Paste from Excel Import in Tour deForce

Purpose

 

A new feature has been added in version 6.5 that allows users to import records and items into Tour de Force by pasting information into a Tour de Force grid, from an Excel spreadsheet.  This feature adds a new user right that controls whether a user can import, and what records and items users are allowed to import.

 

Most records and items can be imported, however, only Account records can be imported through the Manager’s Console.  Most records or items have to be imported into a linked items grid so that Tour de Force knows which parent item to use for the import.  The examples provided in this technical bulletin are not the required fields or methods but are a best practice in order to easily map columns to the fields available in a grid.

 

This technical bulletin contains the following sections:

 

1. Overview of the Paste from Excel Import Feature
2. Assigning Permissions to the Paste from Excel Import Feature
3. Creating an Import Template
4. Importing Account Records from Excel
5. Importing Activity Items from Excel
6. Things to Consider before Importing

 

Note: Read the documentation completely before using the Paste from Excel Import.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Overview of the Paste from Excel Import Feature

A new feature added in version 6.5 of Tour de Force, the Paste from Excel feature is a quick and simple way to quickly import items from an excel spread sheet, into Tour de Force.  This new feature is typically referred to as the Paste from Excel feature, and is referenced as such throughout this technical bulletin.  

 

The Paste from Excel feature allows users to copy information from an Excel spread sheet, use a mapping screen to map the fields in the spread sheet to fields in Tour de Force, and then have those items automatically added into the Tour de Force database.  This feature is not available for all users by default, and user permissions can be assigned for this feature to limit what items and records users are allowed to import.

 

The Paste from Excel Import feature uses a new mapping screen to try and match the columns in an Excel sheet to the User Defined Fields located in Tour de Force.  When a user performs the import, the mapping screen is intelligent enough to identify columns in the Excel sheet and the UDFs on the form of the item or record being imported.  However, the mapping screen also allows users to pick which fields to map the columns to, if no fields are found, or if the source field is not the same as the target field.

 

 

As of version 6.5 there are only seven items that can imported using the Excel Import feature:

 

1. Accounts
2. Activities
3. Support
4. Contacts
5. Expenses
6. Tasks
7. Tickets

 

2. Assigning Permissions to the Paste from Excel Feature

Before the Paste from Excel Import can be used by any users in Tour de Force, permissions for this feature need to be assigned to each user that needs, or wants access.  Like most permissions in Tour de Force, the Paste from Excel Import is controlled by a new user right and permission, and is assigned in the User Permissions Wizard.  However, administrators can also assign import rights for specific records and items, rather than granting users the ability to import for all seven records and items.  This section of the technical bulletin covers how to assign permissions for this new feature, and how to assign permissions for specific items and records.

 

Use the following procedures to assign permissions to the Excel Import feature:

 

1. Open the User Permissions Wizard through the Administration Console.

 

2. Select the User Rights option. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. In the User Rights screen, locate the Bulk-create TDF items through paste from Excel permission. 

 

 

4. In the Users section, check the checkboxes to grant those users permissions to access the Excel Import feature. 

 

 

 

 

 

By default the user gets permission to Import all records and items in Tour de Force.  However, there is a way to grant users permissions to only specific records or items.

 

5. After selecting the records or items in the Users screen, click the More button.

 

 

6. In the Extended Bulk Create Permissions screen, the administrator can select which items each user should have access to import.

 

7. Click the Edit field to display a new window that contains a list of Tour de Force records and items that can be imported. 

 

 

8. Select the records or items the user can have Import rights to, and the click the Apply button once finished. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Creating an Import Template

Before importing any of the records or items, Tour de Force recommends creating a template spread sheet for each record or item that can be imported.  While not necessary, using an existing view to create a spread sheet can make mapping more consistent, and is going to cut down on the time needed to try and remap any fields that the mapping screen cannot detect.  This section covers how to create a template for importing Account records so that users can use this template for future imports.

 

Use the following procedures to create a template for the Paste from Excel Import feature:

 

1. Open an Account grid that contains the Account fields that typically get updated on new Account creation.  

 

For example, some of the more common fields are Company(Account Name), Business Address, Business Phone, Event Source, etc.

 

2. Export the grid to an Excel spreadsheet. 

 

 

3. In the Excel spreadsheet, remove the columns that are not necessary for the mapping.  For example, the “Has Attachments” and Account Root fields can be removed.  Remove the Account record that got exported from the grid, except for the column headers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Save the Excel spreadsheet, and name the spreadsheet, “Account Import Template”.  This template can now be used for future Account imports without having to remap fields every time an import is made. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Importing Account Records from Excel

Once permissions have been assigned, and the desired template has been created, users can begin using the Paste from Excel Import feature to import items and records into Tour de Force.  However, Account records do not get imported the way most of the other records or items get imported.  Because the Account record’s parent is technically the Account Package, the user needs to pick which Account Package the Account records need to be imported to.

