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How To: Import Time Slips
1. BackgroundThe Logger's Edge has an import function that allows you to import time slips. You may want to import time slips into your database if you have remote users of The Logger's Edge and you want to merge their time slips into your master database. Alternatively, you might have a user that enter time slips in an MS Excel file and you want to import them into The Logger's Edge.
Basically, if your time slips are in an MS Excel file format, they can be imported into The Logger's Edge.
This document covers two scenarios:
1. You have a remote The Logger's Edge user and you want to import slips from the remote user periodically.
2. You have time slip data in an Excel file and you want to import it directly into The Logger's Edge. Click here to skip straight to this topic.
Import Time Slips from a Remote User
Steps
1. Set a Remote User's Database
In order to efficiently exchange data with a remote The Logger's Edge user, you first need to set up your remote user with a clone of your master database. You want to use a clone of your master database because it will contain all your set up data (employees, equipment, blocks, etc.) that are necessary to to enter time slips.
If
you try to import time slips that uses set up data (employees, equipment,
blocks, etc.) that is not symmetric you will encounter a whole host
of errors when you try import your data.
There are two basic ways of setting up a clone of your master database.
1. Just make a copy of your master database. This method has the virtue that it is simple, but it does mean you will be transferring a database that much larger than necessary -- it will contain all your transaction data (all you load slips, time slips, and statement details).
2. Create a 'Primed' database. A primed database is a replica of your master database, but excludes all your transaction data. Thus, the primed database will have all your required setup data required for data entry, but without all the overhead of your existing transaction data.
In order to set up a primed database, start in your master database and navigate to File | Database Operations | Create Primed Database.
This command will create a new Primed database. Do not select 'Create Empty Database.' An empty database is basically a blank database and will have none of your configuration settings or your setup data.
When you select 'Create Primed Database,' you will be prompted for a new database name.
You can name the database anything you want. When you click 'Save' The Logger's Edge will save your new database. You need to remember the name of your database and in what directory you saved your newly primed database. This is the database that you will give to your remote user for data entry.
If
your are periodically given your remote user(s) new primed databases, you
may end up creating a number of databases that have no real purpose once
they have been delivered to the remote users. In this case, it is OK
to overwrite an existing database and reuse the file name.
Deliver Database to Remote User
Once you have created a primed database, you need to deliver it to your remote user(s). You can e-mail the file to the user (we recommend zipping the database first), or have the remote user connect to your network (if you have one). You can always resort to burning a CD and delivering it your remote user by sneaker net.
Once the remote user has the database file, the file should be copied into the directory: "C:\Program Files\Caribou Software\Logger's Edge\Database"
The remote user can use the primed database by using the function: File | Database Operations | Switch Database.
This selection will prompt the user for the name of your primed database:
The remote user selects the primed database and he or she is good to go. The remote user can now enter time slip data using all the setup data in your master database.
Database maintenance
As noted above, the remote database and the master database must of symmetric set up information. Over time, the databases can get out of sync. For example, you might add employees or equipment into your master database. How does the remote database keep up with changes to the master database?
Option 1. If the remote user has a full license to The Logger's Edge, You can notify the user each time you add set up data to the master database -- i.e. when you add an employee or piece of equipment. If the remote user only has a limited remote data entry license to The Logger's Edge then does not have this option -- the remote data license does not allow remote users to add set up data.
Option 2. Create another primed database. As you add setup data over time, you should periodically create a new primed database for your remote users to keep them in sync with the master database.
If
you periodically create a new primed database for your remote users, you
should make sure that you have imported all the time slip data from the old
primed database. If you overwrite your old primed database with a new
one, you will lose any time slip data that has not been exported and
imported into the master database.
Export Data
The remote user can now enter time slip data in the new primed database. In a completely new primed database, there will be NO existing time detail records -- the remote user is starting with a fresh time details table.
Now let's say the remote user has been entering a week's worth of data and wants to send it to the master database. The process is basically a two step process: the remote user creates an export data file; the data file is then imported into the master database.
Create Export File
In order to create an export file, navigate to Data Entry | Time Slips | Employees | Export Slips:
You be prompted for the data range and and employees for who you want to export data:
Select the date range and employees that you want to include in your export file. Once you have made your selections, the The Logger's Edge will create a grid that contains your export data. You can use this grid to review your data and ensure it is correct.
The final step in the file creation is to click on the
button. This button will create a 'Tab Delimited' text (ASCII) file.
When you click on the
button, you will be prompted for a file name to save the file:
In the screen you enter the name of the file of your export file.
If
you are exporting files on a regular basis, you should adopt some form of
naming convention so that you can readily recognize the data file by its
name.
Once the remote user has created the export file, the file is ready to be imported into the master database. The remote user should e-mail or otherwise transfer the file to the user of the master database.
Import the Export File
In the master database, navigate to Data Entry | Time Slips | Employees | Import Slips in order to import your time slip data.
