How ASCII to Notes Works
The Sentinel can read an ASCII file and add or update a Notes based on a key (matching) value.
Sample Uses
1. Synchronizing a Notes customer database with a mainframe customer master file.
2. Loading sales leads data from an external source, such as a sales prospect list provider.
3. Loading Personnel from a payroll system.
4. Adding sales contacts as responses to a customer file.
5. Adding call reports as responses to a sales contacts in a customer file.
6. Expanding Codes to full English names: Use the Update option to run a table against the destination of codes. For example, create a view in the destination file containing a sorted field called product code. Load an ASCII table of product codes and product descriptions using the Update option. The Sentinel will add the product description for all matching codes it finds.
7. Use Expanding Codes (#6, above) as a way to join ASCII files into a Notes database.
Points to Remember
1.The Sentinel allows documents to be added as main (parent) or response documents.
2. The Sentinel will update previously entered documents.
3. All adds or updates are based on a key.
4. Following are the possible ways to Add or Update information in the Notes destination:
Add All: This choice adds the entire contents of the load database to the Notes database. This is useful for News feeds, where you know in advance that all of the information in the load is new. Be careful not to run this Task twice, as you will find duplicates. This choice does NOT check the key.
Add Unique: This will add Unique Records as New Documents. If it does not find the Key, it will add the record to the Notes database.
Update: This will examine the Key Fields for duplicates. If it finds the key, the Sentinel will update the document, If it does not find the key, it will NOT add the record to the Notes database.
Sync Databases: This will match the Notes Database Documents to the Import (or load) File Records. For example, if the Notes database has 50 documents, and the load file has only 40 documents, the Sentinel will delete the 10 documents that are no longer in "Synch". This is useful for maintaining an Employee database in Synch when terminated employees are no longer in the Employee Database. The only way to know they are terminated is by their absence from the load file.
5. After a database is initialized, most tasks use both Add Unique and Update to refresh the Notes database. This will add any new records, and update existing records if the source has changed.
6. The Sentinel will NOT update a record in the destination if the source record is the same. This minimizes replication activity, and is a major feature of the Sentinel.
7. You can match up on multiple keys. The Sentinel has no limit on the number of key fields allowed.
8. Every Notes Destination Database must have a view to load data into. We suggest developing a hidden Import View in each Notes database you are going to load data into. The first column(s) in the View are Key Fields. These Key Fields are always sorted, should match the view exactly, and in the same order.
Performance Statistics
The following statistics are based on a Pentium 100 processor.
1. The average speed of ASCII to Notes data integration is over 100,000 records per hour on a first time add (using Add All).
2. If the records do not exist in the destination, it is preferred to use Add All on a first time add. This will be very fast (100,000 records per hour).
3. Using Add Unique checks for a key in every add, slowing down performance. Use Add Unique after the database is initialized.
4. Updates run at the rate of 120,000 per hour.
Tips and Techniques
1. If you are updating but do not want any records to be added, select Update.
2. Use the formula section to add any Notes formula you want. This is useful for last update. Field LastUpdate = @Now.
3. Don't forget that the formula is calculated only if the Sentinel adds or updates a record. If you need to calculate a formula for every Notes, use the Run Notes Macro choice instead of the Notes formula.