Importing Contacts
If you already have an existing database of your ministry partners from
another program such as a contact manager, you should strongly consider
importing it into TntMPD. If you have been keeping fairly good records of
your ministry partners, you will want to keep the correct spelling of their
name, address, phone number, etc. There is little benefit in throwing all
of this hard work away!
If you do not already have an existing database of your ministry partners,
and your ministry organization offers an online donation system that is
compatible with TntMPD, you can import your contacts from there.
You should hold off on connecting to your ministry's online donation system
until after you have imported your previous database. If you
already have connected to your ministry's online donation system, but you
haven't yet imported your contacts from your previous database, you may want to
consider completely starting over. To create a new database and completely
start over, click on New from the
File menu.
TntMPD can import contacts in two ways:
Most database programs and contact managers (such as Microsoft Access and
Symantec ACT!) can export their data to a CSV (comma delimited) text file.
Even if they can't export to a CSV file, if they export their data at all they
can probably export their data to a format that Microsoft Excel can open.
When you export from your previous database, if your program gives you the
option to include field names when you export, choose to. You want the
first row of data to include field names just like Figure 1.
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Figure 1. Sample import database
Once you have your CSV file ready for import, start TntMPD. On the
File
menu, point to Import, and then click Import Contacts from Text.
From there you are prompted to choose your file. After you choose your CSV
file, your are prompted to map the fields between your CSV file and TntMPD.
See Figure 2.
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Figure 2. Import from CSV
Notice that the contents of the CSV file are visible under where it says
Data Being Imported. Also notice that all of the fields in the CSV
file are listed in the From column of the field mapping grid. To
map a field from your CSV file to a field in TntMPD, drag a field from the
Target Fields
list into the To column of the field mapping grid.
TntMPD offers many fields you can import into. There are nine name
fields (see Figure 3). Address fields are available for Home, Business,
and Other. There are 19 phone fields. There are three email fields.
You can also import unlimited notes into the "Notes" field. There are 4
user fields, a "UserStatus" field and a "Categories" field.
| Title |
SpouseTitle |
| FirstName |
Spouse |
| MiddleName |
SpouseMiddleName |
| LastName |
SpouseLastName (if different) |
| Suffix (i.e. Jr., Sr., II.) |
|
Figure 3. Name fields
You can also import MPD related data such as financial pledge information.
Learn detailed information about all of the
available import fields.
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Figure 4. Import from CSV - Fields are
mapped.
After you have mapped all the fields you wish to import into TntMPD, click
the Import button (see Figure 4).
Importing from Microsoft Outlook is very straightforward. On the
File
menu, point to Import, and then click Import Contacts from Outlook.
TntMPD will begin to immediately analyze the Outlook contacts folder. See
Figure 5.
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Figure 5. Import from Outlook - analyzing the
contacts folder
This process will by default analyze the main contacts folder in Outlook.
If you with to import from another folder, or if you receive an error about
"MAPI Enhancements", refer to Advanced
Outlook Settings. After the analysis phase is over, you will be
presented with the contacts available for import. See Figure 6.
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Figure 6. Import from Outlook.
All that is needed at this point is to select the contacts you wish to import
from the list. As an added convenience you can click on Choose All
(see Figure 7). If you wish to select the contacts based upon which
category in Outlook they have are associated with, click on Categories.
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Figure 7. Import from Outlook - contacts are
checked off and ready for import.
After you have checked off the contacts you wish to import, click the Next
button. You will be given confirmation on how many contact will be
imported from Outlook. To import, click the Import button.
See Figure 8.
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Figure 8. Import from Outlook - confirmation
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