Importing The File

At the time of writing the following bulk handler formats are supported:

• GrainCorp Acquisition File
• GrainCorp Payrun File
• Viterra (AusBulk) Acquisition File

Imported loads are created as saved loads to allow you to review them prior to processing in the usual way.

To import loads from your Bulk Handler file, select the Utility | Import | Loads From Defined Format File menu:

The Import Loads From Bulk Handler File window will be displayed.

Click the Browse button to locate and select the Defined Format file containing the loads you want to import, and select the Import File Format from the drop-down box.

Select the various optional settings as described below:

If you select the Use the imported Docket No as Load Number option and a load with that number already exists when you try to import it, you will be prompted as shown below: Take one of the following actions:

• Click Yes to use the next auto Load Number instead of the Ticket Number as the Load Number. Select this option only if you are certain this load has not been imported before; the duplicate Load Number must just be a coincidence.
• Click No to skip this load and continue; for example you've imported this file before, have corrected some errors and are now re-importing it. (Unless you've changed the Weighbridge Ticket numbers for the load already imported, you should already have been prompted about the duplicate Ticket Number on this load.)
• Click Cancel to abort the import altogether; for example you might not have realised this file has previously been imported.

In any event a record noting the duplicate and your action will be saved in the import log file.

If you select the Use the next auto Load Number option you'll not be prompted about this because Grain Trader ensures a Load Number is not duplicated.

If you select the Prompt me to choose what action to take option and a load with that Weighbridge Ticket number already exists (in either Weighbridge Ticket field) when you try to import it, you will be prompted as shown below: Take one of the following actions:

• Click Yes to save the load with the same Ticket Number. Select this option only if you are certain this load has not been imported before; the duplicate Ticket Number must just be a coincidence. Note that if you have also selected to use the Ticket Number as the Load Number as described above, and a load with that Load Number already exists you will be prompted again about the duplicate Load Number, as described above.
• Click No to skip this load and continue; for example you've imported this file before, have corrected some errors and are now re-importing it. A record noting the duplicate and your action will be saved in the import log file.
• Click Cancel to abort the import altogether; for example you might not have realised this file has previously been imported. A record noting the duplicate and your action will be saved in the import log file.

If you select the Don't import the load; just log it and skip to the next one option the record will just be skipped; for example you've imported this file before, have corrected some errors and are now re-importing it. A record noting the duplicate and your action will be saved in the import log file.

If you select the Prompt me to choose what action to take option and a load with a Contract is being imported, and whose imported commodity is not one of the Grain Trader Commodities on the Contract, you will be prompted as shown below:

Take one of the following actions:

• Click Yes to save the load and use this contract anyway. This is the equivalent of clicking the Show All button on the Load window in Grain Trader and selecting a Contract with a different Commodity on it. The import log file record will include a notation that you should check the details for this load.
• Click No to import the load but ignore the imported contract, leaving the Grain Trader Load without a Contract.
• Click Cancel to skip the load altogether.

In any event the details of the load and your action will be recorded in the import log file.

The remaining three options on this panel have the same actions as the three responses above, except that the action will be taken automatically and no prompt will be raised.

If a load being imported contains data for a Metric for which you have not recorded a cross-reference value as described in Matching Metrics, this checkbox governs the program's action.

• If the checkbox is unticked a record will be stored in the import log file.
• If the checkbox is ticked, no error will be logged and the data will be ignored.

In either case, and all other things being equal, the load will still be imported.

When the import has finished, either normally or abnormally because you aborted the process, a dialog similar to the following will be displayed:

If no errors or warnings have been logged the dialog will just advise you of the number of records imported successfully. A log file will still have been created; it will contain the basic details such as the name of the imported file and number of loads successfully imported, so that you can review it later to see what was done. Otherwise the dialog will also advise you how many warnings or errors were logged and prompt you to review the log file straight away, as shown in the sample image above. You should always review the log if it exists to ensure you haven't missed importing any loads - for example if a Commodity, Supplier or Storage could not be matched to the import data. You can also review and manage log files later as described in the Managing Import Log Files section below.

If you find errors such as missing NGR numbers or cross-references, you can fix these issues in Grain Trader then re-import the same file, making sure that the import options you have selected and/or responses to prompts will avoid duplicating loads.

You should also be sure to check any loads whose contract was changed, to make sure the correct pricing has been applied to the commodity imported.

If there were no errors or warnings the Defined Format file that contained the loads just imported will be moved from its original location to a folder beneath the folder where your Grain Trader database resides, ie:

{your database folder}\Archived Import Files

so as to make it more difficult to accidentally re-import the same file. If errors or warnings occurred the file will not be moved. You can manage the archived Import files later as described in the Managing Archived Import Files section below.

All imported loads are created as saved loads, and you can review and change them before processing them as normal.

As mentioned a number of times in the documentation above, information about the Defined Format File being imported, together with various errors, warnings and actions taken during the import process is saved to a log file. These files are located in a folder beneath the folder where the Grain Trader database into which the loads are being imported resides, ie:

{your database folder}\Import Log Files

and are named according to the following format: {Database Name} Defined Format Import {yyyy-mm-dd}.log where {Database Name} is the name part of your database (.mdb) file, without the .mdb, and {yyyy-mm-dd} represents the date. It follows that one log file will be created for each combination of a database into which you import loads and the date on which you do the import. Multiple imports on one day into the same database just keep appending information to the same log file. Each import session is clearly defined and includes details such as the file being imported, the date and time and the selected import file format.

You should always review the log file if errors or warnings occurred during your import, to ensure you haven't missed any loads (for example, due to NGR numbers, commodities or storages that can't be matched to your Grain Trader equivalents). Similarly, even if loads have been imported there might be missing Metric data, different Contract numbers and so on.

You can either review the log file on completion of the import process by clicking OK at the prompt, as described in Finishing the Import above, or from the Log Files tab on the Import Loads From Defined Format File window.

The default folder being viewed is that in which log files relating to imports into this database will be created. However if you have multiple databases in different folders you can also use the browse (…) button to select a different folder if needed to manage the log files (if any) in that location.

Select one or more rows in the grid and click either View to review the log file in your plain text editor (eg Notepad), or Delete to delete them.

As mentioned above, when you have imported a Defined Format file without errors or warnings it will be moved into the archive folder to make it easier to avoid re-importing the same file at a later date. This folder is located beneath that in which the Grain Trader database into which the loads are being imported resides, ie:

{your database folder}\Archived Import Files

You can manage these archived files from the Archived Import Files tab on the Import Loads From Defined Format File window.

The default folder being viewed is that into which the import files relating to imports into this database will be moved. However if you have multiple databases in different folders you can also use the browse (…) button to select a different folder if needed to manage the archived import files (if any) in that location.

Select one or more rows in the grid and click Delete to delete them.