Frequently Asked Questions

What about empty values, such as an empty Prefix (Title) field? Do I need to put NULL, or leave the field blank?

Mr. or Mr - is the dot important?

Can I re-run the import? What happens to duplicate records?

What happens if I have a Person, but there is no Family Record?

Must the columns be in the right order? Do the columns have to have exactly the names as shown?

Should I cull my data before I bring it across, or just bring over everybody?

How to extend Excavator to import with my [XYZ] ChMS database type?

Simple version:

1. Download the zipped copy of Excavator from GitHub and rewrite the Excavator.Example project
   
2. Build or copy the compiled library (Excavator.Example.dll) to Excavator\bin
   
3. Run Excavator and select your new database component from the list on the first page
   

Advanced version:

1. Download the zipped copy of Excavator from GitHub
   
2. Add a new Class Library that extends the base ExcavatorComponent class
   
3. Add a reference to Excavator (from Solutions\Projects)
   
4. Add references to the packages inside Excavator\packages\Embeds and set their "Copy Local" property to false.*
   
5. Set the FullName of your specific database model
   
6. Implement the LoadSchema method (a template already exists for MDF files)
   
7. Implement the TransformData method inside your new ExcavatorComponent
   
8. Build or copy the compiled library (.dll) to Excavator\bin
   
9. Run Excavator and select your new database component from the list on the first page
   

* All the packages in Excavator\packages\Embeds are included in Excavator.exe. If you use additional references, set "Copy Local" to true. You will need to add the Costura.Fody (Nuget Package) to your project to make sure the references get compiled inside your DLL.