HiFinance
5
SECTION
2.5.4.5U - SHOPPER DOCKET SITE DETAILS ASCII INPUT
USAGE: To import a file
containing, all or a subset, of new or changed information to be posted to the Shopper
Docket master-file. The input file is required to be in a very strictly
stylised format so that HiFinance can allocate data to the correct fields on
the correct Shopper Docket records.
DISCUSSION: Make sure that you have a good backup of your data
and that no-one is using HiFinance during the update. HiFinance may not update
the files as you expected and the only completely safe way to correct the
mistake is to restore your data from backup.
The import file required must be called sdocmf.csv, although case is not
important in Windows. This file must reside in your data directory, eg \HF5DATA\COMP1. Also, the file must not be in use. This is
important because if you have created the file from a spreadsheet and have
saved it but not closed it, the file will still be locked by the spreadsheet
program and HiFinance will not be able to open it.
The input file must be in CSV format. This is a
comma-delimited file (without quotes) with one record per line.
Exporting from Excel, choosing the CVS format, will produce the correct format
automatically. Each alphanumeric field must be left justified. HiFinance will
make no attempt to remove leading spaces (for names, etc.). Numeric fields
should not have any dollar signs or commas. Do not use commas in any
alpha fields. These will be treated as a field break and HiFinance will
not import the row correctly. A blank cell will be treated as a valid entry,
thus a blank alpha cell will clear the corresponding field in the master-file
and a blank numeric cell will reset the corresponding field in the master-file
to zero. Thus if you do not wish to change a field, either delete the row,
delete the column or make sure that the cell contains the same information as
the field in the master-file currently has.
The first line of the input file must contain only
field names. These fields are mostly identical to those exported using SHOPPER
DOCKET SITE DETAILS ASCII EXPORT (see SECTION
2.5.4.5U ). In fact
the easiest way to create the initial file is to export it first using this
program with the headings option turned on. This also has the advantage of
accurately exporting the current information. There are some fields available
in the Import program that are not created in the
Export program. The full list is detailed below. Note the use of the underscore
character instead of spaces. This format must be copied exactly.
SITE_CODE
BRAND POSITION
ACCEPT_PLUS
ACCEPT_ULP
ACCEPT_DIS
ACCEPT_LPG
ACCEPT_PREULP
ACCEPT_PRE98
ACCEPT_E85
ACCEPT_ADBLUE
IGA_PLUS
IGA_ULP
IGA_DIS
IGA_LPG
IGA_PREULP
IGA_PRE98
IGA_E85
IGA_ADBLUE
Notes:
1)
The order of the columns is not important but they must not appear more
than once.
2)
CODE must appear, as it is used to link the row
to the Creditor (Site) Code as it currently exists on the Creditor master-file.
3)
Apart from SITE CODE, you must have at least one more column.
4)
If you try to import the raw file form the ASCII EXPORT program,
it will not read in successfully unless you choose to export with comma
delimiters between fields and without quotes around fields (numeric and
alphanumeric). This can be set in the options part of the export program.
Normally this is not the way this function is used, the purpose of this
function being to manipulate the file in a spreadsheet program and importing
the result.
5)
Most fields are not verified on import. You must enter valid
information. For the field that are validated, invalid data will be ignored.
When the program starts, it will firstly check
whether the import file exists and is accessible. Having established this,
HiFinance will read the first line of the file and check for its correctness.
If no obvious errors are found, you will be asked to confirm that you have made
a backup and then you will be asked to confirm that you wish to proceed.
HiFinance will then read import lines one at a time confirming
firstly that the SITE CODE field corresponds to a Creditor code and then renaming, copying or
just replacing the fields and records, as defined by the columns you have
chosen. If an invalid or blank row is encountered, it will be skipped.
HiFinance will continue processing until it reaches the end of the import
program. Finally the import file will be renamed to sdocmf.old (to stop you from
accidentally rerunning the program with used data) before returning you the MAIN
MENU.
