Import Field Definitions

The following topic lists all fields that Import can load, and lists considerations applying to specific fields.

The settings for these field types are READ ONLY. Collect! uses the settings internally. You can restore default settings by rebuilding the definitions list.

To rebuild the list of definitions, select File from the top menu bar and then select Import/Export, then choose Update Definitions.

Record Field Information

The following notes [ * ] [ ** ] [ + ] apply to the fields in the adjoining lists. Their meanings are described below.

RELATED FIELDS

* These fields are fields from related records.

A good example is the Client's name in the account record. The Client's name is not stored in every account record. That would be a waste of space, plus it would be difficult if you ever needed to change the Client's name. The Debtor record actually contains a pointer to the particular Client record.

You can export any number of these related fields.

When importing, be sure to use only ONE of the related records. For example, if you are importing a transaction record, you should import either the File number or the Account Number field, but not both.

ONLY FOR EXPORTING

** For efficiency, use only for exporting.

CALCULATIONS

+ Collect! automatically calculates this value from the transactions. Use only for export.

View Accumulator Fields

View Attachment Fields

View Client Fields

View Client Attachment Fields

View Client Contact Fields

View Contact Fields

View Debtor Fields

View Debtor Cosigner Fields

View Notes Fields

View Payment Fields

View Transaction Fields

View Phone Fields

Information To Include In Import/Export

There are several points that apply to any import or export routine. This general information is included here. If the record types and fields mentioned do play a part in the import or export routine you are building, the information given is essential for the successful completion of your data transferral.

Virtual Keys

Collect! uses virtual keys to connect records to one another.

For example, a Transaction form shows a Debtor Name field, but the Debtor name is not actually stored in every transaction record. It is, in fact, stored only once in the Debtor record, and the transaction record contains a pointer to the Debtor it belongs to. Thus, when importing transactions, the Debtor name could be used to choose the Debtor the transaction should be connected to.

Refer to the above Field Lists for each record's virtual keys. (Virtual keys are highlighted in RED in each list.)

Virtual keys do not use the setting 'Use as key to find existing' as they are already a key. If this setting has a check mark, this may cause anomalies in your import! Please make sure 'Use as key to find existing' is always switched OFF (remove the check mark) for any virtual key that you use.

Posted

This is the date the payment was posted, and is vital information. If there is no posted date, Collect! thinks that this is a promise and doesn't include the payment in the calculations.

This date is actually the date the payment was entered into your computer system. Usually, it is the same date as the payment date. In some cases, when it is a direct payment to a Client, however, the Client may neglect to inform the agency of the payment until some time passes. Collect! needs to know when the payment was actually made (the payment date) so it can calculate Debtor interest correctly. However, it also needs to know what the posted date was. This ensures that Client statements can be properly calculated, even when the Client is late in reporting the payment.

Payment

This is the payment date, or the actual date the Debtor made the payment. The note above describes the difference between the posted and payment dates.

File

This is Collect!'s internal file number for the Debtor. Unless you are loading the file number when you Import, Collect! automatically assigns a file number. If Collect! automatically assigns the number, you cannot know it in advance and therefore should not import it.

Cl Account#

This is the Client account number for the Debtor. It may or may not be unique, as you can have two clients using the same numbers for different Debtors. You will need to use this to key the transaction to the correct Debtor.

To use it as a key, simply include it in the list of fields and Collect! will know to attach it to the Debtor. If it isn't unique, you will need to include more information (for example, the Debtor name) so that Collect! can find the right account even if two Clients use the same account numbers for different Debtors.

Type

This is the transaction type. Select System from the top menu bar and then select Financial Settings, Transaction Types for a list of types. You may want to create your own for imported transactions.

Description

This field contains text only, so it is not a major concern. If you are importing a fixed length you don't need the quotes.

To Agency

This is the amount of a payment paid to the agency.

Direct

This is the amount of payment directly to the Client.

Flags

At the bottom of the Transaction form, there are several switches controlling printing and calculations. These can be important.

Notes

Notes are not automatically written by Import. You need to actually import a note's records, making sure to key them to the correct Debtor as well.

Original Charges

When you import original charges, they should go into Principal. The Account field should be 16, Flags should be set to 53 (to inhibit everything) and the number imported should be a negative to debit their account.

Debtor Payments

If you import a Payment made by a Debtor, you will need to set the Account field to 1 to indicate a credit to the Payment account (bit 0 on). Flags should probably be set to 48, to ensure that these transactions appear on Client invoices and daily cash reports, while leaving any imported commission and tax in place without recalculation. The amount imported should be positive to credit their account.

Commission Amount

If you would like to track the historical Client billing, you will probably want to import the commission amount.

Transaction Type

You will also want to define a transaction type between 100 and 200. Please review the Help on Transaction types by pulling down the System menu, choosing Financial Settings, Transaction Types, and pressing F1.

Interest Details

Bring in the Interest Rate, flag Simple Interest and import the Start Date. To actually display the calculated currency$ value of interest on the Debtor form, you must use Recalculate after importing.