How do I import Equipment Register details into a new FMS database?

You will need to import the equipment into your equipment register within your old FMS database:-

1. Log into FMS (old database)
2. Select Focus – Equipment Register (if you don’t have access, contact your FMS Administrator to amend your rights).
3. Select Tools – Import from Finance
   1. Enter a minimum cost into the first box. Only equipment costing this amount and more will be imported into the Register.
   2. Change the financial year as required by using the magnifying glass and clicking on your desired year
   3. The dates are defaulting to the financial year so should be correct, although these can be amended if necessary
   4. The ‘next number to issue’ will be set to the next available automatically.  You can amend this number if required
   5. Click on ‘Start Import’.
   6. You will then be shown a list of all the equipment found, together with the option to :
      1.    Accept – Import the equipment record
      2.     Defer – Do not import the record but keep it on file
      3.     Reject – Do not import the record and remove it from the file
   7. Mark your selections accordingly (you can use the ‘All’ buttons for easy input) and click on OK to import your equipment.
4. Select Reports – Equipment.
   1. Within the View panel :
      1. Click on the magnifying glass next to ‘Equipment’.
      2.  Click on ‘Choose All’ – all the equipment records will appear in the bottom half of the window.
      3.   Click on ‘Update’ to return to the Report Definition window.
   2. Within the Sequence window :
      1.    Click on the ‘Number’ option.
   3. Within the Design panel :
      1.     Click on the ‘Detailed List’ option.
   4. Click on the OK button to create your report.
5. When your report is displayed on the screen, you then need to ‘Export’ the report.  Click on the small grey box icon at the top right of the screen (middle of 3 icons).
   1. Navigate to a suitable place to save the file, using using the drop-down list to move up, and by clicking on folders in the main panel to move down your file structure.
   2. Enter in a name in the ‘File Name’ box
   3. Select ‘Comma Separated (*.CSV)’ from the ‘Save as Type’ drop-down list
   4. Click on ‘Save’ to create your file.
6. Close down the old version of FMS.
7. Open the Excel application.
8. Select File – Open and navigate to your newly-created csv file.  Ensure that your ‘Files of Type’ options include showing csv files (select All Files if necessary).
9. Click on ‘Open’.
10. Select the first column from the first ID number to the last ID number and move the selected text down 1 row.  This will bring the ID number onto the same row as the rest of the equipment information within the spreadsheet.
11. Remove the rows before the heading ‘Equipment No’ and ensure that all the headings are on the same row.
12. Highlight the whole spreadsheet by clicking on the ‘box’ button in the top left of the spreadsheet panel (click before column A and above row 1)
13. Select Data – Sort :
    1. Under ‘My data range has’ ensure that ‘Header Row’ is enabled.
    2. Select Equip No from the first sort drop-down list (leave as Ascending).
    3. Click on OK.
14. Navigate to the last ID Equipment Number and highlight all the rows immediately below it.  Delete these rows.
15. Check down through the columns to ensure that all the data is now showing in the correct columns.  Amend as necessary.
16. Reorder the columns, into the following order (if you don’t  have an entry for any of the columns, just leave a blank column as a spacer):
    1. Equip No
    2. Serial Number
    3. Security Mark
    4. Quantity
    5. Description
    6. Model
17. Delete the header row.
18. Save the file with a suitable name and in the CSV format.
19. Go into your new FMS database.
20. Select Focus – Equipment Register
21. Select Tools – Import from Text File.
22. Using the magnifying glass, navigate to your CSV file and click on ‘Open’.
23. Ensure that ‘Comma’ is selected in the ‘Data is separated by; panel.
24. ‘Next number to issue’ should automatically be set to the next one available.  This can be amended if required.
25. Click on ‘Start Import’.
26. 1. You will then be shown a list of all the equipment found, together with the option to :
       1.          Accept – Import the equipment record
       2.            Defer – Do not import the record but keep it on file
       3.             Reject – Do not import the record and remove it    from the file
    2. Mark your selections accordingly (you can use the ‘All’ buttons for easy input) and click on OK to import your equipment.
27.  Your data will now be transferred into the database.

kb6550

Last reviewed 20/12/2017