Re: How to Create an Import Batch Number

Richard:

Thanks very much for the recommendation. This sounds like a wise approach.

If I understand your and Mark's combined concepts, I think it would require
three (3) tables:

    - ImportOnly
    - ImportLog
    - AmazonData

ImportOnly would be a temporary holding and pre-processing table. Once the
pre-processing and QA was complete, the data would be imported into the
"production" file, AmazonData.Once imported, the original data in ImportOnly
would be deleted.

ImportLog would contain metadata about each import per Mark's suggestion.

AmazonData would contain the clean data and the production functions such as
label printing and emailing customers.

I like the idea of this but I must admit it will stretch my knowledge of
FMP!

Thanks again for the feedback.

This has to be one of the best forums on the Internet.

Scott C. 


> From: Richard DeShong <richard-cxF+0GIAkATegbzhZkK2zA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: Filemaker Experts 
> <FMPexperts-YhOVfwX2n+1GPrOSNmeGdnHfP1ztnLDb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 14:50:43 -0800
> To: 'Filemaker Experts' 
> <FMPexperts-YhOVfwX2n+1GPrOSNmeGdnHfP1ztnLDb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: RE: How to Create an Import Batch Number
> 
> Sorry for posting so late on this post...
> 
> I would like to recommend, in a best-practice way, that you create a
> separate ImportOnly table.  This table would be used to import the data from
> your external source, Excel.  Then, from within Filemaker, you can run data
> integrity checks, fix issues, create a batch number, or any other
> pre-processing.  After you're appropriately comfortable with the data, then
> import it into your production file.
> 
> I like Mark's suggestion of creating an Import-Log type file that records
> statistics about each import and can be used to create an import ID (or
> batch number).
> 
> With the two tables, ImportOnly and ImportLog, you are then creating an
> Import System.  Without this type of separate data validity and processing
> system, I'm not comfortable automating the process of importing external
> data into my production database.
> 
> --
> Richard DeShong, Programmer / Analyst
> Athletic Study Center, U.C.Berkeley