Importing the initial data involves using the layout specified in the initial Import Definition to then import the data developed in the Excel conversion file. Do not worry if there is a problem with either the data or layout specified in the Import Definition. Any issues will quickly become apparent and you will always be able to redo the import if necessary.

To import the initial data, do the following:

• Save Data as .csv: the best practice for importing data into DB Precision is to first save the data as a .csv file. To do this, open the Excel conversion file, go to the Import tab, then select File - Save As from Excel's ribbon toolbar, navigate to the same folder as the Excel conversion file, and then choose the Save as type of CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv). Be careful not to save as either CSV (Macintosh) (*.csv) or CSV (MS-DOS) (*.csv) as these can cause problems when importing. Also, make sure that you do not have extra blank rows at the bottom of your data as this can cause errors on import.
• Import Data: to import the initial data, open the Plan Sponsor, right-click the import definition name, and select Import from the resulting menu. Press the Find button to select the full path of the .csv file created above. Then press the OK button.

After the initial import has been processed, you will see the results of the import. You should check for the following. Note that the data shown on the Import Results screen here is only in your computer's memory and is not yet saved to the DB Precision database. Saving needs to explicitly be done as described below once you have confirmed these results.

• Skipped Rows: confirm that the skipped rows make sense. Usually only the first header row is skipped.
• New People: check the list of new people and make sure that none of them have a warning indicating a possible SSN change. If you get this warning, this indicates that people in your data may have been previously double-counted.
• Data Changes and New Items: in general, you should only be seeing new people in your initial import. If there are changes or new items for existing people, then you have participants in the import file that are already in the DB Precision database who are also in other Plan Sponsors. These people are called Crossovers.
• Crossover Handling: for Participants who are Crossovers, you need to take care not to make invalid changes to existing data. For crossovers, some data is shared across all sponsors while some is specific to a sponsor. Benefit information, Historical Dates, and Reported Amounts are not shared across sponsors. However, other information such as name, date of birth, and address information is shared across all sponsors. For such shared information, you need to be careful about making any changes to data.

  In general, no changes to existing data should be made with the initial import file and the conversion file should be modified to mirror the existing DB Precision data with notes added to the conversion notes tab detailing any discrepancies. However, there are exceptions to this rule:

  • Participant Status: if a participant is active in the initial import file but was terminated with the existing sponsor, you can generally assume that the new data contained in your initial import is more accurate. You should make a note in your conversion file of the change and also inform the DB Precision users for the other sponsor of the change that was made.
  • Blank to Non-blank: when a change is being made from nothing to something (adding address or beneficiary information for example) where nothing was previously stored, these changes can be allowed (with notes on this being made in the conversion file).
• Check Participant Count: check that the number of rows being imported matches the number in the import file to confirm that you are bringing in the correct data.

If the imported results appear to represent what you imported, save the data by checking the box Store Results to Database and pressing OK.