How to Export/Import Customers in 4.2

How to Export/Import Customers in 4.2

Summary

This knowledge base article will outline the process of using the Export Utility to export data from a 4.2 database, then using the Import Utility to import the data back in.

Instructions

1 – In your File Explorer (The little manilla folder) go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Solatech\WCS 4

 

 2 – Here you will find the Export and Import Utilities.  The Export Utility is called swcs42export.exe, the import is called sws42import.exe. 

 

3 – Double Click on the Export Utility to start it.  The Utility will look like the screen shot below:

  

       3a.  The top field identifies the company you are exporting from.  So for you, this will point to the server > WCS 4.2 > Companies > Choose the company you use on a daily basis if there is more than one. 
       3b.  The next field identifies what you are exporting. 
       3c.  The third field is the filter to select which customers to export.  You can export all of them, then identify the ones you want to change, and delete the remaining ones from the export file.
       3d.  In the last field select a place on your computer where the export will be saved.  Make it somewhere you can easily find the file.

 4 – Find the export file and right click on it and say to open in Excel.  OR – open excel and open the file from within excel. 

 5 – When it opens in Excel you will get the following screen.
       5a.  Make sure Delimited is selected, then click Next.

 

      5b.  On the next Screen make sure Tab is selected, then click Finish.

 

6 – From the list of customers in excel, go ahead and delete the ones you DON’T want to make inactive.  Just highlight those lines and click the Delete button at the top.  Make sure you are deleting the whole line, and not just the data that is in the line.  If there are blank lines between data in the file, it won’t get imported correctly.  See below for example:
       6a.  If you highlight a line and use the delete key on your keyboard, it deletes the data but leaves a blank line.
       6b.  If you use the delete button in the Excel tools, it will delete the whole line, leaving no spaces between the data.

 

7.  Once you have only the customers you want to make Inactive, you can delete most of the columns.  The Only columns you need to have are CustomerName, AccountNumber, and Active. 
      These will be Columns A, B, and V in Excel. 
      7a.  AGAIN, do not use the delete key on your keyboard.  Highlight the entire column by clicking on the column letter, and click the Delete button from the Excel tools at the top. 
      7b.  You will be deleting Columns C-U, then everything to the right of “Active”.

 8 – There are a few other changes that need to be made to the data that’s left.
      8a.  First change the 1’s in the Active column to 0’s.  This means the customer will be Inactive.
      8b.  Next, Change the Customer Name field to Name.  (Just remove the Customer part of that heading)
      8c.  Last, change the AccountNumber field to Account.  (Just remove the Number portion of that heading)

 9 – Now click the Save button to save this file (make sure the extension on the file is still .txt)

 10 – Now you can double click on the Import Utility to get it started. It looks very similar to the Export Utility.
      10a – The Top field is your company again.
      10b – The second field should say Customers
      10c – In the third field select the file that you just altered and saved.
      10d – The last field should say Tab Delimited.

 

11 – Click Start. 

Applies to:

  1. SWCS 4.2

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