You will be prompted for the file name:
When you select the file and click 'Open', The Logger's Edge will import the data. When complete, you will receive the message:
Your import is now complete. You can now go into the time slip entry window to review your imported time slips.
There are three main areas where trouble arises.
1. Reimporting of Slips. Sometimes -- either by mistake or design -- you import the same file again or you import another file with duplicate time entries. When you run the import, and The Logger's Edge comes across duplicate entries, you will see the following options:
The options are interpreted as:
1. Quit: Cancel the import right now. No more records will be imported.
2. Skip Once: Skip the current entry and continue with the import.
3. Skip All: Skip ALL the duplicate entries. This button saves you the hassle of hitting 'Skip Once' over and over.
4. Replace Once: Replace (overwrite) the existing entry with the entry in the import file.
5. Replace All: Always replace a duplicate entry. This button saves you the hassle of hitting 'Replace Once' over and over. If you hit replace all, you will basically replace all the existing entries with all those from the import file.
6. Add Once: Leave the duplicate entry and ADD the newly imported entry. You may want to do this if time has been entered for the employee already, but the remote user has entered supplemental time and the import records are actually in addition to the ones that already exist. Recall, that an employee can have multiple time entries for different activity for any given day.
7. Add All: Always add the entry. This button saves you the hassle of hitting 'Add Once' over and over.
2. Inconsistent Set Up Data. Sometimes your set up data will get out of sync. For example, let's suppose the remote user adds a new piece of equipment that is not in the master database. On the import, you will receive an error screen that will notify you that the record(s) that cannot be imported:
For example, in the screen above, the messages tell you that the equipment number 'LD8001' is not in the master database. For any set up items that are not in the master database you will receive similar messages. These records will not be imported until you have either (1) added the missing set up data to your master database, or (2) changed the export file so that the data are consistent with those in the master database.
3. Inconsistent Column Alignment. Sometimes your columns for your data are misaligned between the remote database and the master database. For example, suppose you invert the order of the columns in your time slip for 'time slip date' and 'employee' in your master database, but do not change it in the remote database. The import function relies on the columns to be in the identical order in both databases.
The most likely cause of this problem is that the remote user is entering data in a database that is not the correct database and/or is out-of-date. This circumstance can arise if the remote user is supplied with an 'empty' database instead of a 'primed' database. Only the primed version will work.
If they are out of alignment, you will receive an error for every record:
This is really an ugly problem. You will have to contact a Caribou support representative to fix this problem. The columns in the remote and master database will have to be synched up.
Another possible error is that you have too columns in your import file. The Logger's Edge requires the same number of columns in the import file as in the master database. If there are too few columns you will receive a message like:
Again, the most likely cause of this problem is that the remote user is entering data in a database that is not the correct database and/or is out-of-date. This circumstance can arise if the remote user is supplied with an 'empty' database instead of a 'primed' database. Only the primed version will work. Did I say that already?
Import Time Slips from a Excel
Steps
1. Set an Excel Workbook
In order to use an Excel workbook for time imports, you first need to set up a worksheet template that mimic the grid in The Logger's Edge time entry form. One way to do this is to select the time grid in the The Logger's Edge and past it into Excel so that you have the format you need for your file:
First, click on the top left corner to select the grid. Click on Cntrl+C to copy the grid into the clipboard. Then open up Excel, put your cursor in cell A:1 and paste the selection (Cntrl+V).
Once you have pasted the grid from The Logger's Edge into Excel, you can delete all the extraneous rows, with the exception of the column headers -- you want to keep these. The column headers indicate the data you need to enter into each column.
Do NOT change the ordering of the column headers or your import will not work.
If
you are going to use Excel to enter time slips on a regular basis, you can
save your worksheet with just the column headers and then you can use the
stored worksheet as a template for entering your time slip data.
You can go ahead and enter your time slip data into the workbook.
In
entering your data, you should enter '0' in the reference number column.
These reference numbers are assigned during the time import.
Also, do not leave a blank entry in the first column or the last column for any row. Excel will interpret a beginning or trailing blank as 'no data' and will truncate the row, leaving you with too few columns of data (which will then create an error on import).
When you are finished, you will need to delete the header row (this row will not import) and save the workbook as a "tab-delimited" file.
Be sure click on the Text (Tab delimited) in the 'Save as Type' drop down list. This will tell Excel to save the file as in a file where the entries are separated by tabs.
You are now ready to import the tab delimited file.
If you have also saved your data as an Excel (.xls) file as well, do NOT try to import it. Your import will not work.
Import the Excel Export File
In the master database, navigate to Data Entry | Time Slips | Employees | Import Slips in order to import your time slip data.
You will be prompted for the file name:
When you select the file and click 'Open', The Logger's Edge will import the data. When complete, you will receive the message:
Your import is now complete. You can now go into the time slip entry window to review your imported time slips.
Possible Trouble
Possible problems are noted above and are generally the same as for the remote data entry.
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