Import Family Information
Before you import family information, make sure your file contains a value that differentiates records from one another. We call this a "family key." For example, if your previous program assigned a number to each family, that value can be used as the family key. If you're also going to import member information, the family key must be the value that links the member record to its family record in your PDS Office program.
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 Family Information process to import existing family data from a .csv file into your PDS Office program.
Family Import Field Information
Key/ID Number
- Family Key
- This value differentiates family records from one another. For example, if your previous program had a field called "Family Number" that assigned a number to each family, select that value here. This value must be unique to each family. If you're also going to import member data using the Import Member Information process, the family key must be the value that links the member record to the family record. You can select the same value for the Family Key and ID Number fields.
- ID Number
- This value represents the family's ID number. If any family records don't have an ID number, enter the starting number in the Start New ID Numbers With field. IDs are assigned to new records starting with this value.
- Family is Active/Inactive
- Only Yes/No/True/False values are recognized. You must select either Yes or True means Active or Yes or True means Inactive, depending on how you used your previous field.
- Advanced Options / Update Existing Information
- Tip: If you don't have any data in your PDS Office program, you do not need to use Advanced Options.
When selected, the following advanced options display in the window:
- Add new records—Imports all data as new records. If you have no existing data in your PDS Office program, select this option.
- Update current data ONLY - do not add new families—If you have data in your PDS Office program and only want to update that existing data, select this option.
- Update current data and ADD new family record if Family Key not found—If you have data in your PDS Office program and your import file contains updated information as well as new information, select this option. A new record is added if the family/member key isn't found.
If your import file contains blank values for some fields, you can choose how those affect existing data:
- Do not affect existing data—Skips over any blank values in your import file, and leaves the existing data in PDS as it is.
- Clear existing values—Sees blank values in your import file, and overwrites any existing data in that field with the blank value.
If your import file contains information that you want to add to the existing data in your Office program, you must match the values in the file with the record in PDS. Select an option to indicate which value you want matched with existing PDS records:
- Use the PDS Fam ID Number to match families—Match the value you selected as the Family Key with the PDS Family ID Number.
- Use the Family Import Key to match families—Match family records using the value you selected as the Family Key.
- Use the PDS Family Unique ID Number (exported from PDS) to match families—Match families using the unique, internal number Fam Unique ID assigned to each family by the program. If you select this option, you must use an export report with the Family Unique ID field as your import file.
Name/Details
- Alternately, Create Family Records Based on this Field
- Select if you have a single field containing the entire family name rather than separate fields for each part of the family name.CAUTION: If there's more than one name per line, the names must be separated by "&", "/", or "and." If your family name field is formatted differently, the data won't import correctly.
- In Addition to Creating a Family Record, Create Member Record(s)
- Creates member records based on the Family Name selections.Note: Don't select this option if you have a separate import file for member data. Instead, use the Importing Member Information process.
- Family Status and Registration Date
- Only dates formatted as MM/DD/YYYY are recognized.
Address
- Address found in separate fields
- Select if your import file has separate values for Street Number, Street Name, and Street Direction.
- City or City, State—If your file has a single value that contains both the city and state, select that value in this drop-down list. Otherwise, select the city, then select the state in the State drop-down list.
- Street ZIP and Street ZIP Plus 4—If your file has a single value for the ZIP code (either the five-digit or the nine-digit format), select that value in the Street ZIP drop-down list. If you have a separate value for the last four digits, select that value in the Street ZIP Plus 4 drop-down list.
- Send No Mail—If your file has a value indicating that the family doesn't want to receive mail, select that value. Only Yes/No/True/False values are recognized.
Phone
- Default Area Code
- Enter a default area code for any imported records that don't contain the area code information.
- Phone 1, Phone 2, and Phone 3
- Each Phone section represents a type of phone number. For example, Phone 1 can represent a family's home phone number, Phone 2 can represent a cell phone number, and Phone 3 can represent a fax number.
- Unlisted
- Only Yes/No/True/False values are recognized.
- Description
- Select a value from either the first Description drop-down list or the second one based on the following:
- Assign Import File Phone Desc—If your import file has separate columns for each type of phone number, select the value from the first Description drop-down list. For example, if you want the Phone 1 section to represent the family's home phone, from the first drop-down list, select the value that corresponds to the home phone number.
- Assign PDS Phone Desc—If you have phone description keywords set up in PDS Office, select the value from the second Description drop-down list.
- Email 1, Email 2, and Email 3
- Each Email section represents a type of email address. For example, Email 1 can represent a family's email address, Email 2 can represent a work email address, and Email 3 can represent a member's email address.
- Unlisted
- Only Yes/No/True/False values are recognized.
- Description
- Select a value from either the first Description drop-down list or the second one based on the following:
- Assign Import File Email Desc—If your import file has separate columns for each type of email address, select the value from the first Description drop-down list. For example, if you want the Email 1 section to represent the family's email address, from the first drop-down list, select the value that corresponds to a "family email address".
- Assign PDS Email Desc—If you have email description keywords set up in PDS Office, select the value from the second Description drop-down list.
Keywords/Remarks
- Family Keywords
- If you have a family keyword field with a Yes/No/True/False value, you must enter a corresponding description. For example, if "Yes" describes a school family, then enter "School Family" in the Description field. This way, a keyword of "School Family: Yes" or "School Family: No" imports into your PDS Office program. The Description field is limited to 12 characters.
- Family Pictures
- Make sure that the picture file is in the appropriate folder in order for it to display in your PDS Office program. We recommend that you store picture files in a shared folder, such as X:\PDSOffice\Pictures.
- Advanced Options
- Tip: If you don't have any data in your PDS Office program, you do not need to use Advanced Options.When selected, the following advanced options display in the window:
- Add to existing remarks—Keeps any existing remarks, and adds any remarks from your import file.
- Replace current remarks with this content—Removes any existing remarks, and adds the remarks from your import file.
- Replace current remarks OR delete current remarks—If your import file contains remarks, they replace the existing remarks in the program. If your file doesn't contain remarks, the existing remarks in the program are deleted.