Snapshot & CSV import issues - please help! greater minds required!

[chris_mckednric]

Hi,

I am attempting to upgrade a site from V7 to V9 (via V8) and am having some serious problems importing snapshots and database info from V8. If I attempt to import a snapshot from V8 (originally from V7) into V9 I get the following error message:

“Unexpected error when removing field (Short Description) from table (product) – Fatal error
Reported error was: Cannot delete field ‘Short Description’
It is part of one or more relationships.”

After this Actinic V9 will not start as it produces the same error message and then closes. I then have to reinstall Actinic V9, and reimport the snapshots of the other sites we run from V9, before re-setting up all the payment provider stuff on my next upload to the other sites, which is obviously a little trying on the patience!

If I attempt to import a CSV (flat or heirarchal) of the old V7 site (via V8) the import works but manages to fail to load all but three products, out of approximately 400. I don't really need the V7 site design or orders, I just really want to refrain from rebuilding the product catalogue of 400 lines as this will take a small eternity.

I have tried database compression and purging for the snapshots, and have succesfully taken a V8 .acd file into V9 before (last week in fact). I have tried Flat and heirarchal database imports and have tried all the logical routings of data from the CSV file into V9 that I can, and still the best I can manage is three of the products being present after the import! When I do a heirarchal import ALL available fields are linked correctly, yet no luck!

I have searched the Actinic support and the forums and can find no mention of the above error message nor can I find anything that explains how I get V9 to take the CSV file including all the products :-( and i find it a bit daft that you cannot change the site that Actinic loads upon Actinic startup as if a site develops a catastrophic failure, you have to totally reinstall Actinic! Which is rubbish!

Greater minds than my own needed!

Thanks in advance,

Chris

[Duncan Rounding]

This is what I do. Ditch the design or rework it completely. Export the Catalog from v7 and import it into v9. Save the errors to a text file and work through the errors. You can try the intermediate step of going through v8 but it will probably be the same amount of work.

If you only got three products imported - what were the errors related to?

[chris_mckednric]

already a big help, thank you!

Thanks for the prompt response, it's appreciated!

It would appear that almost all the errors are related to image files not being present! I can't believe I didn't think to check this (feels quite stupid) and certainly didn't expect it to stop Actinic making the product listings! Is there any way of getting Actinic to ignore the image links and create the products regardless when doing the CSV import, as I can then replace all the image links at a later date?

Sadly the previous users didn't understand file management at all, so the image links are scattered across network locations that no longer exist and PC's no longer attached to the network!

I can replace the images later though if I can get the products and extended info etc to import...

Thanks

[Duncan Rounding]

You can't bypass this really. Copy all the image files into the site directory and then go through the export in excel and remove the paths. Another thought could be to replace all the images with just one image - change the export to suit and then import it like that. You can update the products later to the correct images and paths with an import update.

[meden]

Can't you just delete the mapping for the image on the import of the CSV file? or am I misunderstanding the problem?

[Duncan Rounding]

Absolutely right Mick - much simpler!
I think I need a Friday off.

[chris_mckednric]

Thank you again, I have tried removing the image links from the CSV file, and now I get an error message:

"No fields were found in the first line of the file.

Please enter the name of a file with valid fields."

Is this something XL has done to the file (I have office 2007, which I find to be very good at interfering wiht your business!), or does Actinic not like that I have taken out the image locations form the file? I have tried leaving a couple of image links in to see if that would help but alas it does not.

Really appreciating the help btw, I am quite tech savvy with most multimedia stuff, but get me onto database stuff and I can't swim!

thanks

[Duncan Rounding]

First a question:
Do you understand the format of the export file?

It is made up of headers at the top and respective lines further below.

Also be aware that Excel can mess up csv files by not completing all lines with commas if there is no data past that point across.

[chris_mckednric]

Yep, text comma delimited - data using commas to separate the fields. All the field data should still be there as the headers and fields are still in place, all I have done is remove the paths to the images form the cells in Excel...

The image paths are not the last data on a row either, so don't think Excel will have made a mess with leaving out commas. That's not to say Excel hasn't made a mess somehow though!

Thanks a lot for your help, you have managed to locate my problem for me Sadly (mercifully?!) it is home from work time so I'll have to come back to this on Monday.

Thanks again.

Chris

[chris_mckednric]

I have solved my problem!

Thank you Drounding, you have been a big help.

My problem was the missing image files - Actinic wasn't importing any records where it could not find the image...

I solved this by replacing all the image records in Excel with an image file I knew to exist. This caused new problems however: Excel completely broke the CSV file such that Actinic couldn't understand the records.

To remedy this I looked at the CSV Actinic had created, and compared it in Notepad to the amended one from Excel. Excel had added commas at the end of lines according to cells in Excel, but Actinic didn't want those commas present, so by removing the line of commas at the end of each line of the header I was able to get Actinic to take the CSV file back, et voila, full catalogue is now imported into V9! Victory!

Now I just have to find all the images on the network and relink to them... Joy!

Big thanks to all those who posted replies!