Bert F.

[bfcavFPuser]

Hello All,

 

I am trying to find out if there is a way to import .dbf mail lists generated from Mail Manager directly into Fusion Pro Desktop v7.2. The .dbf files are non-deliminated and even though I can specify them as a data source, the data does not seem to be usable to Fusion. Can this work and what settings need to be used to make them work?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you,

Bert F.

[dreimer]

Never tried a dbf file. I always use delimited files out of Mail Manager.

[Dan Korn]

You can try loading it with ODBC on Windows. Probably the Microsoft Access driver would work. You may also be able to export the data as .mdb or another more Access-friendly format. Although I think dreimer is right that if you can export it as delimited text, that's your best bet. There are a lot of free tools out there which can convert .dbf files as well.

[Doug Pershing]

Hi Bert,

I have always used Mail Manager for creating my presorts. One of the biggest advantages of MM is the export formats that are available from both the presort window or the export window. MM generally calls them labels, which are fully definable. The term labels comes from the old ink jet and dot-matrix form days. Since most of what you do with MM is postal sorting there would be no real advantage to connecting directly to the dbf (Borland database format) since it would not be in presort order.

I, like dreimer, prefer a delimited output. I would create a label, include a header, and choose a comma delimited format with double quote qualifiers. Do not allow fields to float. All fields should have a solid dot next to them. Make sure none of the fields have an arrow pointing up or down. (We used to use that for the old fixed head ink jets.) Make sure the width is larger than the longest field and add as many fields as you will need in the FP template. There is really no reason to include every field from the data. If you find that you didn't include a field you needed you can add the additional field later and simply rerun the FP data wizard to include the additional field. Since FP is finding the fields by header name it doesn't really matter what order the fields are in.

When exporting from the presort window you are always assured that the data will be in presort order and in the stream order that is displayed. By default the non-USPS stream will be deselected and therefore not included in the output. If they are needed for a 100% mailing, like a class action lawsuit mailing, just click the button next to the stream.

For audits and other non-presorted outputs all of the defined labels are available under the non-presorted labels selection from the standard grid view.

By using the label output you are able to able to use all of your MM exports in the FP template since they will be consistent.

The basic rule is make sure the records are in the right order, output the smallest file size possible, and use the easiest format FP can take. Mail Manager is the best tool out there for managing mail files. The flexibility for importing, managing the data, and exporting is hard to beat. Coupled with FusionPro there is not much you can't do.

 

Hope this helps...

[bfcavFPuser]

Thanks to all who responded. We will have to export .txt files for FP and .dbf for the inkjet as one format will not work for both.

 

Thanks Again,

Bert Foxwell

Cavanaugh Press

[dreimer]

Mind if I ask what kind of Ink Jet you use?

 

Never heard of an ink jet only able to use dbf files.

[bfcavFPuser]

The InkJet is a Kirk-Rudy.