Manipulating data

You can use these methods to change data in the records that you extracted from a database table:

• Column update

  Use this method to change the value in a data column to another value. You can replace all values in a column with new value, or replace one value in a column with a new value.

  For example, suppose you want to change the terms on every ship to record for a particular customer to 2n30. If your set only contains ship to records for that customer, you can use the replace option to replace all existing terms values to 2n30.

  Optionally, suppose you only want to change the terms on ship to records with an existing terms value of 2n25 to 2n30. You can then use the search and replace option to find only those records with 2n25 and replace that value with 2n30.

• Single record update

  Use this method to make changes to individual records.

  For example, suppose you want to change the credit manager from abc to xyz on every customer record in a set except for one. On that one record, you want to change the credit manager to mno. Use the Column update method to change the credit manager on all records to xyz. Then, update the single record to change the credit manager to mno.

• Export and import update

  Use this method to make multiple changes to multiple records, and to create new records. You export extracted records to create a tab-delimited file, change or add data to the file in Excel, and then import the file to update the set.

  For example, suppose you must flag multiple existing products within a brand as an MSDS product, and then specify the related MSDS information. You create a set from the ICSP-Product Master table with this information:

  • Selection Criteria: Select Brand Code, and then specify the brand. Select MSDS Product, and then specify no in the Beginning Value field.
  • Extraction columns: Select MSDS Product, MSDS Sheet #, and Last MSDS Change.

  After you create the tab-delimited file, you can change the MSDS information in the extracted columns for all products that met the selection criteria. You then import the file to update the MSDS information in the records in the set.