 

Note: Only one Account Package can be selected for each import of Account records.

 

Use the following procedures to import Account records using the Paste from Excel Import feature:

 

1. Type in the Account information that needs to be imported into Tour de Force, using the appropriate columns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Once finished, select all of the columns and the data that needs to be imported into Tour de Force.  Hit the Ctrl+C buttons on the keyboard to copy the information in the Excel sheet.

 

 

3. Return to the Account grid and click the right-click mouse button to display the Quick Events menu.

 

4. In the Quick Events menu, select the Other option. In the Other menu select, Paste Items from Clipboard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Mapping Preview screen displays.

 

 

This screen is going to detect all of the columns that were selected in the Excel spreadsheet and attempt to match those columns up with a target field in Tour de Force.  If the Mapping screen cannot detect a match in Tour de Force then the Target Field is going to be blank.  Users can click the Target Field to display a list of User Defined Fields located on the record or item that may match up with the column from the Excel spreadsheet.

 

In this example, there is a column named Account Name in the Excel spreadsheet but there is no corresponding UDF that matches up with Account Name.  The UDF in this example is called, “Company”.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Click the blank Target Field next to the Source Field that needs to be mapped. 

 

 

7. In the drop-down menu that displays, select the appropriate UDF that needs to be matched up to the Source Field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Continue to match up the desired fields.  Note that if a Source Field is not assigned a Target Field, then that information is not going to be imported into Tour de Force.

 

9. After the Source Fields have been assigned, click the hyperlink in the Target Parent field.

 

 

10. For Account records, the Unknown hyperlink opens the Account Packages screen.  Select the Account Package that these Account records need to be imported to.  Note that only one Account Package can be selected during an import. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Once finished, click the OK button to confirm the Account Package selection.

 

12. Click the Next button on the Mapping Preview screen. 

 

 

13. In the next screen, columns that are mapped are going to display in a preview grid.  From here users can select the information to put into blank fields.  For example, when creating the report the user may not have known which Primary CSR values were available.  In this preview screen the user can assign that value based on the values located in the Primary CSR drop-down.

 

 

 

14. If necessary, assign the rest of the values and then click the Next button.

 

 

15. The next screen is going to display a preview of the mappings that the user has selected.  This screen is also going to display the number of records or items that are going to be added into Tour de Force.  To confirm the import, click the Finish button. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16. The Import begins adding the records or items into Tour de Force and displays a progress window indicating the current process.

 

 

17. Once the Import has finished a new dialog window is going to display asking the user if they would like to open the created items.  If the user selects Yes, then the current records or items that were imported are going to open in the Navigator.

 

 

The Accounts are now added into Tour de Force, under the Account Package that was selected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Importing Activity Items from Excel

For imports that are not Account records, the import process changes slightly.  Instead of being able to import directly into the Manager’s Console, the user has to go to a linked items grid and import the items.  This change is necessary so that the Import utility knows which parent record or item the imported items are supposed to have.

 

For example, if the user wanted to import a list of Activity items to an Account record, that user would need to open the Account record and go to the Activity items linked grid.  From the linked items grid the user can access the Paste Items from Clipboard option the same way they did for the Account records. 

 

 

The user has to perform this action from the linked items grid, which means that the items imported can only be imported to one Parent record at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Things to Consider before Importing

The Paste from Excel Import is a powerful tool that can help users import Account information, and other record or items into Tour de Force from an Excel spread sheet.  However, there are several things about the import that must be noted.  This section provides a list of things to consider and watch out for as it comes to the Paste from Excel Import feature.

 

• Only one Account Package can be chosen to import Account records per import

As of version 6.5 the mapping utility is not able to use multiple Account Package selections to import Account records.  When importing Account records keep in mind that the copied Account records are only going to be able to be imported to a single Account Package, even if the Account Package field exists in the Excel spread sheet.

 

• Any item or record, aside from an Account record, has to be imported using the appropriate Linked Items Grid

In order for the Import to know what parent item to use, items like Activities need to be imported using a linked items grid.  The Linked Items Grid does not have to be an Account record, but it has to be a record that contains the appropriate Linked Items Grid.

 

• The Paste from Excel Import feature does not check for duplicate records or items

As of version 6.5 the Import does not do any checking for duplicate records or items.  Keep in mind that if an Account record is being imported, but already exists, the mapping utility is not going to display a warning message.  In future versions of Tour de Force more duplicate checking features are intended to added to the Paste from Excel Import feature.