Importing database files from ACT! 4.0 into BCM 2003

[Judi]

I have a total of 1026 contact records in our present ACT! 4.0 database and
need to transfer them into a shared BCM database. I have taken small groups
and created individual .dbf files for easier transfer. When I convert the
..dbf files into a .bcm file and then import it into BCM a big problem occurs.
All of the information gets transferred but only within the Business
Contacts for Business Contact Manager, NOT in Accounts for Business Contact
Manager. Aside from manually creating these accounts (1,026) of them, I
can't seem to get the Company Name to transfer as an Account. I need help
fast!

THANKS!

 

[Luther]

I have a total of 1026 contact records in our present ACT! 4.0 database and
need to transfer them into a shared BCM database. I have taken small groups
and created individual .dbf files for easier transfer. When I convert the
.dbf files into a .bcm file and then import it into BCM a big problem occurs.
All of the information gets transferred but only within the Business
Contacts for Business Contact Manager, NOT in Accounts for Business Contact
Manager. Aside from manually creating these accounts (1,026) of them, I
can't seem to get the Company Name to transfer as an Account. I need help
fast!

THANKS!

I remember 2003 having some options for ACT imports, but I think that
the general case is that ACT! Groups are mapped to Accounts and ACT!
Contacts to Business Contacts, and import will preserve hierarchys;
Contacts that belong to Groups will become Business Contacts parented
by Accounts.

The Company field in Business Contacts is there for when the Account
is a billing entity within a company and not the company itself. For
example, if a Business Contact's parent Account is Colgate Purchasing,
then the Company field can be set to Proctor Gamble. For most small
businesses Business Contacts the Account will be sufficient.

 

[Buck]

I am in the same situation! I imported my database from ACT! by converting
to a CSV file. I too brought them into the Business Contacts Manager but
only ended up with Contacts and NO Accounts! I really did not understand the
earlier response and how that can work in this case.

Anyone else have any suggestions?

Thanking in advance!

Steve

 

[Lon Orenstein]

Well Buck, the problem is ACT 4.0. If you could get the database into 6.0
format, BCM will convert both contact and group (account) records during the
same pass. The alternative is to export ACT Group data into one CSV file,
and ACT Contacts into a second one. Then import them separately into BCM .
You will lose the linking but get both records.

Judi: your situation is different. You will need to MAP the fields from
your DBF file so that the Company field in ACT is mapped to the Company
field in BCM contacts, if I understand your situation correctly.

Both of you might benefit from my eBook, Moving from ACT! 6.0 to Business
Contact Manager. It's available for free from our website below.

HTH,
Lon

___________________________________________________________
Lon Orenstein
pinpointtools, llc
(e-mail address removed)
Author of Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies
Author of the eBook: Moving from ACT! to Business Contact Manager
www.pinpointtools.com