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The Client List Export Form allows you to create files containing FF&EZ client data that can be used for a variety of purposes. The function supports five formats and several levels of field detail. By default, the export function exports all applicable records in the table. The sections of the form are:
Format
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FF&EZ Data Archive
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The FDA format is a special format, similar to an XML file, that contains all data needed to completely recreate the information on another FF&EZ system. This includes, if applicable, "parental" data, such as clients or vendors, that must exist in the target system. Since all data is contained in a single file, FDA files are easy to email to a remote employee, home office or a client or consultant who has also purchased FF&EZ. They also are useful as archival backups of old data.
Note: The FDA format is not normally used for clients, since any project archive in the FDA format will contain the all client information needed to create the client on another FF&EZ system.
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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.
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Field Options
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All
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As you would expect, this option produces a file containing all the data for the table you are exporting. Exception: Only the FDA format supports the variable length fields (usually with embedded carriage returns) in the Library and Specifications tables, so these fields cannot be included in the other export formats.
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Address List
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This option exports all the basic contact-related information.
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Phone List
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An abbreviated version of the address list, containing only the phone numbers that have been entered.
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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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