FlatFile to Hierarchical File Convertor

[nileshpa]

Looking at the program Flatfileconvertor.exe to convert anything other than just sections & products such as components, attributes etc?.

I'm trying to import products with permutations into Actinic but this only works if the data is in pure hierarchical format & not a flatfile. Am hoping the above program would breakup the a CSV datafile into the relevant parts i.e. Sections, products, components, attributes etc. & format it into hierarchical so that it can be loaded in very easily. Does the above program do it or am I asking too much?

Thanks
Nilesh

[graphicz]

I would be interested in a response to this.

I cannot find any examples of Flat Files that include components and attributes either here or in help or in the AUG.

Is this something of interest to anybody?

Hope so, thanks!

[Duncan Rounding]

You can't import components and attributes using a flat file import. Hierarchical is the only way.

It's worth getting to know the hierarchical importing format - it's really very easy when you grasp how it works.

[graphicz]

Hi Duncan. So you do the flat file first, make hierarchical then add the components and attributes for each product? Seems like a lotta work if a lotta products?

[Duncan Rounding]

No I don't make a flat file at all - but you could.

I work with a sample H file that includes all options for 20 products then I replicate the lines and modifiy accordingly. You can filter each header to work on them all at once.

In the past I also created an excel workbook for a client that allows data entry in one tab and then copies (and adapts) the entered data into the H file which is in another tab. This works well for a regular entry of a fix number of products.

You can delete many (in fact most) of the header and rexpective data rows that are not going to be changed and thus left at defaults. That makes it easier to work with.

[graphicz]

If you expanded your last response Duncan into a 'How to do it' piece, do you think it might make a good sticky?

I for one have rather limited skills when it comes to Excel's powerful features.

[nileshpa]

Thanks Gents for keeping this thread alive and my apologies for not participating in the discussion earlier as I've been away.

OK, understand H-file is the only way to import Components & attributes but at first glance, the H-File can be very daunting. Have been looking at it in more detail and trying to get rid of rows & column that are not required so working on it becomes easier. This is where I'm hitting the issues because I do not know what I need to retain. Therefore, Duncan, I would be very much interested on how you had done it.

Ideally, I would have liked Actinic to have produced something that could take a simple flat file in the format such as

componentname, original prod, componentdetails, attibutedetails etc

and generate an H file just to load in the basic structure.

Thanks
Nilesh

[Duncan Rounding]

The smplest way to go about this is to create a sample product in Actinic and then export the catalog. You can then see the format of the data in each row. You will see that there will be many options exported in the columns that you did not configue in Actinic - these are the columns that you can remove which will use defaults. Be careful you only remove columns for that particular row type (and header).

The easiest way to make sure of this is to dd a new temporary column on the extreme left and fill that column with a running number to the end of the last row used in the spreadsheet (this allows you to sort and reorder later) then filter the spreadsheet by the header type. You can then take those rows to another sheet and work on them and replace them again afterwards.

Hope that helps - it's difficult to put into words.

Remember to backup the database before working and compact regularly as well.

[nileshpa]

Duncan,
Followed your advice by creating one master product with the relevant components & attributes and then exported the catalogue. Erased everything except the headers and definition of the above product to gives a better clarification of what the required format is.

Simple question, if the products have already been defined on the dB, then I do not need to supply anything on the product records except the productID. This is simply needed to act as current active product or current-of-set for which the following components, attributes, choices & permutations adhere to. Also no need to have section /end-section present either. If the answer is yes, then I can get rid of a number of columns.

Actinic Guys - Is there any document available that shows what fields are needed as a bare minimum within a hierarchical file?

Thanks, Nilesh