Documentation
CDMIS User Guide
Everything you need to know about using the Catholic Data Management Information System — from first login to advanced administration.
Start Here
Getting Started
Welcome to CDMIS. This guide walks you through your first login, understanding your role, and navigating the system.
Log In
Go to the CDMIS login page and enter your credentials provided by your Diocese Administrator. Your username is typically your email address.
View Your Dashboard
After login you land on your Dashboard. It shows key statistics, recent activity, and quick-access cards relevant to your role.
Explore the Sidebar
The left sidebar contains all navigation. Modules visible to you depend on your assigned role — Diocese Admin sees everything; Parish Admin sees their parish scope.
Register a Christian
Click "Christians" → "Add New" to register your first member. Fill in personal details, assign to a Parish and SCC, then save.
Record a Sacrament
Open a Christian's profile and click "Add Sacrament". Select the type, fill in the date and minister, attach a certificate if available.
Understanding Your Role
Full system access. Manages provinces, dioceses, all users, and global settings.
Manages everything within their diocese — deaneries, parishes, users, reports.
Manages Christians, families, sacraments, and groups within their parish.
Views and manages their specific group — members and activities only.
Tip: Bookmark your dashboard
After logging in, bookmark the dashboard URL for quick access. Your session stays active for 2 hours of inactivity.
How to Navigate
Navigation Guide
A visual walkthrough of the CDMIS interface — every panel, button, and workflow explained.
① Sidebar
Module navigation
② Top Bar
Search & user profile
③ KPI Cards
Live statistics
④ Charts
Visual analytics
Common Navigation Flows
Register a New Christian
- 1 Sidebar → Christians arrow_downward
- 2 Click "+ Add New" arrow_downward
- 3 Fill personal details form arrow_downward
- 4 Assign Diocese → Parish → SCC arrow_downward
- 5 Save record
Record a Sacrament
- 1 Sidebar → Sacraments arrow_downward
- 2 Select sacrament type arrow_downward
- 3 Click "+ New Record" arrow_downward
- 4 Search & select Christian arrow_downward
- 5 Fill details & attach certificate arrow_downward
- 6 Submit for approval
Create a Family
- 1 Sidebar → Families arrow_downward
- 2 Click "+ New Family" arrow_downward
- 3 Enter family name & SCC arrow_downward
- 4 Add head of household arrow_downward
- 5 Add family members arrow_downward
- 6 Save
Transfer a Christian
- 1 Sidebar → Transfers arrow_downward
- 2 Click "+ New Transfer" arrow_downward
- 3 Search for the Christian arrow_downward
- 4 Select destination parish arrow_downward
- 5 Enter reason arrow_downward
- 6 Submit — awaits approval
Keyboard Shortcuts & Tips
Module 01
Christian Records
The Christians module is the core of CDMIS. Every registered member of the diocese has a profile here containing their full personal, spiritual, and community information.
Registering a New Christian
Open the Christians module
Click "Christians" in the left sidebar. You will see the full list of registered Christians with search and filter options.
Click "+ Add New"
The button is in the top-right of the Christians index page. This opens the registration form.
Fill in Personal Details
Enter first name, last name, date of birth, gender, and contact information. Fields marked with * are required.
Assign Church Location
Select the Diocese, then Deanery, Parish, Sub-Parish, and SCC using the cascading dropdowns. Each selection filters the next.
Add Occupation & Education
Select the occupation category and education level. These are used in dashboard analytics.
Upload a Photo (optional)
Click the photo upload area to attach a profile photo. Accepted formats: JPG, PNG. Max size: 2MB.
Save the Record
Click "Save Christian". The system assigns a unique CUID and the record appears in the Christians list immediately.
Christian Profile Fields
Searching & Filtering
Name Search
Type any part of a first or last name in the search bar at the top of the Christians list.
Filter by Parish
Use the Parish dropdown filter to narrow results to a specific parish or SCC.
Sort Columns
Click any column header to sort ascending or descending by that field.
CUID — Unique Identifier
Every Christian is automatically assigned a CUID (Catholic Unique ID) on registration. This ID is permanent and follows the member even if they transfer parishes. Format: CDM-YYYY-NNNNN
Module 02
Family Management
Group Christians into household units. Track marriage types, children's spiritual status, and the full family composition within each SCC.
