Importing Data

If you have customer, vendor or stock data entered in another file format or from another program, instead of having to key in the data one at a time in Ezy Invoice, you can import the entire list over. Ezy Invoice 7 allows you to import your customers, vendors and inventory or stock list over. (Inventory and stock list import is only available in the PRO version).

Supported File Formats

Ezy Invoice 7 supports importing data from the following file formats : Text file (tab or comma delimited, txt, csv), MS Excel (XLS), MS Access Database (MDB), XML, Paradox (db), DBase (dbf) and others. If a format you need is not supported, or if you have problems importing, you should use your own program to try to export your list to a comma or tab delimited text file first then perform the import.

Procedure

1. As a precaution, back up your database before performing the import.
2. If you haven't already done so, open the database that you wish to import to.
3. Click Database | Import | followed by the option you want to import to.

This starts the Import Wizard

Import Wizard

Below are some tips about the wizard pages. Not every page is available to you as it depends on the file format of your souce. Source refers to your own file that your importing from while destination refers to the destination database in Ezy Invoice that your importing to.

• File Format Page : Select the type of format that you want to import from.
• File Name Page : Here you specify the file that you want to import from (source).
• Text Settings Page : For text files only, here you specify the character that indicate a new field or column. You also need to indicate the character that indicates a new row in your souce file.
• Data Formats Page : Here you can specify the First Row and Last Row options. For example if your source file use the first row to display the column headings, you may want to start the import from the row 2 . If you don't want to import all rows then enter a value for the last row. Leaving the last row blank imports all rows from the source. If applicable also indicate settings for the date and currency formats in your souce file.
• File Preview Page : Here, the wizard displays 20 rows from your source data. Check that the columns and rows are separated correctly. If not, click the [Back] button to correct the settings on the "Text Settings Page" . If the data is separated correctly into rows and columns, click arrow at the field headers to Map it to the correct field in the destination columns in Ezy Invoice 7. You only need to map the necessary column and leave out the columns that are not relevant.
• Mappings Page : Here, you should check that the mappings done in the "File Preview Page" are done correctly. Mapping is the process of telling Ezy Invoice which fields/ columns in your source file correspond with the fields/ columns in the destination database in Ezy Invoice. You do NOT need to specify a Key column if your just adding or appending the records from your souce file to the destination in Ezy Invoice.
• Data Preview Page : On this page, you do a final check on your data before importing. You can also specify conditions if you do not want to Import or load all records from the source file. You can specify conditions you want for loading or importing or you can specify conditions for skipping or excluding from your import. If you need to specify conditions, click the [...] to bring up the "expressions builder" to assist with this.

Import Mode Page

• Append : Simply adds all records from the source to the destination
• Update : This options requires that you specify an index field at the mappings page of the import wizard. The import looks at the index field in the source table then looks for the matching record in the destination. Where a match is found, the fields in the destination is updated with the data from the source table. When no match is found, the import skips to the next record in the source table. No new records are added to the destination table. The destination table is only updated.
• Append/ Update : This options requires that you specify an index field at the mappings page of the import wizard. The import looks at the index field in the source table then looks for the matching record in the destination. Where a match is found, the fields in the destination is updated with the data from the source table. When no match is found, the entire record from the source table records is added to the destination as a new record.
• Append New : This options requires that you specify an index field at the mappings page of the import wizard. The import looks at the index field in the source table then looks for the matching record in the destination. Where a match is found, does nothing and skips to the next record in the source table. When no match is found, the entire record from the source table records is added to the destination as a new record.

IMPORTANT: The actions done in the import cannot be easily undone. You should always do a backup before any import operation. In the event that the import is not what you intended you can then restore your backup.

NOTE : Users using the 3 user or above version of Ezy Invoice. Only users who have full permissions to the table will be able to import. For example for user to import to the customer list, they must log in to Ezy Invoice with a username/ password that has FULL access to the Customer Maintenance.

Importing To Inventory

Ezy Invoice can import data to its Inventory database from external sources. However, each Inventory item in Ezy Invoice must be assigned to a main and sub group within Ezy Invoice grouping records. While Ezy Invoice can import the ProductID, Description, Unit of Measure, Cost & Selling Price etc of your inventory or stock list, it cannot directly import the grouping information from the external sources. Hence you must specify this at the start of the Import operation.

If you have a very large Inventory, the groupings breaks it up into smaller manageable groups. It is used espiecially when calling for reports. Instead of pulling up records for the entire inventory, at times you may only want to look at a smaller group of records. If the source file where you import your inventory list from allows it, you may want to organize your list and break it up into several files by its grouping first. Back at Ezy Invoice, you can then import this data one group at a time. By the time you finish importing all groups they would be properly organized in Ezy Invoice.

Importing MS Outlook Address Book

If you already have an existing customer list maintained in MS Outlook Express Address book, you can import its contents over to Ezy Invoice customer list. Is is basically a 2 step approach as follows:

Exporting MS Outlook Address Book to Comma Delimited Text File(CSV)

1. Start Ms Outlook Express
2. Click Tools | Address Book
3. Click File | Export | Other Address Book ...
4. Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) then click the Export button.
5. Against the Save Exported File option, click the Browse button and specify a location and name for your exported file (e.g CustomerList.txt ) then click the Next button.
6. Select the fields to export. At a minimum, you must pick the Company, Business street, city, post code, state, country, phone, fax, website and email.
7. Click the Finish button and wait until the export is completed .

Importing the CSV File to Ezy Invoice Customer List

1. Start Ezy Invoice 7 and Open the database that you want to import to.
2. Click Database I Import | To Customer List . This starts the Ezy Invoice Import Wizard. See also Importing Data on how to use the Wizard .
3. Under the File Format Page, check that Text (*.txt) is selected. Then click Next .
4. In the File Name Page , click the [...] button and browse to the CustomerList.TXT file that you created with Outlook Express. Then click Next
5. In the Text Settings Page , ensure that the Comma is selected as your field delimiter then click Next.
6. At the Data Format page, amend the First Row to 2 . This tell Ezy Invoice to start importing from row 2 as the exported file uses row one as the field or column headings. Then click Next .
7. At the File Preview Page, the wizard display about 20 rows from the exported file. Pull down the column headings Field1, Field2, Field3 etc and map it with the relevant columns in Ezy Invoice Customer List. This step is very important or the data from address book will not be imported to the correct columns in Ezy Invoice. If a field in your OE Address book data does not have a corresponding field in Ezy Invoice, leave it out from the mapping process. Click Next when ready.
8. This brings up the Mapping Page . Check that the mappings done earlier is correct then click Next.
9. You should be a the Data Preview page, check that the data matches its corresponding headings. Click Back to amend or Next if it is ok.
10. In the Import Mode, select Append (the first option). Click Execute to start the Import.

IMPORTANT : If you already have existing customer records and need to avoid duplicate records with the import operation, in step 10 Import Mode, you should choose "Append New" . This instructs Ezy Invoice to check its existing records first and only import a record if it doesn't already exist. To be able to use "Append New" you must tell the wizard which is the key field or the field that you want to check. You need to go back to the Mapping page and put a check against the column you want to check. For example if you want to check if a customer name already exist before you append an imported record, you must put a check mark against the Name field in the Key column. Failing to specify a key column or field when you use Append New will cause your import to be aborted.