The Import Menu provides tools for bringing congregation, publisher, speaker and schedule information into Meeting Schedule Assistant from supported external sources.

Importing provides a way to populate or update databases using existing information from other applications, or to bring many of your own Meeting Workbooks into the schedule database at once.

Screenshot of the Import menu in Meeting Schedule Assistant. The menu lists five items: Congregations, Publishers and Speakers, which have right-pointing arrows indicating submenus, then Bulk Import of Workbooks, and About importing data with a blue question-mark icon representing help.

Figure 115. The Import menu.

Congregation Importers

Imports congregation information such as congregation details, meeting information, and other supported fields.

Available importers:

See the full overview: Congregation Importers 

Publisher Importers

Imports publisher information from supported applications. Depending on the source, this may include roles, notes, assignment eligibility, and other optional fields.

Available importers:

See the full overview: Publisher Importers

Speaker Importers

Imports public speakers and related information from supported applications.

Available importers:

See the full overview: Speaker Importers 

Bulk Import of Workbooks

Imports many Meeting Workbook (.mwb) files into the schedule database in one go, so you can catch up your database without opening and saving each workbook in the editor. You can make a backup first from the same window, and you are asked whether to replace or keep any weeks that are already stored.

See the full topic: Bulk Import of Workbooks 

Import Notes

Each importer is designed for a specific application or file format. Required fields vary depending on the source, and each importer has its own dedicated help topic.

Handling Existing Publisher Data

Some publisher importers will ask how you want to handle your existing publisher database before importing.

Confirmation dialog titled ‘Import Publishers from NWS Desktop’ showing options to reset or merge the Publishers Database, with a reminder that Assignment History databases will also be reset.

Figure 116. Reset or merge the Publishers Database before importing.

Option

What It Does

When to Use It

Yes — Reset Database

Removes all publishers, memo fields, group assignments, assignment eligibility settings, and resets assignment history databases before importing.

Use when you want a completely fresh publisher list from the import file.

No — Merge

Preserves existing publishers and assignment history while adding or updating records from the import file.

Use when you want to add or update publishers without losing your current list.

Cancel

Stops the import with no changes.

Use if you selected the wrong file or want to review your data first.

This prompt appears only for importers that modify the Publishers Database.

How the Import Process Works

Although each importer has its own details, the general workflow is the same:

  1. Choose the import source
  2. Select the CSV or export file
  3. Map any optional memo fields (if supported)
  4. Review the summary
  5. Complete the import

After the import finishes, a summary is displayed showing how many items were added, updated, or skipped.

The Bulk Import of Workbooks window works differently: you add the workbooks to a list, optionally make a backup, and then click Import. See Bulk Import of Workbooks.

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