Importing from Excel

[DigitalDreamer]

Hello everyone i was hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction here. I have a customer that has been using an older datbase called Nutplus that tracked all there club members. In there Nutplus base they have always been entering the members full name in one field called "name" for example John M. Doe. I exported all there data to an excel spreadsheet and and it has one row with the persons full name. Well in the new FM base i have 3 fields "First Name" "Middle Name" and "Last Name" they have over 6,000 records. Is there a way to split them up in excel without having to manually seperate them all into 3 fields before i import them into FM base? Thanks for any help you can give me.

[LiveOak]

With complete accuracy, no. You can use text functions in Excel or in FM to do the mechanical separation, IF all names conform to a "First Last", "First Middle Last", "First MI. Last" format. With 6000 names, it is likely that you have a wide variety of ways names have been entered. Probably you'll find some with last name first, some with a single name, some with more than "First Middle Last", notes, parenthesis, etc. Unless you can guess all the goofy ways things got entered, a completely automated transition is probably unrealistic.

You can use text functions to indentify, say, which fields have three words in them and no commas and automatically process that subset. You might write some other scripts to identify other particular subsets and process them. The processing of the (hopefully) few with REALLY creative formats, you will have to do by hand.

As to exact formulas, it kind of depends upon what exceptions you have.

-bd

[DigitalDreamer]

Thanks for the reply. That gives me something to work with. Well time to put my perl script knowledge to the test. Thanks again and take care.

[THECOMPUTERGUY]

Hey there..

I'm not sure If someone's going to receive this but we're in a jam here.

We're trying to export the NUTPLUS *.db files into outlook or any contact manager but haven't been able to do so. Can someone PLEASE shed some light into this process???

Thank you

[THECOMPUTERGUY]

Hey there..

I'm not sure If you're going to receive this but we're in a jam here.

We're trying to export the NUTPLUS *.db files into outlook or any contact manager but haven't been able to do so. Could you please give us any kind of advice on this procedure??

Thank you

[Lee Smith]

I'm not sure why you have two post saying the same thing?

You need to [color:"red"] update your profile to reflect what Platform, Operating System and version of FileMaker you are using. You can do this by clicking on "[color:"blue"]profile" (in the box that your name appears).

Maybe others are familiar with your file type "NUTPLUS *.db", but I have never heard of it. However, you can usually export out of a database using a Text Format (either Tab or Comma delimited), and then import that into Outlook Express*, or FileMaker.

BTW, FileMaker can open a variety of file formats directly, so you should check the "Online" help and see if one of them is the format that "NUTPLUS *.db" uses.

If you are trying to import into OE* directly, and we end up not having the answers, there is a list at M$ that is helpful.

If you want it in FM format, and you get stuck, try uploading a sample of the export file, as that is sometimes helpful.

Lee

[THECOMPUTERGUY]

The version of Nutplus that we currently have is DOS based. We have it running on ME and XP with no problems.

Here's what we're working with at this point:

Nutshell Plus II Version 2.00 release 12/7/1990

We haven't been able to find a program that would open up those DB files.. Any recommendations?

[QuinTech]

And you're trying to convert it into what version of FileMaker Pro?

Jerry

[Lee Smith]

Hi Jerry,

Asked already, but not answered. However, we did manage to get the platform and operating system.

THECOMPUTERGUY - I do not see where you answered any of my questions. I'll give it one more shot!

Can you export the data?

[THECOMPUTERGUY]

My apologies for not replying clearly.

We haven't been able to export out of the program.

I've used Access, excel and outlook's import from *.db option with no use.

I did try the different open file formats with no use.

At this point. All we're concerned with is exporting the files to text for example or find any utility that would ease the conversion.

I'm really hoping this has helped.

Thanx abunch.

[Lee Smith]

What versions of FileMaker are you using or trying to use for this?

[THECOMPUTERGUY]

I'm using Filemaker pro 7.

[Handymanhorn]

You should be able to export from Nutplus directly to a DB II or DBIII format (and Filemaker, I believe). Have you tried any of the export options? It is a menu option when you have a file open.

[Joe Harkins]

This is an interesting question. Nutplus is what Nutshell became in its 20+ year transition to FMP. I probably still have my original Nutshell 1.0 DOS disks around here in a dark corner. I used it from around 1982 to 1987 to create invoices and work orders for a business I owned. As I recall, Nutshell was able to export comma delimited text, as well as DBII.

For what it's worth, around 1990, when the original Nutshell company (Nashoba?) seemed to be drifting into oblivion I tried without success to locate the owners so I could make an offer buy the company. I think there's still a market for a product as simple as Nutshell.