User guide

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Chapter 3: Importing Data into InventoryControl
InventoryControl allows you to bring data into the program from external sources
in .csv or .txt format. This allows you to quickly add information to your database
rather than having to manually add it
whenyouareinitiallysettingupyour
software.
If you have been using a different
inventory software prior to purchasing
InventoryControl, we strongly
recommend that you export your data
from your old software and import it into
InventoryControl. Not only will this save
you a great deal of time, it will also help
ensure the integrity of your data by
eliminating the possibility of typos or
information entered incorrectly.
Getting Information From a Different
Application
Use the Export function on your old
inventory software to get the data out of
that database. As mentioned above,
your data must be in a .txt or a .csv file.
These are simply text files. Comma-
separated, or .csv, values, is a type of
data format in which each piece of data
is separated by a comma. This is a
popular format for transferring data from
one application to another, because
most database systems are able to
import and export comma-delimited
data.
For example, data pulled from a
database and represented in comma-
delimited format looks something like
the following. Each c olumn value is
separated by a comma from the next
column’s value and each row starts a
new line:
Importing Tips
• Do not use Import to modify
existing records.
• Imported data will be cutoff if
field lengths exceed those
within the database.
• You must strip out all
currency symbols, including
(but not limited to) these
examples: $, , ¥, £, §, or ¤, if
you are about to import them
into a numeric field, such as
Cost, List Price,etc. They
are permissible in text fields.
• Commas, sometimes used as
"thousands" separators,
should be removed from
numeric fields.
• Commas are allowed in text
fields only when they are
within a pair of double
quotes, which will cause
them to be treated as normal
text, not as field delimiters.
• Ifyouintendtoimportdatato
allavailabletables,make
sure you import in the order
specified in this chapter.