FF&EZ Data Archive        

The FDA format is a special format, similar to an XML file, that contains all data needed to completely recreate the information on another FF&EZ system. This includes, if applicable, "parental" data, such as clients or vendors, that must exist in the target system. Since all data is contained in a single file, FDA files are easy to email to a remote employee, home office or a client or consultant who has also purchased FF&EZ. They also are useful as archival backups of old data.

This format is only available for the Export command on the Project screen and uses a different setup screen.

Tab Delimited

This is a text format in which each field is separated by a tab character. This format is very easy to import into both spreadsheets and word-processors, either directly or by opening the file with a text editor like NotePad, copying and then pasting the data into the other program. Tab-delimited formats are not susceptible to problems caused by embedded single and double-quotes (that is, feet and inches) that can affect the CSV formats. 

CSV (Plain)

This is the standard comma-separated (comma-delimited) format, in which each field is separated by a comma, and all text fields are enclosed in double-quotes. Many spreadsheets can open this type of file directly (by double-clicking it), but there are two important "gotchas" to keep in mind: 

1. Numeric Id's or catalog numbers that have leading zeroes (e.g., "001232") may be interpreted as numbers with the leading zeroes stripped out. This can be prevented when setting up the import by defining specific columns as "text" instead of a more "general" format. 
2. Descriptions that include feet and inch symbols (see note above) may not be imported correctly by database programs, since these symbols may appear to separate text that is part of the same field. 

CSV (w/field names)

This is the same format as the plain CSV above, but the first line is reserved for the names of the fields. The import process needs to be set to use the first line as field names instead of data. The same potential issues described for "plain" CSV files also apply.

Excel

This is a basic Microsoft Excel format. If you want to produce data that will be used in a spreadsheet, this may be the best choice, since it avoids translation problems that text-based formats sometimes have. However, be sure to read about the "Export to Windows clipboard" option below, since this may be even easier to use with spreadsheets where exporting to a file is really just an intermediate step.

Note: Because of a limitation in the direct-to-XLS export engine, the descriptions that can be exported directly to an Excel file cannot exceed 254 characters. However, you can get around this by either 1) exporting to the tab-delimited format, which can be opened by Excel or 2) using the "Export to Windows clipboard" option.

XML

This option exports the selected data in a basic XML format. You have the option of including an inline schema or exporting the schema as a separate file (same name, with an .XSD file extension).

Custom

As an additional option, you can have a custom export developed that meets specific purposes. Custom exports are delivered as "plug-ins" that the software recognizes when they are placed in the "PLUGINS" folder. Custom exports may be simple exports of a certain arrangement of data, or may be complex subsystems that have their own setup or options screens. Generally, a custom export sets whatever export format has been defined for it, so the formats listed above would not be relevant.

File name

The file name is pre-filled for you based on the type of export you are creating. You can change this as needed. Note that some characters are illegal for use in file names, and if one appears in the information used for the automatic file name, it will be replaced by legal characters (this happens occasionally in exports named after project IDs or model numbers.

Create file in...

You can create the file in any location you wish, but two common locations are available for you to select as well. By default, FF&EZ will create the export file in a subfolder of your "documents" folder named FF&EZ-Export. If you are creating a temporary export file that you intend to email, the "Desktop" destination may be easiest to use for this purpose, since you can easily find the file and right-click on it to access the "Send to..." option, then drop the file in the Recycle Bin.

Export to Windows clipboard

This option is available for either the "tab-delimited" or "Excel" export formats. If you select this option, no disk file is created. Instead the exported data is written directly to the Windows clipboard. You can then move to a spreadsheet (or table that can accept pasted tabular data) and either press Ctrl-V (the standard Windows "paste" hotkey) or use Edit> Paste or Edit> Paste Special on that program's menu. Use Paste Special to paste data into spreadsheet cells that have already been formatted.

Please note that data transferred this way is always in tab-delimited format, so this option is only available for the Excel and tab-delimited format types (and custom formats that use those as their output type). Also note that an extra row appears at the top of the data that contains the column names given to the exported data. This row can be deleted after pasting the data.

As part of the prompts that appear when you use this option, FF&EZ will tell you how many rows of data are in the paste buffer. This is to allow you to open enough rows in a spreadsheet that has already been set up with formats and formulas