Bulk Actions let you perform large-scale operations on multiple clients at once, saving your agency hours of repetitive manual work. Whether you need to send messages, create events, assign staff, or manage client records, Bulk Actions provides a single interface to filter, preview, and execute changes across your entire client base.

### Overview

- **What it is:** Bulk Actions is a powerful tool in eCourtDate that lets you apply a single operation to many clients simultaneously. You select an action type, configure filters to target the right clients, review the results, and execute the action with one click.
- **Why it matters:** Performing the same task on hundreds or thousands of client records individually is time-consuming and error-prone. Bulk Actions automates this process, ensuring consistency and freeing your staff to focus on higher-priority work.
- **Who uses it:** Administrators, clerks, probation officers, case managers, and any agency staff with bulk action permissions who need to process client records in batches.
- **Expected outcomes:** The selected operation is applied to all clients matching your filter criteria, with a confirmation email sent when the action completes.

#### The 10 Action Types

Bulk Actions supports the following action types, each designed for a specific workflow:

| Action Type | What It Does |
|---|---|
| **Send a Message** | Sends a text, email, or both to all matching clients |
| **Create Events** | Creates a new event (hearing, check-in, appointment) for each matching client |
| **Assign Users** | Assigns one or more staff members to matching clients |
| **Trash Clients** | Soft-deletes matching clients, moving them to the trash |
| **Archive Clients** | Archives matching clients, removing them from active views while preserving their data |
| **Restore Clients** | Restores previously trashed or archived clients to active status |
| **Transfer Clients** | Transfers matching clients to another connected agency |
| **Update Clients** | Updates specific fields on matching client records |
| **Create Payments** | Creates a payment record for each matching client |
| **Assign Tasks** | Assigns a task to each matching client |

#### The Filter System

Every bulk action uses the same core filter system to determine which clients are affected. You can combine multiple filters, and all filters use the AND operator, meaning a client must match every selected filter to be included.

Available filters include:

- **Client Status:** Filter by active, inactive, or other custom statuses
- **Group:** Target clients in a specific group
- **Type:** Filter by client type
- **Date Range:** Narrow results to clients with events or records within a specific date range
- **Assigned User:** Target clients assigned to a particular staff member
- **Client Limit:** Set the maximum number of clients to include
- **Random Limit:** Select a random subset from matching clients

#### Execution Methods

You have two options for running a bulk action:

- **Run Now (Live Run):** Click **Live Run** to execute the bulk action immediately. The system begins processing right away.
- **Schedule:** Click **Schedule Run**, then set a **Scheduled Date** and **Scheduled Time**. The bulk action executes automatically at the specified date and time.

#### Status Lifecycle

Every bulk action progresses through the following statuses:

1. **Created:** The bulk action has been set up but not yet executed
2. **Processing:** The bulk action is actively running and applying changes to client records
3. **Completed:** All operations finished successfully
4. **Failed:** The bulk action encountered an error during processing

You can monitor the current status of any bulk action from the **Bulk Actions** index page.

#### The Bulk Actions Index Page

The **Bulk Actions** index page displays all bulk actions for your agency. From this page you can:

- View the list of bulk actions with their name, action type, status, and creation date
- Click **Edit** to open and modify a draft bulk action
- Click **Create** to start a new bulk action
- Access the **Bulk Templates** tab to import or manage saved templates
- Filter the list by action type or status to find specific bulk actions

### Prerequisites

- You must have an active eCourtDate account
- You must be a super admin or have the **Create Bulk Actions** and **Update Bulk Actions** permissions
- You must be signed into the correct agency (verify the agency name in the top right corner)
- Clients must exist in your agency before you can target them with a bulk action

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Navigate to Bulk Actions

1. Sign in to your eCourtDate agency.
2. Click **Bulk Actions** in the top navigation bar.

#### Step 2: Create a New Bulk Action

1. Enter a descriptive name in the **Action Name** field (for internal reference).
2. Select the desired action type from the **Action Type** dropdown (e.g., **Send a Message**, **Create Events**, **Trash Clients**).
3. Click the **Create** button.

#### Step 3: Configure the Action

1. Review the bulk action edit page.
2. Configure any action-specific settings that appear based on your selected action type (message content for Send Messages, event details for Create Events, destination agency for Transfer Clients, etc.).

