Answers.Body: <p><strong>OR</strong>, You may need to select "Import new memberships" rather than "update existing memberships". </p>
  
  <p>This is what tells Civi to update the join_date (it's the start_date of the first membership, I believe).</p>
  
  <p>This means you don't need to include a membership ID, so could cause other problems for you.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-08-30T11:53:42.450Z
Answers.Text: Thanks Darren,  
  when testing 'Import new memberships' in the past, this added a new membership for each contribution a member made, so wouldn't really work in this scenario.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Nicola
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-08-20T15:01:30.657Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-08-20T15:01:30.657Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Darren
Answers.Body: <p>Confirmed this is happening on Drupal 6 and CiviCRM 4.4.14. In file: drupal\sites\all\modules\civicrm\CRM\Member\Import\Parser\Membership.php</p>
  
  <p>line number 268 reads:-
  <code> 
       //assign join date equal to start date if join date is not provided
       if (!CRM_Utils_Array::value('join_date', $params) &amp;&amp;
          CRM_Utils_Array::value('membership_start_date', $params)
        ) {
          $params['join_date'] = $params['membership_start_date'];
        }
  </code></p>
  
  <p>You could try commenting out this line if it's not possible to calculate the join_date from your data.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-08-20T12:41:22.627Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-08-20T14:29:07.677Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2015-08-20T14:29:07.677Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Darren
Body: <p>using CiviCRM 4.4.14.
  We're trying to update memberships with an import using data from a direct debit processor. In field mapping we're matching the pay out date to 'Membership start date', but some how this is also updating 'Member Since Date' too, despite not mapping this bit. </p>
  
  <p>We really don't want this to happen as we loose how many years someone has been a member and the membership status then sets it's self to 'New'.</p>
  
  <p>It was suggested that we use the start date of the payment plan as the 'Member Since' date, but this would loose any info about memberships that started using a different payment method (i.e. all of them!)</p>
  
  <p>Any help greatly appreciated!
  Nicola</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-08-19T13:04:30.330Z
Comments.Text: Can you please [edit](http://civicrm.stackexchange.com/posts/4811/edit) your question to include the version of CiviCRM you are using.
Comments.UserDisplayName: JoAnne
Tags: <civimember><import>
Title: Member since date is being updated on import but we dont want it to!
ThreadText: # Member since date is being updated on import but we dont want it to!
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2015-08-19)
  
  using CiviCRM 4.4.14.
  We're trying to update memberships with an import using data from a direct debit processor. In field mapping we're matching the pay out date to 'Membership start date', but some how this is also updating 'Member Since Date' too, despite not mapping this bit.
  
  We really don't want this to happen as we loose how many years someone has been a member and the membership status then sets it's self to 'New'.
  
  It was suggested that we use the start date of the payment plan as the 'Member Since' date, but this would loose any info about memberships that started using a different payment method (i.e. all of them!)
  
  Any help greatly appreciated!
  username_0
  
  **Tags:** civimember, import
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Can you please [edit](http://civicrm.stackexchange.com/posts/4811/edit) your question to include the version of CiviCRM you are using.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2015-08-20. Score: 1
  
  **OR**, You may need to select "Import new memberships" rather than "update existing memberships".
  
  This is what tells Civi to update the join\_date (it's the start\_date of the first membership, I believe).
  
  This means you don't need to include a membership ID, so could cause other problems for you.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thanks username_2,   when testing 'Import new memberships' in the past, this added a new membership for each contribution a member made, so wouldn't really work in this scenario.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2015-08-20. Score: 1
  
  Confirmed this is happening on Drupal 6 and CiviCRM 4.4.14. In file: drupal\sites\all\modules\civicrm\CRM\Member\Import\Parser\Membership.php
  
  line number 268 reads:-
  `//assign join date equal to start date if join date is not provided
  if (!CRM_Utils_Array::value('join_date', $params) &&
  CRM_Utils_Array::value('membership_start_date', $params)
  ) {
  $params['join_date'] = $params['membership_start_date'];
  }`
  
  You could try commenting out this line if it's not possible to calculate the join\_date from your data.
  
  
  ---
  
  