Frequently Asked Questions

Q Can I integrate data gathered on my website directly into Outlook?

A We're often asked about integrating data gathered from clients' websites directly into someone's favorite business software, such as Outlook, Goldmine, Act, or QuickBooks. The issue with these software applications is that they are proprietary. That means we can't get into the code to make the kind of connections necessary to directly port data into them.

That does not mean web-based data cannot be utilized in these programs. Web-based data can be exported as CSV files and then imported into most of these kinds of programs. The user can export all or selected data (as opposed to everything in a particular record set) if the need to do so is known when the database system is being designed and built.

Most proprietary applications can also export CSV data to be incorporated with your web data. The problem is that proprietary import/export routines rarely contain much flexibility. Often, you can only elect to export the entire record set, when you may want only a portion of it. Custom routines may need to be written to make the exported data useable.

It's like Yogi Berra said: "In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is."

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