Data Import - Part VII

Before Importing:

                                                              i.      Delete all blank records before starting the Import procedure, leaving only the records with Data in them, to shave off precious minutes from this operation.

                                                            ii.      Filter the Data Set that you want to export, by doing a Find with a specific range of dates, numbers or other Data – that will leave you with visible Records that are relevant and the irrelevant Records will be hidden (i.e. will not be exported).  This will save a lot of time.

                                                          iii.      Add another Column with Data that may be required when importing, such as:

1.      Data for the “Field Label Data” Field (where there is a Calculation that assigns a Label from a Value List, as for example is the case with Contacting_Label).

2.      Data for the “Unique ID” Field – remember to copy the Data in the “next value” Field in the Auto-Enter Tab of the Options for Field “Unique ID” Dialogue Box.  Also remember to copy the next value after the value found in the last record to be imported; increment by 1 = next Value.

3.      If you follow the advice contained in the previous paragraph, don’t tick the box to “Perform Auto-Enter (modification date, serial number, lookups, etc.)” during the Data Import, as shown in the Import Options Dialogue Box – the last step before executing any Data import.

4.      Company Status to denote whether this Record is for a Company, Associate or other type.

                                                          iv.      Make sure that

1.      Similar Fields (i.e. ID or Unique ID) are not mixed up, to preserve Data fidelity!

2.      Any Fields below the matched Fields are not ticked with an arrow, otherwise you’re overwriting all these Fields with blank Cells in the Source Spreadsheet (if importing an Excel Sheet).

2. Open the export file (i.e. Test_02.fmp12): File->Import->Files of Type: FileMaker Files (*.fmp12)->File Name and click the Open Button.
3. Choose “matching names” in the Arrange by Drop-down List. 
4. Maximise the Combox (drag the bottom right-hand-corner, where you will see six dots in a small triangle), so you can see three times as many Field Names in one view; this will make it easier for you to ‘catch’ any unmatched Fields.
5. Match up any Field names that haven’t automatically been paired with their counterparts; if needed, create new Fields in the Target Database, to accommodate those Fields that have no pair yet.
6. Test the data by pressing the “Field Names [>>]” Button, the first of which should be showing the Field Names in the Source Field Column on the left hand side of the Dialogue Box.
7. Look up the Import Data section in the RFC file, where there are many other points to consider before finalizing a data import to FileMaker

Data Import - Part VI

BEFORE IMPORTING:

1. DECIDE WHICH OF THE OLD FILES YOU’RE GOING TO USE; sometimes there are a number of datasets and you need to decide which one is better to start with: the one with the MOST records, with CLEAN records or with both of these files.
2. CREATE A DUMMY TEST COPY OF THE TARGET FILE
3. Follow instructions in the word file “How To Merge FileMaker Files.docx” (See: [i]).
4. Start by IMPORTing ONLY A SAMPLING OF THE DATA – SAY A COUPLE OF HUNDRED INSTEAD OF ALL THE 1000’S OF RECORDS.
5. Importing instructions:
1. Choose Find All Records, before starting the Export.
2. Export the Data File as a FileMaker Pro Files (*.fmp12) file Format.
3. If the FileMaker file is still from the old version (V4, 5 or 6), first export to XML code.  Then import it into FileMaker 12.
4. In the left hand side of the resulting Dialogue Box, choose:

                                                              i.      “Current Table” if you want to export all the Data relating to a certain Table - or

                                                            ii.      “Current Layout” if you want to export only the Data relating to a certain Layout and

                                                          iii.      If you chose “Current Layout” (i.e. “Certificate menu”), it would not import Data in all other Fields that appear on other Layouts.  On the other hand, it might cause some problems, as we experienced when we tried to import the data that was exported from the “Main Menu” File.

                                                           iv.      Click Move All in the right hand side of the Dialogue Box.  Click the Export Button.

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[i] S:\SHAREDK\CERTIFICATION\New_System\IN_HOUSE_ADMIN\FileMaker v12\Amalgamating_Files_Project\How To Merge FileMaker Files.docx