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When I accepted sample data on install I did not realize there would be 200 contacts added with no clear way to get rid of them. How do I delete these contacts?

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2 Answers 2

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The quickest way is to:

  • Run a contribution search with no criteria. You will have a result page with all of them.
  • For the Select Records option, choose All Records.
  • For the Actions option, choose Delete Contributions.
  • Repeat for contacts with Advanced Search; type "Sample Data" into the "Contact Source" field to find all sample contacts and then bulk delete them. This will cascade down to delete events, activities, etc. You'll also get a message that your own record can't be deleted, so there's no concern about wiping yourself out of the system.
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  • I got this warning too "The following contacts had been sharing addresses with a contact you just deleted. Their addressses will no longer be shared, but have not been removed or altered."
    – Matthew Lock
    Aug 22, 2021 at 12:35
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First delete all test contributions following Nicholai's answer.

Then do an "Advanced Search" and type "Sample Data" into the "Contact Source" field. You can then select all results (should be exactly 200 of them) and bulk-delete them.

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  • Can you delete the contacts without first deleting contributions? I thought it would throw that error about having "financial transactions" and abort the process.
    – Nicholai
    Aug 27, 2015 at 20:24
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    Yes, I've modified both our answers now, and yours is the more complete.
    – Coleman
    Aug 27, 2015 at 20:33

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