CAA Product Help

(HELP ?) Circles provide narratives on Training, Explanations, and Hints. These can be related to the overall screen, or to specific items on the screen.

This (HELP ?) Circle narrative is for the "EXPORT CONTACTS" Screen and Display Panel in MemberLink.

Introduction to Exporting Contacts

This is the "EXPORT CONTACTS" Display Panel in the MemberLink Module. It is used to export any or all data fields into a .CSV File (spreadsheet format that can be opened by Microsoft Excel).

Before coming to this screen, you must select the contact records that you want to be "Active" records. All your contact records (all your people) can be active, or you can use the "Search" Function and other means to narrow the list to certain people, certain groups, etc.

AFTER you determine what contact records you want to Export, and make them the only "Active" records, THEN you come to this "EXPORT CONTACTS" Screen.

This Display Panel has four sections:
1. The color-themed Button area at the top.
2. The color-themed "Action Buttons" at the top just under the Button area.
3. The three columns of Data fields on the left side: one for Standard Fields and Segmentation Filters, one for Regular Fields, and one for Custom Data Fields.
4. The Template column on the far right, where "Available Choices" are shown from previously created and saved Templates.

Conceptual Overview: Quick Start Instructions:

- First, select the "Active" records before coming to this screen.

- You can use the Checkboxes on the left side of any of the Standard, Filters, Regular, and Custom Fields to uncheck the fields you do not want to include in the Export; or you can use the [CHECKBOXES ALL UNCHECKED] Button to uncheck them all, and then turn on the Checkboxes for just the data fields you do want to Export. The [CHECKBOXES ALL CHECKED] Button turns all the Checkboxes back on if you need to reset them.

- Click the [CHOOSE FIELDS] Button to "finalize" the fields for Export.

- Enter sequence numbers to the left of each field shown, to control the order they will appear in the spreadsheet columns. Any data fields left with a blank sequence indicator will appear left-to-right alphabetically in columns to the right of the last field that had a valid sequence number assigned to it.

- Click [SET ORDER OF FIELDS] Button to "finalize" the sequence or column order.

- Click the [VIEW CURRENT SEARCH/SELECT] Button to see a mock-up of what the spreadsheet will look like.

- Close the Mock-up Window and make changes if any are needed, repeating steps above.

- If you will use this specific setup more than once, you can click the [SAVE CHOICE] Button to save this setup as a Template.

- Last, click the [EXPORT CURRENT SEARCH/SELECT] Button to create the .CSV File.

** Note: If you have previously saved this setup as a Template, you could select the setup from the list in the "AVAILABLE CHOICES" Column and skip all the steps above except for the first and last step.

Following are the details for each section of the screen.

Section 1: Color-Themed Tab Area:

[BACK] Button:
When you are finished with the "EXPORT CONTACTS" Screen and Display Panel , click this button to go back to the "CONTACTS" Screen.

If you decide not to proceed with an Export, clicking this button aborts any work not already saved in a Template.

[EXPORT CURRENT SEARCH/SELECT] Button:
Click this button after all data fields have been selected and reviewed and you are ready to create the .CSV File (spreadsheet format). The generated .CSV File will become available to you to either "save" for future use or "open" immediately into Excel.

Your computer settings may dictate whether you get to choose "save" or "open" - some computers may be configured to automatically choose one of those options without offering you the choice. That would be controlled by a file open/save option on your computer, not by this MemberLink product.

[VIEW CURRENT SEARCH/SELECT] Button:
Click this button after all data fields have been selected and reviewed and you are ready to create the .CSV File (spreadsheet format), but before you actually create the .CSV File. Clicking this button will take you to a "Mock-up Window" where you will see a mock-up of the spreadsheet layout. Each person that was an "Active" record will be listed starting in Row 2, and each data field will be listed starting in Column 1.

This "Mock-up Window" gives you an opportunity to see what the spreadsheet will look like after you finish creating it. If you see something you do not like, you can close the "Mock-Up Window" and make the adjustments, choose the fields again, and come here to view the results again.

Section 2: Color-Themed Action Buttons:

[CHOOSE FIELDS] Button:
Click this button AFTER you use the checkboxes to indicate which Standard, Filter, Regular, and Custom Fields you want to include on the Export spreadsheet file. Clicking this button finalizes your selection of Data fields and makes them active in the Export process.

You will get an error message if you try to Export any data without first "choosing the fields".

[SAVE CHOICE] Button:
Click this button to create a Template for future use. If you have an Export with the same Data fields and column sequencing that you will use again or use periodically, instead of re-building it each time you may "save" it. Next time you need to Export it, you can select it from the list in the "AVAILABLE CHOICES" Column.

Selecting a previously created Template will be a great time-saver. The Template will "remember" which Standard, Filter, Regular, and Custom Fields you want, and how you want them sequenced for the spreadsheet columns. You just pick the Template and you are ready to Export.

[[CHECKBOXES ALL CHECKED] Button:
Click this button to turn ON the Checkboxes for every Standard, Filter, Regular, and Custom Field. If you had previously turned any OFF, and changed your mind, you can turn them all back on immediately.

[CHECKBOXES ALL UNCHECKED] Button:
Click this button to turn OFF the checkboxes for every Standard, Filter, Regular, and Custom Field. If you want to Export just a few Data fields, you can turn them all OFF and then just recheck the few you want turned ON.

Section 3: Standard, Filter, Regular, & Custom Fields :

Many of the Standard Data, Segmentation Filter, Regular Data, and Custom Data Fields can be exported. Doing so allows you to create a spreadsheet with the people you selected (in rows), and the data you selected (in columns) for this set of people. You may want to do an Export to create a backup file of your data; or to create a spreadsheet with data you can "slice and dice" in ways not permitted inside your MemberLink system.

You select the people before you come to this "EXPORT CONTACTS" Screen and Display Panel. Only the "Active" records from the "CONTACTS" Screen will be Exported.

Then you use the Checkboxes to select the Standard, Filter, Regular, and Custom Fields that you want in the spreadsheet for each person. You can select all Data fields, or just the ones you want.

** Note: For your convenience, the left-most column of data fields are the basic ones "? First Name, Last Name, Address info, Phone Numbers, etc. These are easy to spot and will often be included on any Export you might need. The middle column and right-most column of data fields (Custom Data Fields) are sorted in ascending alphabetic sequence. This enables you to easily scan down the list looking for a specific Data field.

Your selection of Fields is finalized when you click the [CHOOSE FIELDS] Button.

Section 3: Available Choices Templates:

When you click the [SAVE CHOICE] Button, you will be able to provide a Name and a Description for the current setup and selections. It will then begin appearing in the "AVAILABLE CHOICES" Column list of Templates, which are sorted alphabetically by Template Name.

For each Template, you will see the Name displayed in bold type and under that, the description followed by a partial display of the first few Data columns and finally a couple of Action buttons.

[USE THIS CHOICE] Button:
Click this button to select the associated Template to use for the Export. Doing so will restore the Template settings and selections that includes which Data fields to use and what column sequence to use in the spreadsheet.

[DELETE THIS CHOICE] Button:
Click this button to remove or "delete" the associated Template. It deletes the template from the list; it does not actually delete any people or any data associated with any people. Using this button just helps to keep your "AVAILABLE CHOICES" Column current and removes any Templates that you no longer need.

"CAA Product Help" from CAA Ministries at Support@CAAsoftware.com or 404-551-4230