2024 Q4 Newsletter
This newsletter covers important updates on the postponed Beta Data Refresh, enhancements to Person data updates, and additional changes in handling information about living persons.
Annual Beta Data Refresh
For several years now, FamilySearch has taken a backup snapshot from Production servers and overwritten the data on Beta servers to ensure that in the months before RootsTech (March 6-8, 2025), applications have the most current data. However, from feedback with internal and external engineers, FamilySearch management has decided to postpone this data refresh until after the RootsTech conference. It can take weeks to recreate important test data necessary to finalize application changes prior to a major release so the timing of a full data refresh has had significant negative consequences. We hope that this change benefits you and your development teams.
Person Update Enhancement
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, this enhancement has been published to Production and is now available for all API requests for the Person resource.
Person Data for Living [UPDATE]
If you have been anticipating the change mentioned in the previous newsletter regarding Person facts and events, you will note that it was delayed. This change will be released this week and include two new sensitive fact types, "Caste Name" and "Clan Name". Please recognize that submitting data including these facts and events will not return an error but when retrieving the data for the same person, this sensitive data will not be returned for LIVING Persons. In summary, this affects the following:
- FACTS: Caste Name, Clan Name, National Identification, Race, Tribe
- EVENTS: Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, Religious Affiliation
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