Second import from Toolbox, replacing data in FLEx fields

[Gerrit de Wit]

Dear FLEx list,

I would like to do a new import from Toolbox into a FLEx project. 

In Toolbox, one field was used for two types of data, which are now separated in two fields.

The data in the FLEx project have not been modified.

When I do a second import from Toolbox into the FLEx project, specifying the additional mapping, the fields in FLEx are not correctly updated. What is worse, copies of existing entries added.

Happily I do have a backup of this project, but I wonder whether it is just not possible to update a FLEx project from a Toolbox database?

Thanks for your response,

Gerrit

[Beth-docs Bryson]

The normal process for doing repeated imports from Toolbox is to first make an empty version of your project, and then set up all the custom fields, grammatical categories, writing systems, and custom list items (such as Lexical Relations or Variant Types).  Make a backup of this empty project.  (It might take several iterations to do this—keep making a new backup each time you improve your settings.  Be sure to use the Comment field when making a backup, so you know what differentiates each successive backup from the previous one, such as “Added Most POS labels” or “Added a few more custom fields".) 

Then do a trial import.  Then see what did or didn’t work, make notes about what you want to change.  Then restore the EMPTY project (the one with all the setup done).  If you need to make further changes to that empty project (e.g., add another custom field, or change some other setting), do that, and then make ANOTHER backup of this empty project, with a helpful comment.  Then do a fresh import into that one.  If that import was not right (totally normal), then restore from the most recent empty backup (the one with the most recent configuration done), and import again.

In general, it is not recommended to import into a FLEx project that already has data, unless what you are importing is distinct from what is already there.  Otherwise, you will end up with duplicates.  Use the “repeatedly restore the empty configured database” approach.

-Beth

--
"FLEx list" messages are public. Only members can post.
flex_d...@sil.org
http://groups.google.com/group/flex-list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "FLEx list" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to flex-list+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/flex-list/dc0109bc-fcb1-4d01-9fc2-471ce7ff3c4cn%40googlegroups.com.