Tools - Import and Export

The TOOLS toolbar button of the main window offers the following menu choices:

Import
Export
Export to Access
Export financial to CSV
Import financial from CSV
Display charity numbers

Please also view the following topics: Using CSV Files and Create Charity Sheet

IMPORT

The import menu option allows you to add member records to an existing database or to a newly created database from external sources, such as flat files and/or text data. The data input must be in ASCII format and must have at least one field containing last name. Other fields that can be provided include: first name(s), address1, address2, phone, etc. You can import data from an Access database (or any other database product that allows you to export data in fixed or variable record format) by first exporting your data from your database product into a fixed or variable format file and then importing that file into the Compugene Membership System.

Note: Data from almost all existing systems can be imported into the Compugene Membership System with very little effort. Please speak to a representative from Compugene Software if you have specific needs and requirements.

Three types of imported data are acceptable; you indicate your input type on the Import window:

1- Fixed-length records: each field begins in a specific column and has a fixed length on all records that are being imported. There are no delimiters (commas, quotes, etc).
For fixed-length records, you must provide the starting column and length of each field
Sample fixed-length records to be imported might look like the following:

Allen Woody Mia 234 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10012 (212) 555-2345
Pitt Brad Jennifer 18 Forth Road Brooklyn NY 18092 (718) 555-2345


2- Variable-length records: each field is delimited by start/end characters (such as double quotes); each field is separated by a separator character (such as a comma), and each record ends with a specific line-ending/newline character, such as a linefeed (ASCII 10). The specific delimiters and separators and line-end characters are entered on the Import window. Field locations are also specified on the Import window. For example, you can indicate that the 1^st field in the imported records is the Lastname field. For your city/state address line, up to five input fields can be specified, separated by commas, and will be concatenated (with blanks between them) to make up the resulting 2nd address line. This is done to provide compatibility with applications that have city, state, and zip code as separate fields.
Example: Lastname is in the 3rd field and the man’s first name in the 1st field. In this case, we would specify the fields for the 2nd address line as 5,6,7 so as to put together the city, state, and zip code:

”Woody", "Mia", "Allen", "234 Fifth Avenue", "New York", "NY", "10012", "(212) 444-2345", linefeed

3- Internal format: this option allows you to import records that were previously exported from another Compugene Membership System database in internal format.


EXPORT

The Export menu option allows you to export member data to a flat file, which can be later imported by another program. You can export data in two different formats:

1- Text format: this option produces a CSV (comma-separated values) file, which means each field is delimited by double-quote marks and separated by commas and each line ends with a linefeed/carriage return. Programs such as Microsoft Excel and others accept input in CSV format, so that this technique can be used to load your data into an Excel spread sheet.
Example:
"Finkel","Larry","Lucy","123 Randall Road","West Hempstead, NY","11552-3207","","12/1/92",""

2- Internal format: this option allows you to export records stored in internal Compugene Membership System format to a flat file. You can later import these records into another Compugene Membership System database. .

EXPORT TO ACCESS

This menu option allows you to export your member data to a Microsoft Access database file for use with Access. The Access database created will be named the same as your current database, with a suffix of “.ewt”. The fields in your new Access table, which will be named “Ewatable”, will consist of data copied from your View window information, and also your Family window information.


EXPORT FINANCIAL TO CSV

Choose the Export Financial to CSV menu option. At this point, you choose the name of the charity to export and the file to receive the exported data. If you check the "all members" check box, you will get one record for each member, whether the member has transactions against this chosen charity or not. Otherwise, you will get one record for each member that has a payment and/or pledge against the chosen charity. You can control the number of columns exported and the order of the columns exported. The columns you can choose from are member name, amount owed, amount paid, and member id code. The member name and id codes are required. The only data that should be modified by the user in the resulting csv file should be the amounts owed or amounts paid columns. (see Import Financial From CSV, below)

IMPORT FINANCIAL FROM CSV

Once someone has the fundraising data for a particular charity in the csv (spread sheet) format, they can conduct their fundraising campaign on their own and enter results in the spread sheet as they come in. Make sure to clear existing owed/paid information, because when you import the data back to the Compugene Membership System, all data is treated as new data that must be updated. The only data that should be modified in the csv file should be the amounts in the owed and paid columns, if provided. When ready to import the data, click the Tools button on the toolbar of the main window and choose the Import Financial from CSV menu option. This technique will allow a batch update of a particular charity in one operation, thus eliminating the need for the financial secretary to enter many new transactions separately. This will save time and avoid transcription errors.

Allowing Imports of data for different charities, and split payments

A special type of CSV file can be used to import data for all of your charities and can import split payments (that is, a single payment that is used to pay multiple charities). Each row must have 7 columns. This CSV file must have the word “payments” in row 1, column 1. Row 2 must be column headings. Rows after row 2 must contain 7 columns with the following data items in the indicated order:

Member name, Member id (can be obtained from an export), Check number, Check date, Amt paid, Charity number, Split indicator

The charity numbers for your system can be displayed/printed via the Tools|Display charity numbers menu item on the Main window. All split payments for a member must appear in consecutive rows and must have an “F” in the Split indicator column. Non-split payments must have a null value in the Split indicator column. Check numbers for a split payment must be the same on each row of the split payment. There is a maximum of 50 splits per payment. The Amt Paid amount you enter is the amount for that part of the split (not the total amount of the check), if you have a split payment. The total check amount will be computed by the system by adding all the Amt Paid amounts for all parts of a split payment. For a non-split payment, the Amt Paid amount is the total amount of the check.


DISPLAY CHARITY NUMBERS

The charity numbers for your system can be displayed/printed via the Display charity numbers menu item of the Tools toolbar button on the main window. These numbers are used when importing data from different charities from one CSV file. See “Allowing Imports of data for different charities, and split payments”, above.