Creating a New Data Map File

There are 2 main type of data map files: Import and Data Processing.

Import

Data may be imported either from Comma Delimited Files or any application / data source for which there is an ODBC data connector / driver available.

Import - CSV

Data to be imported into each data table must be in separate comma delimited text file of the same name as that of the table with the '.csv' file extention. All .csv files must be located in the same folder. See CSV Import Data Map file format for details on the structure for each .csv files.

If there is no data map file available for your data source, then it may be possible for one to be created. The first step to this process is to identify the data you wish to import and match it to the appropriate table and field names. System table details can be found in Data Tables. The next step is to find the counter parts to each of these fields in the source data base systems. At the end of the exercise, you should have the following details for each bit of data that is to be imported:

• System Table Name. The table that the data will be imported into e.g. sl for Sales Ledger / Customer Details.
• System Field Name. The name of the field that the data will be imported into e.g. accref for customer account reference.
• Source Table. The name of table the the data will be 'read' from. For example SALES_LEDGER for Sage Line 50 accounts.
• Source Field. The name of the field that the data is stored in. For example ACCOUNT_REF for customer account reference in Sage Line 50 accounts.

You should compile this as a comma separated list in a text file with details for each field on separate lines. To continue the above example for importing customer account reference, company name and address:

sl,accref,SALES_LEDGER,ACCOUNT_REF

sl,conm,SALES_LEDGER,NAME

sl,adr1,SALES_LEDGER,ADDRESS_1

sl,adr2,SALES_LEDGER,ADDRESS_2

sl,adr3,SALES_LEDGER,ADDRESS_3

sl,adr4,SALES_LEDGER,ADDRESS_4

sl,adr5,SALES_LEDGER,ADDRESS_5

sl,tel,SALES_LEDGER,TELEPHONE

Alternatively, you can enter the details in a spreadsheet with each of the four bits of information per field in to separate columns:

Once you have compiled all the details, contact Support to get the data map file created. This is a chargeable service.