Creating a Family Record
Step 1
Go to Families → New Family
Click "+ New Family" on the Families index page.
Step 2
Enter Family Name & SCC
Give the family a name (e.g. "Mukasa Family") and assign to their SCC.
Step 3
Set Marriage Type
Select: Church, Civil, Customary, Cohabiting, Widowed, or Separated.
Step 4
Add Head of Household
Search and link an existing Christian as the head of the family.
Step 5
Add Family Members
Search and add spouse and children. Each member must already be registered as a Christian.
Step 6
Set Children Status
For each child, mark as: Baptized, Unbaptized, or Catechumen.
Marriage Types Explained
Sacramental marriage celebrated in the Catholic Church. Linked to a Matrimony sacrament record.
Legally registered marriage outside the Church. Pastoral follow-up may be recommended.
Traditional/cultural marriage. Common in Uganda. May be regularized in the Church.
Living together without formal marriage. Flagged for pastoral attention.
Spouse is deceased. Family record is maintained for pastoral care.
Couple is separated. Both individuals retain their individual Christian records.
Tip: Link existing Christians
Family members must be registered as Christians first. Use the search box in the family form to find and link them. A Christian can only belong to one family at a time.
Module 03
Sacramental Tracking
Record and manage all seven sacraments for every Christian. Each record includes full details, supporting documents, and an approval workflow.
The Six Tracked Sacraments
Baptism
Date, minister, godparents, certificate number, parish
First Communion
Date, parish, preparation class, minister
Confirmation
Date, bishop, sponsor name, location
Matrimony
Date, spouse name, witnesses, marriage type, parish
Reconciliation
Date, minister, parish, notes
Anointing
Date, minister, location, reason
Approval Workflow
Pending
Record submitted, awaiting admin review.
Approved
Admin has approved the record.
Completed
Sacrament has been administered and confirmed.
Rejected
Record rejected — reason provided in notes.
Adding a Sacrament Record
Go to Sidebar → Sacraments, then select the sacrament type tab (e.g. Baptism).
Click "+ New Record" in the top right.
Search for the Christian by name or CUID using the search field.
Fill in all required fields: date, minister, location.
Attach a scanned certificate or document if available (PDF, JPG, PNG — max 5MB).
Click "Submit". Status is set to Pending until an admin approves it.
Module 04
Groups & Associations
Manage every Catholic group — from Women's Guild to the Youth Association. Each group has a membership roll, assigned leaders, and can be scoped to any level of the hierarchy.
Group Types
Women's Guild
Men's Guild
Youth Association
Choir
Charismatic Renewal
Children's Liturgy
Legion of Mary
Catholic Students
Senior Citizens
Creating & Managing a Group
Create the Group
Go to Groups → "+ New Group". Enter the group name, type, and assign it to a Diocese/Parish/SCC level.
Add Members
Open the group and click "Add Member". Search for Christians by name or CUID and add them to the roll.
Assign a Group Leader
Click "Assign Leader" and select a system user with the Group Leader role. They get a dedicated dashboard for their group.
Remove Members
Click the remove icon next to any member to remove them from the group. Their Christian record is not affected.
Group Leader Dashboard
When a user is assigned as a Group Leader, they log in to a simplified dashboard showing only their group's members, events, and announcements. They cannot access other modules.
Module 05
Church Hierarchy
CDMIS mirrors the exact administrative structure of the Catholic Church. Each level is managed separately and cascades down to the next.
The Full Hierarchy
Province
Super Admin onlyThe highest unit. Groups multiple dioceses under an Archbishop. Example: Kampala Province.
Diocese
Super AdminLed by a Bishop. Contains multiple deaneries. Each diocese has its own admin team.
Deanery
Diocese AdminA cluster of parishes for administrative coordination. Led by a Dean (senior priest).
Parish
Diocese/Deanery AdminThe primary pastoral unit. Led by a Parish Priest. Most data entry happens at this level.
Sub-Parish
Parish AdminA smaller unit under a parish, often served by a deacon or lay leader.
SCC
Parish AdminSmall Christian Community — the grassroots cell. Families and Christians are assigned here.
