File Uploads/Downloads Improvements
This Recipe's Chef
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The chef for this recipe is Dawn Moore.
Updated: January 31st 2012
Moving Data Between PC and CU*BASE
In a nutshell, our goal with this project is to make it easier to import and export data between a PC and CU*BASE. Although Client Access does work well for this purpose, it isn’t exactly user friendly nor intuitive. Downloads (CU*BASE to PC) aren’t too bad, but CUs are finding more and more reasons to upload a file that’s on their PC directly into CU*BASE. And for these uploads, the requirements for special intervention by a technical resource at CU*Answers is becoming a bigger obstacle. It is old school.
Clients are getting increasingly sophisticated in how they want to use their data: import it into Excel, build a custom board report, monitor trends and build graphs, and send data off to a third-party vendor. In addition, we are now writing apps that encourage our clients to dream up new reasons to create a file to assess a one-time fee or rebate, get a file from a vendor and post it to members, even pull in a batch of transactions to post to the G/L.
The Client Access data transfer method we offer today does not always lend itself to these applications. Therefore, we are exploring other ways where we can have lovely, intuitive, user friendly CU*BASE screens with online help that can lead the user through their request and then with the push of the button... boom, the data is where they want it, in the format they want it and available when they want it.
In a nutshell, we want to completely remove all of the configuration and redundant authentication steps and boil it down to the bare essentials, so that the user only has to specify two things on a simple pop-up window, complete with a handy “browse” feature to locate files:
- What is the source file and where is it located?
- What is the location and filename of the destination?
The new tools will still be available as two separate menu options, to allow the CU to control who can do downloads vs. uploads. The tools will also be incorporated into the workflow wherever we include an export or import process on CU*BASE screens, to allow a CU to choose “Download the file now” or “Go get the file from my PC” or something similar, as part of the process of actually exporting or importing a database file using other CU*BASE tools. (We would still make this step optional and conditional based on an employee’s authorization level, so if they have only a few employees allowed to move the files while others produce or use the data, they can keep the duties separate as needed.)
To start, our focus will be basic file transfers: receive data from the System i... send data to the System i. How can we ease the process? How can we facilitate clients getting data without having to enter fields in unfamiliar formats or choose settings they don’t understand, and without having to re-enter their login credentials? Even if we still used the Client Access transfer engine under the covers, can we design a user interface that would eliminate all of the extra and confusing steps? And once we solve that, then we will move on to improving the baffling “Copy Report to Disk File” feature so you can get your reports to your PC more easily than ever before!
Status: Project was initially planned for implementation in the 11.3 release, but at the last minute our testers discovered some issues that prevented us from going ahead as we had hoped. No ETA at this time but we want to implement the new tools as quickly as we can. Watch the release schedule available on the Release Planning page for the latest news.
As a companion to the uploads/downloads improvements, we are also working on two other projects we think you’ll like, both related to pulling in a file of data and incorporating that data into common CU*BASE features:
Importing a File to Create Journal Entries
This project adds functionality similar to the Import feature we recently added to Direct/Mail Post, so that credit unions can import a batch of transactions from an external source (Excel spreadsheet, third-party vendor database file, etc.) directly into the CU*BASE feature used to create and post journal entries to the General Ledger.
Status: Status: Project is complete and will be implemented in the 11.6 release
Importing a File to Create a Budget
This project adds functionality similar to the Import feature we recently added to Direct/Mail post, so that credit unions can import a batch of transactions from an external source (Excel spreadsheet, third-party budgeting software output, etc.) directly into the CU*BASE feature used to create the credit union’s budget.
Because of the unique functionality of the CU*BASE budget tool, the methods for this project will be slightly different from the Direct/Mail Post tool or the G/L posting feature described above, but the basic idea is the same: if you created your budget by G/L account in Excel and set up the format correctly, you can pull it into CU*BASE.
Status: Project still in the design stage. Contact the chef if you’d like to see the working project specifications.
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