Importing Microsoft Access Registration into EZwinscore

[Fidel]

I am using a microsoft access database to enter all the shooter information for a big upcoming match. There will most likely end up being 300-350 registered shooters.

I am currently running Ezwinscore 3.05 and was told it is possible to import the registration information in EZwinscore from the Microsoft access database.

Has anyone successfully done this before? Any help or at least a nudge in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to IM me or email.

Thanks,

Mike

Boise, ID

Edited April 11, 2009 by Fidel

[-JQ-]

I don't know exwin but I do know MS Apps.

Just a shot in the dark...but I would guess you need to export the data/table as excel...then import. This is a typical solution but YMMV...

[Fidel]

I don't know exwin but I do know MS Apps.

Just a shot in the dark...but I would guess you need to export the data/table as excel...then import. This is a typical solution but YMMV...

Thanks for the help.

[wgnoyes]

I am using a microsoft access database to enter all the shooter information for a big upcoming match. There will most likely end up being 300-350 registered shooters.

I am currently running Ezwinscore 3.05 and was told it is possible to import the registration information in EZwinscore from the Microsoft access database.

Has anyone successfully done this before? Any help or at least a nudge in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to IM me or email.

Thanks,

Mike

Boise, ID

No, you can't import excel into ezws; there's no built-in path to import registrations from any external form into ezws. You instead really need to just go ahead and start registering your folks in ezws the way the system is intended to be used.

Now.... since you HAVE MSaccess, you CAN (if you REALLY know what you're doing) fill the competitor names table within your match file by linking to it through odbc from access, but honestly, I don't recommend it. If you're running a big show like you describe and you've inadvertently introduced any sort of database integrity issues in your match file caused by what I call "jabbing ezwinscore in the side with a fork" (that is, doing any sort of major manipulations of the match file externally from ezws) and your system decides to shred itself for whatever reason at the match....... SHUDDER!!!!

[wgnoyes]

Oh by the way, you need to be running EZWS 3.06, not 3.05. 3.06 fixed a problem where a lower classifier score could be included in the classifier upload file instead of the highest classifier score. Get it from http://www.uspsa.org/ezwinscore/program.shtml

[MoNsTeR]

No, you can't import excel into ezws; there's no built-in path to import registrations from any external form into ezws. You instead really need to just go ahead and start registering your folks in ezws the way the system is intended to be used.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but, why?

Our paper registration process has become very slow and is starting to delay match starts, so I want to build an online registration system for the clubs in my section (in fact I've already created a working prototype). If there's really no way to import from say, a comma-delimited text file, into EZWS, we're going to have to print off the list of registrations and then enter them again by hand. That's some dark ages I.T. right there, and data entry errors will be inevitable, thus defeating half the purpose.

Is an import feature at least planned for an upcoming version?

[LChico]

No, you can't import excel into ezws; there's no built-in path to import registrations from any external form into ezws. You instead really need to just go ahead and start registering your folks in ezws the way the system is intended to be used.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but, why?

Our paper registration process has become very slow and is starting to delay match starts, so I want to build an online registration system for the clubs in my section (in fact I've already created a working prototype). If there's really no way to import from say, a comma-delimited text file, into EZWS, we're going to have to print off the list of registrations and then enter them again by hand. That's some dark ages I.T. right there, and data entry errors will be inevitable, thus defeating half the purpose.

Is an import feature at least planned for an upcoming version?

Let me know if you get a positive response. I have been asking for this since 1999.

Linda Chico (L-2035)

Columbia SC

[John Heiter]

+1. We did our first online registration for our local match last weekend and it worked great. I exported the database I populated through the web form to excel and then used a "mail merge" word template to have everyone pre-printed score sheets ready to go at the start of the match. Would really be nice if I could import data in a properly formatted tab sep. file, excel file, etc. straight into EZWS.

Edited July 7, 2010 by John Heiter

[wgnoyes]

I have nothing against this. One of the things that concerns Rob and Roger on this is that the data created externally hasn't gone through any sort of filtering or editing. For instance, you might register someone on your system as production with major power factor and a direct import would not catch that. (That's happened!) Or you put in a bogus uspsa number prefix or a non-existent or misspelled division and blow up the classification update cycle in Sedro Woolley when scores are uploaded. It's a very real concern. My response to that is, well, so why can't we do data validation during the import process and that won't be an issue? I can't find in my emails where it was said, but I know I've read recently that an import feature is on the list of things to do, I just don't know how far down the list it is.

You have to know the record layout of the competitors table, and there are a LOT of fields. For now, those of you interested that want to try to populate the DBA_Competitors table of a match .db file yourselves, I've attached a workbook showing the current Version 4 record layout, as best as I can determine with the design view in MSAccess looking at a linked table. It shows you, amongst other things and again as best as I can determine, which fields are actually populated during the ezws registration process in a pistol match. But please be advised, this is neither recommended nor supported. I would not try this with ANY match until becoming VERY comfortable with the process and practicing it A LOT! I definitely wouldn't do it with a major match. The memory of Roger and I huddled over a computer in a hotel room having to issue external SQL commands to repair a shredded 2003 Nationals match file after having keyed in a days worth of scoresheets (you could enter scores all you wanted but you couldn't calculate results) because it was populated incorrectly ahead of time by an Access application is still chilling.

DBA_Competitors.zip

Edited July 9, 2010 by wgnoyes

[j33716]

We in Florida are also ready to go on importing from Online Registration and payment.

It's the one thing left to expedite processing of entries the day before the match starts

Our test site is http://www.matchsignup.org

[MoNsTeR]

OK I now have a copy of EZWinScore 4.05 to play with and my thinking has changed a bit. I'm noticing that when EZWS is running there is a Sybase/iAnywhere database server process running alongside it. I figured out the connect info and was able to connect to the masternames database using SQuirreL and a JDBC driver for iAnywhere that I downloaded from Sybase. Unfortunately when I connect I just get a bunch of errors about missing metadata that the JDBC driver expects. I then tried to create an ODBC DSN and dig around using Excel and Microsoft Query. After some initial failures, I got that to work! I can browse the various tables and assemble a query. This isn't a very good way to dig around but it's a great proof of concept.

What would be really great is if I could get a good working connection from SQuirreL, or find some other query/browser tool that can connect through ODBC. I'm off to look for one now, but if anyone can point me in a useful direction that'd be great.

Anyway, once I'm at a point where I can easily query the contents of the database, I'll be able to run through some test cases to see what data I need to emulate EZWS' DML operations. Once I have that, I can write a utility to parse a text file, open the EZWS database, and create the match, register competitors, etc. Once I can do that I can finish up the web frontend and then it's off to the races.

Edit: oh snap I was able to get SQuirreL to connect using the JDBC ODBC Bridge driver

Edited September 2, 2010 by MoNsTeR

[wgnoyes]

Yes, the sybase adaptive server anywhere address space has to be running before you can access anything. As a matter of practice for things like this, I just go ahead and create a separate desktop shortcut that launches this separately without ezws.

The "target" is C:\USPSA\EzWinScore\rteng9.exe -n infofile

The "start in" is C:\USPSA\EzWinScore

And I turn on "run program as administrator".

[Tim Egan]

Monster,

Email me for our method to export access into ezw.

Worked two years in a row.

TimE