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Data Import

Import Member Information

To use this process, you must first import your family data.

After you import families, you can import member data. When you imported your family information, you assigned a value to the Family Key field. This value represents the field in your previous program that differentiated between family records. For example, if your previous program had a field called "Family Number" that assigned a unique number to each family record, this is the value you selected as the family key.

Each member record must contain the same Family Key value. This links the member information with the appropriate family record that you've already imported to your PDS Office program. Each record must also have a unique member key value that represents the field in your previous program that identified each member record. For example, if your previous program had a field called "Member ID" that assigned a unique number to each member record, this is the value you should select as the member key.

How this process works: Once you identify the .csv file, you will match the values in that file with your PDS Office program fields. There are a few required fields, but other than that, you only have to enter information for the data you want to import into your program. No data is imported until you click Begin Import on the final tab. Your selections are automatically saved on each tab, so you can come back to this process at another time if needed.

You can use the Import Member Information process to import existing member data from a .csv file into your PDS Office program.

  1. On the File menu in your PDS program, click Import Data > Import Member Information.
  2. The backup dialog box displays if you haven't performed a daily backup.
    CAUTION: This process alters data. We recommend backing up your data before proceeding.
  3. The Import Member Information dialog box displays. On the File Information tab, click Browse to locate the .csv file. After you select a file and click Open, your data displays.
    Note: We strongly recommend that you include field names/headers so it's easier to select the corresponding value from the drop-down lists on other tabs.
  4. On each tab, select the appropriate values from the drop-down lists. For example, if the first column of your table is labeled "Member ID" and you want that value to be the member key, then in the Member Key drop-down list, select Member ID. For more information about fields on these tabs, refer to the related topic "Member Import Field Information".
    Note: If you have existing information in PDS and want to update or override that information with the data in your .csv file, select Advanced Options and adjust the settings on the Key/Env/ID Number and Keywords/Remarks tabs.
  5. On the final tab, before you import your data, click Pre-Import Data Check. This creates a file called "PreImportMemReport.txt" in the program's data folder.
  6. Scroll through the items you're going to import to see if you need to make any adjustments.
  7. When you're ready to import the data into your PDS Office program, click Begin Import.
  8. Once the import is complete, a summary displays. This creates a file named "MemImportReport.txt" in the program's data folder.
  9. When you're done, click Finish.
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Last updated: October 29, 2024

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