Pre-conversion tasks

It is recommend to perform as much of this setup as possible pre-conversion in case an issue is discovered post-conversion which requires re-migration of the data. If an issue does arise, you do not need to perform these tasks again, as the information is included in the pre-conversion backup.

Read before you begin: Recommendations

Before using the iMIS Workbook Converter, consider the following:

• Self-hosted users must run the Workbook Converter on the application client only. Do not run the Workbook Converter on the web server.
• Monitor the memory requirements of the Workbook Converter. Your application client must have at least 16 GB of RAM available.
• For jobs that do not exceed 10,000 entries (names, addresses, related data, activities and so forth), a single workbook is generally sufficient. For jobs that exceed 10,000 entries, it is recommended that you use external comma-delimited (CSV) files.
• Exposure to potential viruses infecting the workbook being imported are minimal. Only the data from the Excel spreadsheets is imported, not the spreadsheet file itself.
• Schedule imports during off-peak times for more efficiency because the Workbook Converter imports data against production servers.
• Before running the Workbook Converter, make sure you note the date and time. If the import fails when running in Live mode, the database will need to be restored by hosting. Having the date and time will help hosting know how far back the database needs to be restored.
• When importing, be sure you know the website (URL) and enter https:// before the website name.
• The UseLargeWorkbookSupport option supports workbooks exceeding 70 MB. The primary workbook is able to point to CSV files, and the UseLargeWorkbookSupport option is used to support large conversions. The UseLargeWorkbookSupport option does not load the entire workbook into memory for processing in order to optimize conversion time. For more information, refer to the Options worksheet in the sample workbook.

Note: The UseLargeWorkbookSupport option does not support coloring error cells.

• Multiple smaller-sized CSV files are preferable to one large file.

Tasks to complete before importing data

Important! Any configuration in a test environment will also need to be recreated in a live production environment. It is important that you make note of all changes in a test environment, so you can make the sane changes in the live environment.

The following are pre-conversion tasks that should be completed before you import data:

1. (if you are licensed for AutoPay) Configure AutoPay:
   1. Add payment gateways.
   2. Add payment methods.
   3. Add payment methods to a payment method set.

   Note: You must add a payment method to a payment method set before you can use the payment method in the Workbook Converter. Unless the payment method is a part of a payment method set, the payment method will not be found.

   4. Verify that the AutoPay status is green.
2. Set up the following:
   • Default financial entity and designate it as the Default organization
   • Default country
   • Default currency code
   • New customer types (MemberType column in the Contact worksheet)
   • Additional activity types
   • Starting number for generating the ID for new contacts
   • Countries
   • Configure the appropriate contact options:
     • Create any dynamic user-defined data sources and the panels for displaying any custom data properties.
     • Define your default address purposes and specify communication flow preferences:
       • Specify labels for each default Address purpose.
       • Select the appropriate options to Synchronize primary phone numbers and email.
       • If existing phone numbers to be imported are already formatted, you might want to Disable automatic phone number formatting. For sites with a high volume of international numbers, it is recommended that you disable formatting, so that numbers are brought in exactly as they appear in the source data.
   • Review lookup/validation table information:
     • Review default prefixes and suffixes and add new prefixes and suffixes if needed. Select the PREFIX or SUFFIX table from the drop-down.
     • Set up customer categories if used. Select the CATEGORY table from the drop-down.
     • Define additional address purposes if used. Select the ADDRESS_PURPOSE table from the drop-down.