Create an export definition

  1. From Administration, select Export definitions. The Export Definitions page appears.

  2. Select Add. The Select a Source View screen appears.

    Note: The text on the Select a Source View screen refers to queries because the screen is shared with that feature.

  3. Select the source view that contains the type of records to include in the export definition. For information about source views, refer to Source Views.

  4. Select OK. The New Export Definition screen appears.

  5. On the Fields and criteria tab, select the fields for each record in the export output.

    Under Browse for fields in, you can view the types of fields that are available for the source view you selected. You can expand a node to drill-down to a specific group of fields.

    The middle pane lists the Fields and System fields for the selected group.

    Tip: To quickly search for a field. enter the field name in Find field and press ENTER on your keyboard. The program displays applicable fields in the middle pane. Use the arrows on your keyboard to browse through the list. If you select a group and select Search up, the search applies to only fields in the selected node.

  6. To specify output fields for the export, select them in the middle pane and drag them into the Selected Fields pane. You must specify at least one output field. Selected fields correspond to the information you want to view in the export and they appear as column headings in the export output.

    When you select a one-to-many field, the Criteria screen appears. For information about how to set criteria for a one-to-many field, refer to Export Definitions Criteria. When you select a field from Address Processing, the Criteria for Address Processing screen appears. For information about address processing, refer to Export Definitions Address Processing.

    Note: Depending on the source view of the export definition, some fields may default into the Selected Fields pane. These are only defaults and you can remove them if necessary.

  7. Select the Column order tab. From this tab you can reorder and rename column headings for the export file. Column headings identify the type of system field included in the column.

    • To reorder the column names, use the up and down arrows.

    • To change the column header name, select the field name and select Change column header. Enter a new name in the field. If you do not change the column name, the column header uses the system field name. For example, CONSTITUENTS_NAME.

  8. Select the Sort order for rows tab. From this tab you can specify a sort order for the export. The sort order helps ensure that mail merge documents, such as envelopes or labels, are in the necessary order.

    • To add a sort field, double-select or drag and drop a field to the Sort records by pane.

    • To change the sort order, select a field and select the up or down arrow.

    • To reverse the sort order within a column, select the Sort Ascending or Sort Descending button.

  9. Select the Set save options tab.

  10. Enter a name and description for the export definition.

  11. If your organization uses sites, in the Sites field, select the site to associate with the export definition.

  12. To make this definition available for constituent letter templates, select Allow definition to be used by other areas of the application.

  13. To use the field name as the column header for one-to-one fields, select Use field names for one to one column headers. For example, with this option selected, the column header for Name is NAME. If you do not select this option, the program uses the longer, less "friendly" system field name CONSTITUENTS_NAME.

  14. To use a shortened version of the system field name as the column header, select Use short column headers. For example, Cns_NAME.

    Note: If you select both options, the column header for one-to-one fields is the friendly field name and the column header for one-to-many fields is the shortened system field name. If you entered a custom name for a field on the Column order tab, the column header uses the custom name in some manner no matter which options you select. For example, if you select Use short column headers, the column header for a custom field name is Cns_Custom Field Name.

  15. Select Save. You return to the Export Definitions page.