Setup: Import Database Information

The system a allows the user to import database information from third party sources. Information which can be imported includes Vendors, Customers, Employees, Cost Codes, Inventory Items, and General Ledger Accounts. When Import Database Information is selected from the Setup menu, the following screen comes into view.

Source

This is the name of the Import Source.

Add (button)

See Adding or Changing an Import Source

Change (button)

See Adding or Changing an Import Source

Delete (button)

Press the Delete button and the highlighted source will be deleted.

Preview (button)

Once the import source has been defined and selected, press the Preview button to see what the Imported Information will look like. If there are errors, an error screen with appropriate error descriptions will come into view. Otherwise, the preview screen on the right will be filled with information from the import file.

If the information in the preview window correctly represents the information to be imported, click the Import button and the database information will be added in the appropriate data files.

Import

Press the Import button to Import the selected data.

Close

Press the Close button to return to the previous screen.

Help

see How to Use Help

Adding or Changing an Import Source

Press the Add or Change buttons and the following screen comes into view.

Source Name

This is the name of the import source. There must be a name or the source will not be saved.

Import File Information

Import Type

Select the type of import file that is being defined, once again, select from Vendors, Customers, Employees, Cost Codes, Inventory Items, and General Ledger Accounts.

Import File Name

Enter the name of the file to be imported or click the lookup button and select the file. Below this field is a box that displays the field number and field contents.

Date Field Format

Choose the form of the date that is desired. Click on the down arrow to select from the possible choices. For example: MM/DD/YYYY is 09/15/2024.

Merge information if record already exists (check box)

Check this box to add information to records that already exist. For example, the user may want to import Social Security numbers for existing employees. If this box is checked, the list of import columns need only contain the employee number and the social security number. The system will look for the referenced employee, and replace the existing number with the imported one.

Delete records that don't appear in import file (check box)

It is a bit dangerous to check this box. For example, if the box is checked and employees are being imported, ALL employees that exist in the Employee File need to also be in the source text file. Any employee that is not included in the text file will be deleted from the employee file.

Import File contains Header Records (check box)

Check this box if the file being imported has the names of the columns in the first record. This way, the system can skip importing the first row of the text file.

Import File Format (radio buttons)

Choose the format of the import file. Choose from Comma Delimited, Tab Delimited, or Fixed Position.

Import Field Layout (tab)

Available Fields

Depending on which Import Type was selected, this box will be filled with the specific data field types which can be imported. In the example shown above, Customers is the data type, so the Available Fields list box is filled with fields which can be imported into the Customer file.

The entries in the box on the right represent the actual fields which will be brought into the system.

To bring a field across from the left-hand box to the right-hand box, highlight the desired field and double-click or click on the single-arrow button. To move all the fields across, click on the double-arrow button. To remove fields from the right-hand box, highlight the appropriate line item and click the Delete button, or click the Delete All button.

Field #

This is the assigned field number to the item on the right.

Column

This is the column letter from a spreadsheet document. For example, the first column is Column A, the second is Column B, etc. These letters appear in the list box for easy correlation between the column being displayed in the spreadsheet program and the column number being imported.

Field Contents

This is what will be contained in the field.

Delete (button)

Press the Delete button to erase the highlighted item.

Default Cost Codes (tab)

This tab is only available if “Jobs” is selected as the Import Type.

Fill this list box with a list of cost code budgets to be assigned to every job imported from this text file. As each job is created, it will include a budget line item for each cost code entered in the list box. The Amount field is optional, since it would be rare to have a budget line item on multiple jobs with the same budget amount.