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This is a place that I've been working with clients on -- the idea of a
CSV import is fine -- when you have a few hundred items to import, but
not much more.<br>
<br>
As an example, we've had to create several timed scripts for a client,
to feed information from an MSSQL based ERP (Accountmate) system into
Vtiger -- and do a little synching also of things like inventory on
hand etc. I gave up on the forums when basic questions like what is the
use of the foreign key constraints went un-answered -- and my discovery
-- they don't to anything presently.....<br>
<br>
There's all sorts of limits and issuses messing with CSV data, size of
upload files allowed etc.<br>
<br>
When you're dealing with thousands of accounts, thousands of products,
hundreds of orders - you have to perform direct inserts into
somewhere....<br>
<br>
Mike Fedyk wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid440382EA.9090701@mikefedyk.com" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Jeff Kowalczyk wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Mike Fedyk wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">There is a post on the forum asking how to add data to vtiger from an
outside source. It's a good question and I'd like to know the answer
too. Do we have something for this already?
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://forums.vtiger.com/viewtopic.php?t=5065">http://forums.vtiger.com/viewtopic.php?t=5065</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap="">This ties in with some things I've been thinking about in regards to our
use of adodb-schema, .sql files, and sample data:
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
The focus of the question is how to get data in and out of vtiger using
public interfaces from another automated system. I would like to renew
that question. Is SOAP the only and/or best answer in this area?
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Sample Data and Bulk Loading of Customer Data
---------------------------------------------
Second, I love that we have sample dataset. I would like to see it
maintained as a separate .sql file, containing only bulk-load statements.
Perhaps even one bulk load file per table.
If we separate out the bulk load statement sql files, and document how
they are created, enterprising users can easily recreate them with a
spreadsheet, some cut and paste, and a bit of elbow-grease. They are
basically TSV files with a few start and end control characters.
Less enterprising users can pay a helpful vtigercrm consultant to do it
for them ;)
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
I think we need to avoid inserting data directly into the SQL database.
One of the key areas for CRM is importing data from other systems. So
we should have the data in CSV (and other formats if someone wants to
contribute the converter) that is imported during the install process
for the various modules.
The converter doesn't have to have a pretty face, just a function call
that imports from a CSV file at first. Pretty interfaces for users can
come later. The main goal is to have the functionality.
This avoids storing the data in a database specific format and it
strengthens our import capabilities.
Mike
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</pre>
</blockquote>
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