It depends.  Using shared branching does not automatically exclude you from the beta pool!  But the specific changes being made can affect how your credit union works with others who are not part of the beta.  The most common example is shared branching but might also include vendor relationships as well.  This becomes an issue when the release includes changes to the database structure itself (new data in files or changes to the data’s format).  CU*BASE requires that all of the data used by a particular process, such as teller posting, use the same data structure.  But during a shared branch transaction, CU*BASE must interact with both your data and the data in another credit union’s database.  If the other credit union is not part of the beta but you are, errors occur and teller posting won’t work. 

So when you see a “No” for Xtend shared branching in the beta-test eligibility matrix on our website, it doesn’t mean we don’t want you, it’s just that the improvements in the release involve changes to core membership, transaction, or account files used by teller posting.  

Note: Theoretically a CU could temporarily deactivate shared branching to participate in a beta-test.  But as you can imagine that’s not a real popular option!