#### Step 4: Filter Clients

1. Scroll to the **Search Clients** section.
2. Select the filters you want to apply: **Client Status**, **Group**, **Type**, **Date Range**, **Assigned User**, or other available options.
3. Set the **Client Limit** to control the maximum number of clients included.
4. Click **Search** to preview the matching clients.

#### Step 5: Review Results

1. Review the list of matching clients in the results area.
2. Verify the client count matches your expectations.
3. Click the **Include/Exclude** button next to any client you want to remove from the operation.

#### Step 6: Execute the Bulk Action

1. Choose one of the following execution methods:
   - Click **Live Run** to process the bulk action immediately.
   - Click **Schedule Run**, set the **Scheduled Date** and **Scheduled Time**, then click **Schedule Run** to confirm.
2. Monitor the status on the bulk action page or the **Bulk Actions** index page.
3. Wait for the confirmation email indicating the bulk action is complete.

### What to Expect

After you execute a bulk action, the status changes from **Created** to **Processing**. Depending on the number of clients and the complexity of the action, processing may take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. You will receive a confirmation email when the bulk action reaches **Completed** status. If any errors occur, the status changes to **Failed** and the email includes details about what went wrong.

### Best Practices

- Always preview your client list by clicking **Search** before running any bulk action to confirm the correct clients are targeted
- Start with a small client limit on your first run to verify the action works as expected before processing a larger group
- Use descriptive action names (e.g., "February 2026 Hearing Reminders") so you can identify bulk actions easily on the index page
- Save frequently used configurations as templates to streamline future runs
- Schedule large bulk actions during off-peak hours to minimize any impact on system performance

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I undo a bulk action after it completes?**
A: Most bulk actions cannot be automatically reversed. For example, if you trash clients, you can restore them using the **Restore Clients** action type. For messages already sent, they cannot be recalled. Always preview your filters carefully before executing.

**Q: Do all filters work with the AND operator?**
A: Yes. A client must match every filter you select to be included in the bulk action. If you set a client status filter and a group filter, only clients that match both conditions appear in the results.

**Q: Can I run multiple bulk actions at the same time?**
A: Yes. You can create and execute multiple bulk actions simultaneously. Each bulk action processes independently.

**Q: Who receives the confirmation email when a bulk action completes?**
A: The user who created and executed the bulk action receives the confirmation email at the email address associated with their eCourtDate account.

**Q: What permissions do I need to use Bulk Actions?**
A: You need the **Create Bulk Actions** permission to create new bulk actions and the **Update Bulk Actions** permission to edit and run them. Super admins have these permissions by default.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** No clients appear after clicking **Search**.
**Symptoms:** The results area is empty even though you expect matching clients.
**Solution:**

1. Review each filter to make sure the values are correct.
2. Remove one filter at a time and click **Search** again to identify which filter is too restrictive.
3. Confirm that clients with the expected status, group, or date range exist in your agency.

**Issue:** Bulk action status is stuck on "Processing" for a long time.
**Symptoms:** The status does not change to "Completed" and no confirmation email arrives.
**Solution:**

1. Wait at least 30 minutes, as large client lists take longer to process.
2. Refresh the page to check for updated status information.
3. If the status remains unchanged, sign in to eCourtDate and create a support ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

**Issue:** Bulk action completed but changes were not applied to some clients.
**Symptoms:** Some client records do not reflect the expected changes after the bulk action completes.
**Solution:**

1. Check whether the affected clients were excluded using the **Include/Exclude** toggle.
2. Verify that the clients matched all applied filters at the time the bulk action ran.
3. Review the bulk action details page for any error messages related to specific client records.

### Related Articles

- [How to Send a Mass Message using Bulk Actions](/how-to-send-a-mass-message-using-bulk-actions)
- [How to Create Events via Bulk Actions](/how-to-create-events-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Assign Users via Bulk Actions](/how-to-assign-users-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Trash Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-trash-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Archive Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-archive-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Restore Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-restore-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Transfer Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-transfer-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Save and Reuse Bulk Action Templates](/how-to-save-and-reuse-bulk-action-templates)
- [How to Schedule Recurring Bulk Actions](/how-to-schedule-recurring-bulk-actions)