PE Data Conversion

The PE Data Conversion process was created so that new clients can convert Vendor Data from their legacy system to BusinessPlus. The process works based on a spreadsheet concept with column headings that tell the system what data is being converted. Information for each table is contained in a different file and is processed one at a time for maximum control.

Vendor data can be set aside for testing purposes and not be updated by the conversion process. This is done by placing the word "TEST" in the Select 1 field of the PE Master Record. To make this vendor updateable, simply remove the word "TEST."

Spreadsheets

The key to the conversion spreadsheet is row 1 in which the name of the information contained in that field column exists. These names match the name of the column in the database table as well as the online help field descriptions on each screen.
Process features:

1. The columns do not have to be in any specific order. The process will handle special features based on the column heading of that field (row 1).
2. The name of the spreadsheet is the name of the table the information is being inserted into (e.g., PENAME.xls).
3. The columns are color-coded as to the importance of the data. Red columns must be in the data file whether inserting or updating. Green columns must be there if inserting data. Gold columns are information needed/recommended by our consultants. White columns are optional. All colors other than red are not necessarily needed in the file in order to process it.
4. Ensure that each column appears in the upload file only once. If there are duplicate columns, the Insert will not happen, regardless if the tail sheet says it did.
5. There are two tabs per spreadsheet file. The first tab is for the data. The second tab has the descriptions of the field columns. The screen and tab to find this data is also contained in the field description tab as well as what type of data, length of text fields, how many digits follow the decimal point and any comments, defaults and recommendations.
6. The process will decipher the column heading row. It will handle dashes as well as lower and upper-case letters to adjust the field name to what it needs to be. If a field name specified is not one within the table, the process will display the error, but will still update/insert the data information for all other columns unless that one wrong column is a required one (red).
7. Dates – Eight different date formats are available for use. The only requirement is that all dates within a file are the same format. The user specifies that format in common code PERL/ROLLOVER and the program will modify the date to fit the format that the database table will accept.
8. Numbers/Amounts – The program will handle all decimal options. It will calculate what type of number the data is, validate that it is a number, then format it to the correct form to be accepted by the database table. This is on a field by field basis. Only requirement: no dollar signs ($) are permitted.
9. The data file can be delimited three different ways: TAB, COMMA and PIPE. This is on a file-by-file basis. Note: If a data file has many number fields with commas in the numbers, TAB-delimited works better than COMMA. File delimiters are set within common code PERL/ROLLOVER.
10. When updating information, if a blank data field is found, the table will clear that field data as well.
11. Some data fields have been kept off of the spreadsheet columns to minimize data clutter. These fields are usually standard data that is the same for all records. Based on this, if the process does not find that column field name, it will take the preset default. These fields are defined in the spreadsheet field description tab and are dependent on the database table. This default option can be overturned by manually inserting the column into the spreadsheet.
12. Sorting of a spreadsheet is usually based on the red columns and is specified on the field description tab. This is essential at times to find duplication of data or to be sure data is grouped properly for processing.

Tables

Tables are in update and insertion mode only. No purging of data will be done unless specified.

Defaults for All Tables

• CREATE_WHO and UPDATE_WHO = "ROLL"
• CREATE_WHEN and UPDATE_WHEN = current date

01 – Vendor Name (PENAME)

• 1 record per Vendor based on PE_ID field.
• PE_NAME can be derived from by way of NAME_LAST, NAME_FIRST NAME_MIDDLE by just leaving off the PE_NAME column and have the other three present in the file.

02 – Vendor Address (PEADDR)

• 1 or more records per Vendor based on PE_ID and PE_ADDR_CD fields.

03 – Vendor Phone Numbers (PEPHONE)

• 1 or more records per Vendor based on PE_ID, PE_ADDR_CD and PHONE_TYPE_CD fields.

04 – Vendor Email Addr. (PEEMAIL)

• 1 or more records per Vendor based on PE_ID, PE_ADDR_CD and EMAIL_TYPE_CD fields.

05 – Vendor Options (PEVENDOR)

• 1 record per Vendor based on PE_ID field.
• TIN number is a string of nine digits without a dash.

06 – Vendor Associations (PEASSOC)

• 1 or more records per Vendor based on PE_ID and PEA_ASSOC_CD fields.

Common Code Options

Use common code PERL/ROLLOVER to run the process without the questions and with more options. This code is required by the PEUTZZ utility that imports data into PE tables from flat files.

How to Run the Process

Before running the process, the tail sheet needs to be set up to be archived so that it can be referenced later for statistics, totals and error reports.

The option to run the PE Conversion is listed under the menu PEUTZZ01 - Generic – Common Code Launch - This option uses the common code to set up the process. It asks three basic questions: which table information to convert, what input file to use, and whether or not to run the conversion in trial mode (debug). All other information is taken from the PERL/ROLLOVER common code.

For the file input question, use the upload feature to locate the file you want to use for the conversion. After the file is selected, the question field is greyed out and displays the path to the file.

Note that the remote upload may not be able to handle extremely large input files. Check the tail sheet to verify how many records were read/updated/inserted. If the input file is too large, either split the file up into smaller files, or place the file on the App server in the /admin/data directory, which can handle larger file sizes. When placed on the App server, the file name can be no longer than eight characters, all letters in uppercase and have no file extension.

The default location of the input file question field is the /data/admin directory on the App server. If a file name is entered here instead of using the upload/browse feature, the system will look for that file on the App server when the utility is run.

For Trial (Debug) Mode: "YES" runs the process with all the error checking, but not actually insert or update the table. "NO" inserts/updates the table.