Import clients from an existing Practice CS database into a separate Practice CS database

Main tab
Client ID
EIN
FYE
Sort Name
Name 1
Name 2
Class
Status
Start Date
Individual First Name
Individual Last Name
Spouse First Name
Spouse Last Name
Contact tab
Name
Title
Company
Salutation
FileAs
Primary Phone Type
Business Phone Number
Fax Phone Number
Car Phone Number
Home Phone Number
Primary Address Type
Primary Address line 1
Primary Address line 2
Primary Address City
Primary Address State
Primary Address Zip Code
Primary Address Country
Business Address line 1
Business Address line 2
Business Address City
Business Address State
Business Address Zip Code
Business Address Country
Other Address line 1
Other Address line 2
Other Address City
Other Address State
Other Address Zip Code
Other Address Country
Primary Email
Email Address 1
Email Address 2
Email Address 3
Website URL
Billing and A/R tab
Days until Invoice is Due

Export

Select
File
,
Export
, then
Clients
.
Mark the
Other
checkbox for the option
Export To
.
Select the ellipsis near the
Other
checkbox and browse to the location where you want to save this file.
note
Don't save this file in the Practice CS Integration folder.
Go to
File name
and enter a name for the file then verify
Save as type
shows XML Data (*.xml). Select
Save
.
Select the clients that you'd like to bring into the new database.
Select
Export Selected
.
After exporting the file, verify that it was created in the specified location.

Import

You'll need to create a new database. If you already have a database, continue to the next step.
In Practice CS, select
File
then
Open Firm
.
Use the
Open Firm
dropdown to select the database you want to import into. Select
OK
to open the database.
Select
Setup
then
Firm
.
Select the
Preferences
tab.
Select the
Integrate this Firm with other solutions
checkbox.
note
Upon marking this box, you may be warned that the option can only be selected on 1 firm. In order to export, you'll need to select
Yes
here. Once the import is finished, you can leave the integration turned on for the current firm or open the original firm and turn integration back on there.
Go to
Setup
,
System Configuration
, then
File Locations
.
Verify the
Practice CS Data path
is entered and accurate. Make a note of the data path.
note
The default data location is
X:\WinCSI\Practice CS Data
, where X is the mapped drive or UNC path where Practice CS is installed. You can select
Use Default Paths
to automatically set all paths to default.
Select
OK
to close the File Locations window.
Using the Windows Explorer, go to the location where the .XML file was saved during the Export process.
Right-click the .XML file and select
Copy
.
Go to to the data path from Step 7. Once inside the
Practice CS Data
folder, open the
Data
folder, then open the
Integration
folder.
Right-click and
Paste
the .XML file into the
Integration
folder. The .XML file should show in the folder.
In Practice CS, select
View
then
Refresh
or select
Refresh
on the toolbar.
note
At this time, the .XML file should disappear from the Integration folder. If it doesn't, try selecting
Refresh
again, going to another Practice CS screen, or closing and re-opening the firm database using
File
,
Close Firm
and then 
File
,
Open Firm
.
Select
Setup
then
Clients
to verify the clients were imported.

You'll need to create a new database. If you already have a database, continue to the next step.
In Practice CS, select
File
then
Open Firm
.
Use the Open Firm dropdown to select the database you want to import into. Select
OK
to open the database.
Select
Setup
then
Firm
.
Select the
Preferences
tab.
Select the
Integrate this Firm with other solutions
checkbox.
note
Upon marking this box, you may be warned that the option can only be selected on 1 firm. In order to export, you'll need to select
Yes
here. Once the import is finished, you can leave the integration turned on for the current firm or open the original firm and turn integration back on there.
Go to
Setup
,
System Configuration
, then
File Locations
.
Verify the Practice CS Data path is set to Y:\Practice CS Data. You can select
Use Default Paths
to automatically set all paths to default.
Select
OK
to close the File Locations window.
Open a Microsoft Office application in Virtual Office, such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.
In the Microsoft application, select
File
then
Open
.
Select the
Browse
option.
Select
Computer
.
Select the drive where the .XML file was saved during the export process. Your local drive is called C$. For example: your network drive is the T: drive, you will see T$ as an option.
Find the location of the .XML file and select it once to highlight it. Don't open it.
Select
CTRL+C
to copy the .XML file.
Select
Computer
again.
Select
wincsi
,
Practice CS Data
,
data
, then
Integration
.
Once inside the Integration folder, select
CTRL + V
to paste the .XML file.
Leave the Microsoft application’s Open window open and bring up Practice CS.
In Practice CS, select
View
then
Refresh
or select
Refresh
on the toolbar.
note
At this time, the .XML file should disappear from the Integration folder. If it doesn’t, try selecting
Refresh
again, going to another Practice CS screen, or closing and re-opening the firm database using
File
,
Close Firm
and then
File
,
Open Firm
.
Once the .XML file disappears, select
Cancel
on the Microsoft application’s Open window and close the Microsoft application.
In Practice CS, select
Setup
then
Clients
to verify the clients were imported.

Remember, the import process takes time. A handful of clients will show up right away. A few hundred clients might take 20 minutes. Thousands of clients could take hours.
If the import isn't working after a considerable waiting period, you may need to rename the
integrationsettings.xml
located in
X:\WinCSI\Practice CS Data\Data
. All users must exit the program before this file can be renamed.