importing data from snapshot

[david.hawk]

Hey John,
Blessings! I am finally getting on the bandwagon since we are on HMA. I have installed the latest Donor Manager but now I cannot import any of the monthly files from Snapshot. When I go through the process and click on the file I want, it says "Sorry I don't know how to handle that type of file / Error 2"

What am I doing wrong. In Snapshot I am clicking on export to Donor Manager, saving it to a file and then selecting that file from Donor manager.

Thanks for the help!

David Hawk

[jmuehleisen]

Hi David,

Nice to hear from you, and welcome home.

A while back, when Snapshot was updated, Vitaly made a few changes to how the program works that require the export steps to be done in a certain sequence.

Sometimes, when exporting for the Donor Manager from Snapshot, you actually end up with an empty file. Check one of the files you are having trouble importing by opening the file in Excel. Chances are it is basically blank.

So, here’s the sequence you need to follow:

In Shapshot, select your month and year, the click the <Update> button under the date area. Wait a few seconds while Snapshot gets the data for that month.

Next (and this is the key step), hit the <Show Details> button. Wait for Snapshot to fetch the details.

Now, you can click the <Export for Donor Manager> button and you’ll get a file with data.

Now, here’s the catch. If you go and get another month, the <Export to Donor Manager> button is still “live” and available. But, unless you hit the <Show Details> button, you’ll end up an empty data file.

Chances are, that’s where the problem is.

I hope that helps! See you later.

John

PS: For non WGM users, “Snapshot” is the name of WGM’s web interface to contribution data and is the way WGM staff get access to their contribution data.