|
The Library Export Form allows you to create files containing FF&EZ library 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
|
FF&EZ Data Archive
|
The FDA format is a special format, similar to an XML file, that contains all data needed to completely recreate the library on another FF&EZ 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. A library FDA file also contains all the data for each vendor referenced in the Library.
Note: Be sure to read the section on importing library FDA files to see how FF&EZ treats existing library items and related vendors when importing them.
|
|
Tab Delimited
|
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.
|
|
CSV (Plain)
|
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.
|
|
CSV (w/field names)
|
This is the same format as the plain CSV above, but the first line is reserved for the names of the fields
|
|
Excel
|
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.
|
Field Options
There are no field options for the Library export; all fields are exported in the FDA file, and all fields except the variable length description field are exported in the other formats. Most other programs and databases require custom programming to accept a variable-length field, especially since it may contain embedded carriage returns.
Other Options
|
File name
|
The file name is prefilled for you based on the type of export you are creating. You can change this as needed.
|
|
Create file in...
|
You can create the file in any location you wish, but two common locations are available for you to select as well.
|
|