Import Direct Bill Transactions

Use this utility to import a file of direct bill transactions into Applied TAM. Access must be granted through Security Manager to use both the Setup utility and the Import Direct Bill Transactions program.

Note: The Import Direct Bill Transactions Setup must be completed prior to using the Import workflow.

Import Direct Bill Transactions Setup

Use the following steps to set up the data definitions for the transactions to import.

  1. At Home Base, click Utilities.
  2. On the Utility Manager screen, expand the Accounting folder in the treeview, expand the Setup folder, and select Import Direct Bill Transactions.
  3. Click the arrow to continue. The Import Direct Bill Transactions Setup screen displays.
  4. Click New. The Data Definitions screen displays.
  5. Enter a Name and Description for this data definition, and click the Add button at the bottom of the screen. This action enables the Add button in the Data Definitions frame.
  6. Click Add to begin adding fields to this definition. The Add Item screen displays.

    Note:     The data definition fields must be in the exact order as the columns in the import file. If you do not wish to import a column, enter any Title for that column and select Database=NONE in step 8.
  7. Enter a Title and Description for the column being added. These fields are for informational purposes and do not affect the import. If a Fixed Field file format was chosen, enter the field Length. This determines the number of characters that will be imported.
  8. Select the Database in which to load this field. To import this column, select POLICY or TRANSACT from the dropdown list. If you do not wish to import this field, select NONE and this field will be skipped.
  9. Select the Field to Load Into from the dropdown box. The following TAM fields are available:

    TRANSACT database:

    POLICY database:

    Note: Required fields include Amount (under TRANSACT), Policy Number, and either Effective Date or Expiration Date (under POLICY). All other fields are optional.

    Note: If you select a date field or the Agency Commission Percentage field, you will need to select the appropriate data format. Make sure that the format you select matches the format in your import file.
  10. When you have completed your selections for this field, click OK to add this field to the definition.
  11. Repeat steps 6 through 10 for each field to define.
  12. The following buttons are available on the Data Definitions screen:
  13. At any point, you may click Preview to make sure your file will import correctly based on the data definition you are defining. If you encounter errors, you may need to revise the format of your import file or revise your data definition.
    1. Click the ellipsis button next to the Path and Filename to Preview field to browse to the appropriate file.
    2. If your import file does not contain a header row (i.e. the first row should be imported as a transaction), check Load first row in import file - row is not the layout of the import file.
    3. Double click in the Default Transaction Code field to select the appropriate code. (This will be applied to any transaction with no data in the Transaction Type field, or to all transactions if this data definition does not include the Transaction Type field.)
    4. Modify the Accounting Month if necessary.
    5. Enter a Default Description for the transactions. (This will be applied to any transaction with no data in the Definition field, or to all transactions if this data definition does not include the Definition field.)
    6. To use a different billing company than the company on the policy billing screen, select the Use selected company radio button and double click in the field to the right to select a billing company.
    7. Click Preview. The Preview Transactions screen displays, allowing you to view the transactions as they will import into TAM. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate between the transactions. When you have finished reviewing the information, click Cancel, then click Cancel again to return to the Data Definitions screen.
  14. When you are finished, click Save to save this definition in the Available Data Definitions list and return to the Import Direct Bill Transactions Setup screen. With the data definition highlighted, make the appropriate choices in the three frames below:
    1. In the Translate Case at Load Time frame, select whether the imported data should remain in Upper and Lower Case, or translated into All Upper Case.

      Note:       If the imported data is in Upper Case, selecting Upper and Lower Case does NOT convert the data to Upper and Lower case.
    2. In the Format of Import File frame, select the format of your import file (Comma Delimited, Fixed Field, or MS Excel).
    3. In the Update Billing Screens frame, choose Update Premium if you wish to update your billing screen premiums and commission amounts based on the imported transactions, or choose Do Not Update if you do not wish to update the billing screen.
  15. The following buttons are available on the Import Direct Bill Transactions Setup screen.

Import Direct Bill Transactions

  1. At Home Base, click Accounting, click Reconciliations, and click Direct Bill.
  2. From the Direct Bill menu, select Import Direct Bill Transactions. The Import Direct Bill Transactions screen displays.
  3. Select a data definition from the Available Data Definitions listbox.
  4. Type the Path and Filename to Import, or click the Ellipsis to navigate to the desired import file.
  5. If the first row of the Import spreadsheet contains column headings, do not select the Load first row in import file checkbox. If the first row of the import spreadsheet contains data instead of headings, then select the checkbox.
  6. Enter the Default Transaction Code, or double click in the field to select from the transaction list. All transactions that are imported without a transaction code will be assigned this transaction code.
  7. The Accounting Month defaults to the current accounting month. All imported transactions will file with this accounting month.
  8. Enter the Default Description. All transactions that are imported without a transaction description will be assigned this description.
  9. To use a different billing company than the company on the policy billing screen, select the Use selected company radio button and double click in the field to the right to select a billing company.
  10. Click Preview.

    Note:     It is highly recommended that the Preview button is selected to review the records in the spreadsheet. If Import is selected from the Import Direct Bill Transactions screen, an Import Warning message displays with another opportunity to click Preview.
  11. The Preview Transactions screen displays. Verify the contents of the import file, using the Next and Back buttons to navigate through the transactions.
  12. When the transactions are verified to be correct in the preview, click Import.
  13. Each time the Import program runs, an import log is created. If an import log already exists, an Existing Import Log screen displays. You may choose to Print Existing File, Overwrite Existing File, Append to Existing File, or Cancel.
  14. The Import program starts to run, and a counter displays.
  15. After all records have been imported, an Importing process is complete message displays. Click OK.
  16. On the Import Direct Bill Transactions Print window, select Print to print the import log, Print Preview to preview it, or Cancel to return to the Direct Bill Menu.