>My mailing list has many duplicates. I can easily import the list, but >there are some 500-2000 duplicates. Is there a quick, easy way to >consolidate the duplicates into one record--especially important to >preserve giving history? > >I can do this manually through the transfer menu, but this is slow. > >Any suggestions? I have one suggestion. If I were doing this I would review the duplicates in Excel. I think I hear you saying that you have not yet imported the list and want to work on the dupe before it goes into ebase. Further that your duplicate records are the same person, but different payment info, from different events or periods of time. The goal will be to import in two phases, one a primary record that gives you contact info for the names file, and the other for payment info. It still is some manual work, but less than reviewing all the dupes in ebase. Open the file in excel, and sort all the rows by last name, first name, address. This should put all the duplicate records next to each other in the list. Make two new columns, one for primary record, the other for Legacy ID. Scroll down through the list, marking one record in each set of duplicates (with an x or anything) in the Primary Record column. Mark every record in each set of duplicates with the same number, unique to that set of records. Sort by the Primary record column. This should segregate at the top or bottom a set of unique records. Copy and paste all these records into a new sheet. Import the new sheet into the names file, taking only the columns (fields) that apply to contact information (name, address, email, phone, etc.). The Legacy ID column you previously assigned will be unique, and will be the key to tying these records to the payment info. Import the original sheet into the payments file, taking only the payment info and Legacy ID. Make Sense? -- Dave Shaw Northwest Classics, Inc tel: 206-954-7526 fax: 206-625-1338 ------------------ Reminder to each recipient: To change your list account preferences, go to http://email.sparklist.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=support and enter the email address you used to subscribe to the ebase support list:: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ebase - Relationship Management for Nonprofits, http://www.ebase.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------
