Importing Data to TM

Theatre Manager supports the importing of Patron information and Theatre Map Seat Names. This section describes how to prepare a file and import information into the Patron files.

For Patron data, you can import demographic data only (names, address, phone numbers, email address, etc.). Transactional data, such as ticket history, donation history or other purchases must be imported by Arts Management Systems.

The Import Process

Importing a file consists of a number of steps:

1. Obtaining a data file either by purchasing one or exporting the data fields from another program.
2. Preparing the data file in tab-delimited format by reviewing it, correcting it and aligning columns.
3. Making a backup of the database before an import is strongly recommended. The effect of an import cannot be reversed - the only recourse is to restore to a backup.
4. Deciding which data to include in the import.
5. Deciding which fields should be used to match with existing patron data and merged versus adding data.