It is assumed that if you are reading this section you have already set up a database so you are familiar with the terms Table, Field and Record.

You can import information from a non Music Collector database. You may have already spent months inputting information into you own database, so this is a quick and easy way to transfer your information to a Music Collector database.

There are certain limitations

1. You can only import from a Microsoft Access database.
   
   
2. The database must be an earlier version of Microsoft Access – if it isn’t it is possible to convert it. (See how to convert a database below).
   
   
3. You can only import from one table at a time

The Basic Steps

1. Open the Music Collector database you want to import the information to.
   
   
2. Select the database file you are importing from.
   
   
3. Select the table you want to import from.
   
   
4. Identify the fields in your database and match them to a field in the Music Collector database.

The import process is controlled by the Import Database Screen, which is displayed by selecting ‘Import’ from the File drop-down menu on the Main Menu screen.

1. Select the database file to import from. The filename of the database you are importing from should appear in the first box at the top. To select a database file, click on the browse button and find the file.
   
   
2. Note: If you get an error message “Unrecognised database format” you may be trying to import from a later version of Microsoft Access. It may still be possible to import from this file but you will have to use Microsoft Access to convert (the database file) to an earlier version. See separate help topic for more information.
3. All the tables in the selected database will be displayed in the ‘Database Tables’ list.
4. You need to select which table you want to import from. To do this click on the table name in the list and then click on the Display Table button. The number of entries in this table will be displayed. Make sure you have enough room in the currently opened Music Collector database to accept all the new entries.
5. All the fields in the selected table will now be displayed in the right hand list at the bottom. In the left hand table there is a list of the field names that are found in the Music Collector database. You now need to identify which fields in your database are to be copied to the corresponding field in the Music Collector Database.
6. Click on a field name in the left-hand table. The symbol ‘*’ will be displayed in the first column to identify this is the selected row. Now click on the corresponding field in the right hand list.

For example:

You have selected Artist from the left-hand table. This is the name of the field as found in a Music Collector database. You now need to match a field in your own database. You may have a field called Lead Singer, so you select Lead Singer from the list of fields in your database. When you start the import process, each entry in your database that has information in the ‘Lead Singer’ field, will be copied to the Artist field in the Music Collector database.

7. You now need to identify any other corresponding fields. You MUST have an entry in the Artist field. If you do not have a corresponding field then use the static option (see below for more information on static fields)
8. When you have finished identifying the fields you should have as many of the fields (if not all) in your database matched to one in the Music Collector database as per the left-hand table.
9. If you are satisfied that the ‘field matching’ is accurate you can start importing. To start the import click on the Import button. The Program will now begin importing (copying) all the records from your database to the currently opened Music Collector database as displayed in the ‘Import To Current Database’ box. For a large database this may take some minutes. There is a progress bar at the bottom of the screen showing the status of the import process.

To stop the import process, click on the Stop Import button. Only do this in an emergency; it is best to wait for the import to finish.

When the import is complete you should be able to display the complete database, including the records just imported by using the Display All button on the Database Search screen.

Static Fields

The fields in the table prefixed with [S] are static fields. A static field can have the same information in each entry as defined by you.

For Example

You may have a table in your database just for recordings from a certain record label, as all the entries in the table correspond to a certain record label you wouldn’t have a separate field identifying the label. This would mean, when you import into a Music Collector database each entry would have a blank Label field. This would cause extra work, as you would have to edit each record after the import and manually enter the Label name.

The easier way is to identify the Label field as a static field. To do this click on the row in table marked [S] Label. Now click on the Static button. Enter the Label name you want to appear in each record you import. Click on OK. You will now see the Label name preceded by >> which identifies it as Static. Now when you import every entry will have that Label name in the label field.

The following lists are automatically updated, as new entries are detected: -

Artist

Genre

Label

Country

Format

Any reserved characters are automatically changed. See the separate topic on Reserved Characters.

SQL Select

For those of you familiar with the SQL database programming language, you can use SQL to select certain records to be imported. To enter an SQL command, click on the SQL Select button. Enter the SQL command in the box provided and then click on the ‘Submit SQL Command’ button. If the SQL command is not valid an error message will be displayed. The number of matches found will be displayed.

How To Convert A Database To An Earlier Version.

If the database you want to import from is a later version; you will have to convert it before importing into a Music Collector database. Refer to Microsoft Access help for the latest information on how to do this. The basic instructions are below.

1. Open the database you want to import from with Microsoft Access.
2. From the Tools drop-down menu select database Utilities.
3. Select Database Convert Database.
4. Select To Prior Access Database Version…
5. You will now be asked to select a folder and filename for the converted database. Click on the Save button.
6. You should now be able to import the converted database to a Music Collector database.