Cascading Dropdowns
When registering a Christian or creating a family, the location dropdowns cascade: selecting a Diocese filters the Deanery list, selecting a Deanery filters Parishes, and so on. Always start from the top.
Module 06
Parish Transfers
When a Christian moves from one parish to another, CDMIS manages the full transfer workflow — ensuring no records are lost and both parishes are updated.
Transfer Workflow
Initiate Transfer
Go to Transfers → "+ New Transfer". Search for the Christian by name or CUID.
Select Destination
Choose the destination Diocese, Deanery, and Parish using the cascading dropdowns.
Enter Reason
Provide a reason for the transfer (e.g. relocation, marriage, work). This is stored in the transfer record.
Submit Request
Click "Submit". The transfer status is set to Pending. The destination parish admin is notified.
Admin Approves/Rejects
The receiving parish admin reviews and approves or rejects the transfer with a note.
Record Updated
On approval, the Christian's parish assignment is automatically updated. Full history is retained.
check_circle On Approval
- • Christian's parish is updated automatically
- • Status changes to "Transferred In" at destination
- • Status changes to "Transferred Out" at origin
- • Full transfer history is preserved
cancel On Rejection
- • Christian remains in original parish
- • Rejection reason is recorded
- • A new transfer can be submitted
- • Audit log entry is created
Module 07
User Management
Create and manage system users. Each user is assigned a role that determines what they can see and do in CDMIS.
Creating a New User
Go to Sidebar → System Users (visible to Diocese Admin and above).
Click "+ New User". Enter the user's full name and email address.
Select their Role from the dropdown (see role table below).
Assign them to a Diocese (and Parish if applicable).
Set a temporary password. The user should change it on first login.
Click "Create User". They can now log in with their email and password.
Role Permissions Matrix
| Module | Super Admin | Diocese Admin | Parish Admin | Group Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | remove |
| Families | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | remove |
| Sacraments | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | remove |
| Groups | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | View only |
| Transfers | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | remove |
| Hierarchy | check_circle | check_circle | remove | remove |
| System Users | check_circle | check_circle | remove | remove |
| Audit Log | check_circle | check_circle | remove | remove |
| Events | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle |
| Announcements | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle | check_circle |
Module 08
Audit Logs
Every action in CDMIS is automatically logged. The Audit Log gives administrators a complete, tamper-evident history of all data changes.
What Gets Logged
Create
Any new record created — Christian, family, sacrament, group, user, etc.
Update
Any field changed on an existing record. Before and after values are both stored.
Delete
Any record deleted. The deleted data snapshot is preserved in the log.
Login
User login events with timestamp and IP address.
Approve
Approval or rejection of transfers and sacrament records.
Transfer
All transfer requests, approvals, and rejections.
Reading an Audit Entry
Before
After
Audit logs are read-only
No user — including Super Admins — can edit or delete audit log entries. They are a permanent, tamper-evident record of all system activity.
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions from CDMIS administrators and users.
Go to System Users, find the user, click "Edit", and set a new password. The user should change it immediately after logging in. There is no self-service password reset — contact your Diocese Admin.
No. Each Christian is assigned to exactly one parish at a time. To move them, use the Transfer module. Their full history across all parishes is preserved.
Their status is updated to "Deceased" and they are excluded from active member counts. All their records (sacraments, family links, group memberships) are preserved for historical reference.
Deletions are permanent in the database. However, the Audit Log preserves a snapshot of the deleted record. Contact your Super Admin if you need to recover data.
The Hierarchy menu is only visible to Diocese Admin and above. Parish Admins and Group Leaders do not have access to manage hierarchy levels.
When creating or editing a sacrament record, scroll to the "Attachment" section and click "Upload File". Accepted formats are PDF, JPG, and PNG. Maximum file size is 5MB.
Export functionality is available from the Christians index page. Click the "Export" button in the top-right to download a CSV file of the current filtered list.
SCC stands for Small Christian Community — the grassroots cell of the Catholic Church at neighbourhood level. Families and individual Christians are assigned to an SCC within their Sub-Parish.
Currently password changes are managed by your administrator. Contact your Diocese or Parish Admin to update your credentials.
Yes. CDMIS is fully responsive and works on smartphones and tablets through any modern browser. No app installation is required.
Still have questions?
Our support team is available Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM EAT. We typically respond within a few hours.
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