What would you like to know more about?

Open and Save Files on Your Computer

Whether you are opening a file to use in PDS or saving a file from PDS, you will see dialog boxes that look something like this.

Two dialog boxes: one titled "Open" showing sample files in the My Documents folder, and the other titled "Save Directly to File" showing sample files in the Reports folder

Opening a File

You might open a file when:
  • Inserting a photo on someone's record
  • Adding a document to keep on file

The Look in field provides a drop-down list of all the locations available on your computer where you can open a file. Use the buttons at the bottom to quickly jump to a certain location: My C: Drive, My Desktop, or My Documents.

After you navigate to the location, select the file you want to open. It displays in the File name field, then you can click Open to use the file in PDS.

Saving a File

You might save a file when:
  • Exporting a report
  • Saving a report directly to a file

The Save in field provides a drop-down list of all the locations available on your computer where you can save a file. Use the buttons at the bottom to quickly jump to a certain location: My C: Drive, My Desktop, or My Documents.

For the File name, enter a unique name that identifies your file.

From the Save as type drop-down list, select the format of the saved file. Save your file in a format that makes sense for your purposes. For example, if you're saving a report that you plan to open and work with in a spreadsheet application, you might select the .xls file type. If you're saving a letter report that you plan to print and send out, the .pdf file type may work best.

When you're ready, click Save.

Watch & Learn

Learn to save a file to your desktop in the OnDemand environment. 4 min 26 sec

It may take a minute for the video to display. To watch in full screen mode, click the expand icon in the video player.

To watch more videos, visit the PDS Video Library.