Transaction Imports

Topics Import Data Formats and Template Files Importing Transactions Reviewing Import Logs

This section describes how to import transactions into your Voyager property-management database by using utilities included in Voyager Workstation Admin (VWA). You can import source-data files from CSV-format (comma-separated values/comma-delimited, variable-length), and fixed-length (flat) ASCII text files. You can directly import the transaction data if the files are in a specified Voyager format. For other formats, you must create and specify a template file to describe field, format, and layout parameters. For more information about import file formats and templates, see “Creating Import Files and Templates”.

When importing data, it is good practice to follow the guidelines and procedures in this section in order to preserve data integrity and apply the correct data-redundancy standards. You should always back up a database before attempting to import data into it. If an error occurs during the import, you can restore a previous database backup. It may be possible to repair transaction errors without restoring a database, but the process can be time-consuming and may not be successful in all cases. For more information about your organization's database backup and restoration policies, contact your database administrator.

Importing transactions

Always import transactions as a batch, so that you can review them prior to posting. At the completion of the import process, you can also review the import log file for confirmation and error messages. This log file identifies the records that were omitted during the import. You can manually add any omissions to the destination Voyager database. You can also edit the import-data file, and then re-import the data.

The first time that you import data, Yardi recommends that you import a single transaction for each type (for example, charge, receipt, and invoice), and then verify that the imported data is valid. It is easier to evaluate the effects of one transaction than those in an entire group.

Voyager will export one data record for each detail line in a transaction. For transactions with multiple details, the export file will contain multiple lines of data that recombine during import, to create a single transaction in the destination database.

Voyager import procedures support the following tasks:

c	Import financial transactions from foreign databases into a Voyager property-management database.

c	Import financial transactions from formatted fixed-length files into a Voyager property-management database.

c	Import and export financial transactions between Voyager property-management databases.

The import procedures can use several file formats: CSV (comma-delimited/variable-length ASCII text), and fixed-length ASCII text files.

Voyager can also directly import XML-format files. Importing data from an XML file does not require a format template, because field-type and format information is included in the source file. For more information, see the “Voyager Data Imports and Exports” chapter in the Voyager Core Installation and Administration Guide, or contact Yardi technical support.

Re-importing data

When re-importing data into Voyager, you should delete the original batch, if possible. Alternatively, you can restore from a backup and then re-import all data. The import procedure cannot detect that a transaction was previously imported, so the procedure will typically import the same transaction again. This may not produce the results that you need.

Reports

After importing data and before proceeding with normal operations, you should perform the Rebuild Totals procedure in Voyager Workstation Admin. (For more information, see “Rebuilding the General Ledger”.) You should also generate the applicable general-ledger reports to verify that the correct information and data were imported. (For more information, see “Report Procedures” in the Voyager Core User's Guide.)

Importing checks

Importing a check automatically creates an invoice, with detail lines marked as Paid. Yardi recommends that you import only the check and not the associated invoice.

If you import a check for an invoice that already exists, Voyager adds the new detail lines to the existing invoice, thereby doubling the amount on the invoice. If this occurs, you can void the check and reverse the invoice. If this is inconvenient, it can be faster to restore the database from a current backup.

Importing charges and receipts

Importing a receipt does not create a charge, so both receipts and charges must be imported individually for a complete history. Typically, you should import charges first to avoid creating prepaid transactions.