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The FF&E Worksheet Export Form allows you to create files containing FF&E data that can be used for a variety of purposes. The function supports four standard formats and several levels of field detail. By default, the export function exports all applicable records in the file or project, however many include specific ways to filter the data. The sections of the form are:
Format
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FF&EZ Data Archive
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(Not applicable) The FDA format is used to archive or transfer data between FF&EZ systems, however this data must be transferred as entire projects in order to maintain data integrity. Use the Export command on the Project Form for this purpose.
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Tab Delimited
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This is a text format in which each field is separated by a tab character. This format is very easy to import into both spreadsheets and word-processors, either directly or by opening the file with a text editor like NotePad, copying and then pasting the data into the other program. Tab-delimited formats are not susceptible to problems caused by embedded single and double-quotes (that is, feet and inches) that can affect the CSV formats.
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CSV (Plain)
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This is the standard comma-separated (comma-delimited) format, in which each field is separated by a comma, and all text fields are enclosed in double-quotes. Many spreadsheets can open this type of file directly (by double-clicking it), but there are two important "gotchas" to keep in mind: 1) numeric Id's or catalog numbers that have leading zeroes (e.g., "001232") may be interpreted as numbers with the leading zeroes stripped out, and 2) descriptions that include feet and inch symbols (see note above) may not be imported correctly by database programs.
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CSV (w/field names)
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This is the same format as the plain CSV above, but the first line is reserved for the names of the fields.
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Excel
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This is a basic Microsoft Excel format. If you want to produce data that will be used in a spreadsheet, this may be the best choice, since it avoids translation problems that text-based format sometimes have.
The Excel export format does not support long descriptions that exceed 254 characters (that is, the long description on a spec, which can easily be many times that size). If you are exporting specification data that includes the long "Description" field, use the "tab-delimited" format, which can be imported by any spreadsheet (and even pasted into them). The tab-delimited format substitutes the HTML code <BR> for carriage returns, which can be replaced with a carriage return after you open the exported data in a spreadsheet.
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Field Options
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Room Contents Only
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This export produces a list of areas, rooms and their objects suitable for use in making presentations or spreadsheets in other software. With proper planning and custom software, this list could also be used to verify the contents of a CADD drawing.
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Incl. budget/price
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This version produces the same list as above, but adds the budgets and prices for each object.
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Incl. cost/sell
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This is similar to the "budget/price" option, but uses object cost and sell amounts and would be appropriate for use by salespeople and purchasing firms.
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Export as transactions
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If this option appears, it means that all of the records that are exported will be marked as having been exported. This prevents them from being exported more than once. Use this option if you are exporting data for import as transactions into another system.
Don't use this option if you are only exporting data for general reporting purposes.
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Other Options
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File name
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The file name is pre-filled for you based on the type of export you are creating. You can change this as needed.
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Create file in...
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You can create the file in any location you wish, but two common locations are available for you to select as well.
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Save current location as the default
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If this option appears, it allows you to set a user-defined location and then make it the default export location for future uses of the export option (you can still change the location as needed).
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