Importing multiple orders best practices..

[BCpRIA8Smh]

I'm very much a new user to this filemaker world.. I think some incredible things can be done with it, so it's all very exciting.. I run a business on amazon. I would like to download their unshipped orders reports and bring them into filemaker. I have attached the report I get from their system to this forum post. The way their system works (you'll see from the excel file) that each product ordered on amazon creates a separate line in the file. The system makes the same order # for each line of the same order with only the product details being different. I'd like to import this into file maker and be able to export it into a different txt format as well as print pro-forma invoices off. I will not retain the information in the database over time and will probably just delete all records after I'm done each time. I looked at the purchase order sample which comes with filemaker 9 pro. It has a function which they call repetitions, and this where I think I need to go with this. How do I go about importing my file each time and rather then creating a new entry for each line of the excel sheet, make the listed products show up for each order. I hope I'm being clear in my description. Right now when I import say 3 orders, with each order having say 2 products, i get 6 separate entries in my filemaker database rather then just the 3 orders showing the 2 products for each.

482286893.zip

[Lee Smith]

Check out the import options for your Records.

I believe that you want to have the following checked. See attachment.

Note that that I checked the Fields for the IDs to identify which records to look at.

Also, the box about the Field Names as first line.

HTH

Lee

Edited December 14, 2007 by Guest

[sbg2]

I think this is much better done as two seperate imports (but in one script) as shown with the attached example.

Sorry, I didn't see the OP had posted a sample file or else I would of used that in my example. I pulled an old flat file I had sitting around from when we did Amazon orders.

AmazonFlatFile.zip

[BCpRIA8Smh]

Ok, I'll take a look at your info..

[BCpRIA8Smh]

This is great stuff! I can learn from this and modify yours or build one from scratch.. Thanks!

[Lee Smith]

I must have missed something here, maybe you can you expand on, or point to a discussion about the benefits of using a double import Script Step?

Lee

[sbg2]

Amazon supplies a flat file of the order and the associated line items. It's up to the end users (sellers) to convert the file back into a related file format. Hence, Import the order then import the line items (from the same file).

edit: Sorry, my original post was probably confusing due to my haste. Maybe I should have phrased my original reply as - "I think it might be better to create a two table file for the import - Order and Order Line Items. This would require 2 imports from the Amazon flat file. 1) Import the Order level details into the Order table. 2) Import the Line Item details into the Order Line Items table".

Edited December 14, 2007 by Guest

[BCpRIA8Smh]

Whatever the system, it works for me nicely.. I couldn't get my head wrapped around this somehow.. Eventuly what i'll need it to do is export another format so I can import it into my shipping companies web interface..

[sbg2]

Do you use UPS or FedEx? If you use one of those two I may be able to help as I am already doing both.

[Lee Smith]

Thanks sbg2,

I wasn't aware of that. Maybe because all I do is buy.

Lee

[BCpRIA8Smh]

Neither.. I ship from Canada and use Canpar, who effectively hands it to Fedex when it reaches the border.. It won't be much effort to export the data in the format i want it for import into the canpar website.. Eventually i'm looking at making a filemaker app which will print my labels as well so I can skip the entire web based import stuff..