You can configure the following optional features:
Empty
fields—All
fields in the Schema must be delimited for each Issue. However,
optional fields need not contain data. An empty field should be
indicated by placing nothing between the field delimiters (commas) or
at the end of the line. In the following example, there is no value
for the "Phone" field:
Smith=Bob=bsmith@widget.com=Widget==212-555-3232
Notice the two equals signs, "==" to represent afield with no data.
Missing data is represented by commas in CSV files as shown below:
Smith,Bob,bsmith@widget.com,Widget,,212-555-3232
Note
Mandatory fields must
contain data or, if the import fails, contain the exception described below
under Field Count Test.
Mandatory fields are indicated in red in the Schema. To import data
with missing information, temporarily make the fields optional on the
Edit
Address Book Fields page. After the import is complete, change
the fields back to mandatory. Optional
fields must still be accounted for with empty delimiters.
Field
Count Test—By
default, each field must be accounted for each record in the load
file. During
the data validation step, if any records do not have the correct number
of fields, the load ends. This also applies to optional fields accounted for by commas or other
delimiters as described above. There
may be cases where one or more of the last fields in the Schema are optional
and there is no data present in the load file, nor are there empty delimiters
to represent those optional fields.
For example, if the load file was created
in Microsoft Excel, the CSV file created by Excel does not provide comma
characters for null fields at the end of the data line. For
this case, we have provided an option to skip the Field Count Test. If
you select this option, you can submit a load file without the trailing
commas normally required for optional, empty fields. By skipping this
test, there is a risk that your data may not load properly, so
be careful in preparing your data.
The following example shows a record using the schema above that is acceptable when the Field Count Test is skipped:
Smith,Bob,bsmith@widget.com,Widget
Note
Notice that the trailing commas for the two final optional
fields (Phone
and Fax)
are missing. When
a CSV file is created by Excel, commas are never included for empty trailing
columns even if the fields are normally required by FootPrints.
By skipping
the Field Count Test, a CSV file created from Excel can be used without
editing it to add the trailing commas.
Wrapped
text (embedded new lines)—Because
the text file containing the data to be loaded presents each record
in a single line, the records cannot include new line characters.
Number
fields—For
Integer or Real Number fields, all values must be numeric.
Date
fields—Data
for Date fields must be in the ISO date format, YYYY-MM-DD,
e.g., 2003-09-22,
even if your Date Format system or user option is set to an alternate
format, such as American or European.
Date/Time
fields—Data
for Date/Time fields must be in the ISO date format, YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS, e.g., 2003-09-22
11:22:35, even if your Date Format system or user option is set
to an alternate format, such as American or European.
Drop-down
Choice Fields—Choice
field data is not verified. You must ensure
that data for such fields matches the list of values you established when
you created the choice field.
Multi-select
Fields—Multiple
values separated by semi-colons can be imported for a multi-select field,
e.g., choice1;choice2;choice3
Comments—You may make
your data file easier to read by using blank lines and comment lines beginning
with a #
sign.
Deleted
fields—Deleted Address Book
fields are not displayed in the schema; they must
be ignored in the text file.