Intro: This video shows how to set up an excel Spread sheet for importing data into Ava. To create a feasible spread sheet for importing, certain standards must be met and certain data entry rules must be followed due to the feral nature of Excel. The process works for both employee and customers.
Ava is an extremely flexible system for scheduling staff and storing employment specific data.Surnames, First names, middle names or initials, dates of birth, various addresses, bank details and a few other categories are defaults in Ava. Specific employment skills and any other additional information relating to the person's details, work skills, training and employment can be added when configuring Ava.
To import data into AVA of employees and customers you need to create a spread sheet. The reason we like using spread sheets is that most people already have access to Excel, Open Office or Google spread sheets so it is fairly easy to set up.
If some of the data needed is in another program such as payroll or discontinued software, this can usually export to a format excel understands.
Currently the process is that once you've created the spread sheet, it is to be given to Ava (we are a registered data warehouse) to then configure the setting of the database and import the data.
Now by default Excel will often contain 3 sheets - for simplicity delete the two blank sheets: so right mouse click on the sheet name, click delete.
In terms of the structure of the spread sheet, columns with titles can be added as needed to represent the data categories of the employees or customers; then their details can then be filled out one person per row.
The data can then be easily read and checked and amended or cross checked prior to uploading. (This is sometimes know as data cleansing)
-So, duplicates can be removed, like Jim crack here, by just copying all the information on to one row and deleting the other….
-And Rubbish or clearly incorrect data can be eliminated or deleted, i.e. the date of birth of what's their name here.
So, there are a few very simple rules for when you add the data to the spread sheet prior to it being imported. You may be familiar with Excel trying to be helpful and reformatting your data as you enter it or paste it from a keyboard:
All dates should be of the form 01 JAN 2011. Two digits for the day of the month, a space, three letters for the month, a space, and four digits for the year. This will avoid excel deciding the date is in the American format!
To get excel to do this for you right mouse click on the column header
Select format cells… then click date then custom, in that order.
Change dd/mm/yyyy to dd mmm yyyy and click ok
Now when you enter a date it will display with an unambiguous style
Unfortunately a similar trick will not always work with phone numbers.
So here's an example of a phone number
Phone numbers should be 0 (space) 1491 (space) 845 (space) 400 - this will avoid excel removing the first "0" and just considering the value as a pure number.
Addresses should be up to 5 columns "HomeAddress1", "HomeAddress2"
"HomeAddress3", "HomeAddress4" "Home Postcode". They should not be
a single column.
Now, if you have not got a unique number for each entry, use excel to generate one
Type 1000 in the top left (non title cell) - now holding the mouse key down highlight all the cells in the column which have an employee entry.
If you have the annoying new style of excel - select home and on the top right click on the fill (editing top right) and select series.
Now all the cells should have a unique number and this will become the number that Ava will use to identify each row for importing employee data.
DO REMEMBER its one row per employee. So now you know how to create your excel spread sheet following the simple rules and guidelines to make it work properly.
In Summary: To import user data into AVA you need to create a compatible spread sheet. To do this you need to follow rules so that the data can match up correctly and relevantly with AVA.
Once the spread sheet is finished and all the data and data fields are all correct according to the guidelines, the spread sheet can then be sent to AVA after the configuration of AVA matches up with the custom data fields you have added to the spread sheet.