Tutorial: How to import data into Lotus Notes -- without programming

There have been several tips recently on SearchDomino.com related to data import for Lotus Notes:

• Importing data from files
• Exporting to and from Microsoft Excel
• Importing data from a text file into a Lotus Notes calendar

These tips are useful and show ways to write LotusScript code that help with many import scenarios. Suppose, however, that you want to import data to Lotus Notes, but you're not a programmer. Or maybe you're a programmer, but want an import method that is faster to set up. In this tutorial, I present three such techniques.

The first works quickly for up to 8,000 records. The second takes a little more time to set up (but still no programming) and works for up to 65,000 records. The third has no apparent limit.

Before starting, let me issue one caveat: I will describe how to perform static data import, not real-time data import. By "static" I mean a set of data items that is fixed while you are doing the import. The static information might be cells in a spreadsheet, the contents of another software application, or a relational database file.

Real-time data import relates to items that are constantly changing, such as stock market prices, airline reservations -- or IBM Lotus's marketing message about Lotus Notes and WebSphere. For these situations, see Lotus Enterprise Integrator. Of course, you can transform any real-time data import problem into a static case by just capturing the data at one point in time.

TUTORIAL: HOW TO IMPORT DATA INTO NOTES -- WITHOUT PROGRAMMING

 Home: Introduction
 Part 1: How to import up to 8,000 data records into Lotus Notes
 Part 2: How to import up to 65,000 data records into Lotus Notes
 Part 3: How to import an unlimited number of data records into Lotus Notes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chuck Connell, Consultant Chuck Connell is president of CHC-3 Consulting, which helps organizations with all aspects of Lotus Notes and Domino.