the tree "private", and letting users contact you for access.

Hope the advice helps.
Phil Moir