Bethany,
I did a similar excersize as well and Barry's advice is good. However,
I'll just add that instead of importing first into a filemaker file and
then into ebase, I simply imported into ebase directly with two
imports. My procedure was as follows:
1. Create a unique alpha-numeric identifier field in your works
database (i used a combination of name and address and then checked for
duplicates to ensure the identifier was unique).
2. Add date fields as Barry suggests for each donation.
3. Export the data into a tab delimited file (if this file doesn't have
field names - check by opening with word pad or a similar program - you
can type in the field names on the first line with tab characters
between field names and a return at the end of the list of names.)
4. Import this file into ebase using the import names routine (if
you've already imported them, you'll have to re-import in order to have
the unique identifier). Include all name and address info but don't
include the payment info.
5. Import the SAME file again, this time using the ebase payment import
routine and mapping the appropriate fields to the appropriate ebase
fields. You may need to repeat this step for each payment you have in a
separate field in your database (because payments are handled as records
and you can't easily transfer separate fields as separate records.).
But you don't have to create separate files for each import. Just map
separate fields to the proper ebase payments fields.
Voilla! You're done.
Carl
Ashton Computing & Mgt Svcs wrote:
>
> At 11:04 02/01/2001, you wrote:
> >I have asked this question before, but I will try and be more specific. I
> >am needing to transfer the payments portion of out database into ebase. The
> >problem is that we were using Microsoft Works previously, which is not a
> >relational database. Payments were fields, not separate records. Also we
> >did not asociate a date with payment entries, only a year. So each record
> >contained the following fields where payments were entered.
> >
> >Membership00, subscription00, Spring Fundraiser00, resricted donation00,
> >unrestricted donation00, scholarship00, membership99, subscription99,
> >resricted donation99 ect.
>
> I went through this exercise a few months ago. It isn't too bad, but you
> do have
> to have Filemaker software. What you have to do is as follows:
> 1. Export the data into a comma-delimited (CSV) format from MS
> Works. Discard MS Works.
> 2. Import the data into a new Filemaker database; let's call this
> FMLoad. I don't remember offhand if Works provides a header record that
> gave all the field names or not. Worst case, you might have to key in the
> record layout.
> 3. Create a sequence number field and add it to your FMLoad record
> format. Make sure that each record has a nice, distictinctive id
> number--you'll be needing it.
> 4. Export your name & address data to a CSV file and follow the EBase
> procedures for importing Names data. *** BE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE ID NUMBER
> ***.
> 5. For each year you have payment data, export to a new Filemaker database
> the ID NUMBER, payment amount, and a fixed arbitrary date of
> payment. You're stuck with this: it can be Jan 1, June 30, or whatever,
> but since you already are limited to just the year, it shouldn't matter a lot.
> 6. For each payments database, export a CSV file and follow the Ebase
> instructions for importing payments.
>
> This probably sounds like a lot of work, but in fact it can all be finished
> in 2-3 hours with a little luck. Good luck, just for the record!
>
> Barry L. Newton
> Greater Sandy Spring Green Space, Inc.
>
> >The more I think about it, even as I write this, the more I think that there
> >is no way to transfer the desired information using ebase import functions,
> >but if anyone has any suggestions as to how I can avoid having to reenter
> >all payment info by hand, I would really appreciate it.
> >
> >My other concern is that even if I do reenter them by hand, I do not know
> >the date they were entered into our original database, only the year. Will
> >ebase let me just put in a year on the add date?
> >
> >Has anyone ever tried to do this or anything similar? Any help would be
> >very welcome.
> >
> >Bethany Marsh
> >Database Administrator
> >Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission
> >
> >
> >
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Carl Paulsen
New Hampshire Rivers Council
54 Portsmouth Street
Concord, NH 03301
603-228-6472
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