The Event Menu Import is used to bulk-load Event Menus into RMS via a .csv file.

Overview

An Event Menu is a preset menu in the Event Management module. An Event Menu can be assigned to an Event Task, or selected when you create an event, and it appears on the Event Runsheet and the Event Order.

The Event Menu Import allows properties to add multiple Event Menus to RMS in a single operation rather than creating each one individually. This is particularly useful during initial setup or when migrating data from another system.

The sections below outline the requirements for the Event Menu Import in RMS.

Please Note! RMS is highly configurable. Some Terminology, User Access & Permissions, Images, Labels, and Functions used in these articles may differ from your setup. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Import Overview

• A subscription to the Event Management module is required to use Event Menus in RMS.
• To start the import, go to Tools > Data Import and select Menu (Event) as the File Type. There are no import options to choose from.
• The import file must be in a comma-delimited .csv format (Field Delimiter).
• If a data field within this file contains commas, it should be surrounded with "double quotes" (Text Delimiter).
• The import file must contain exactly four columns in every row. A row with more or fewer columns stops the import with an error message. Blank fields still need their commas.
• The import only creates new Event Menus. It cannot update an Event Menu that already exists in RMS.
• Microsoft Excel is able to save using a .csv format that matches these requirements. Save the file with UTF-8 encoding so that accented characters are kept.
• If you include a header row, make the first column heading Name (capital letters do not matter). RMS skips a first row that starts with Name. A first row that starts with any other text, such as Menu Name, is imported as an Event Menu.

Import File Field Order

Event Menu Data Rules

The Event Menu Import applies the following rules to the data in each row of the import file.

Name and Description Rules

Each Event Menu Name and Description must follow these rules.

• Each Name must be unique within the import file. Names are not case sensitive, so "Breakfast" and "breakfast" count as the same name.
• A Name that already exists in RMS is rejected, whatever its capitalisation. The existing Event Menu is not changed.
• Names are limited to 50 characters, and Descriptions to 100 characters.

Important! A Name longer than 50 characters, or a Description longer than 100 characters, is not rejected. Validate and Import both report the row as successful, but RMS saves only the first 50 or 100 characters. Keep Names and Descriptions within these limits before you import.

Line Breaks, Commas and Special Characters

The import file handles commas, line breaks, pipes and accented characters as follows.

• Text that contains a comma must be surrounded with "double quotes", otherwise the comma starts a new column.
• Text inside double quotes keeps its line breaks, so a multi-line Menu can be imported as one field.
• A pipe character (|) is saved as a pipe. It is not converted to a line break.
• A file saved with UTF-8 encoding keeps accented characters. A file saved in the older Windows-1252 (ANSI) encoding imports without an error, but an accented character is saved as a replacement character.

How Does the Import Work on Multi-Property Databases?

On a multi-property database, the Data Import screen shows a Property drop-down above the File Type. The import file has no Property column, and the Property chosen on the Data Import screen does not change where an Event Menu is available. Every imported Event Menu shows (All) in the Property column of the Event Menu list, and its Properties tab is empty. An Event Menu name that already exists is rejected whichever Property is selected.

Tip! To make an imported Event Menu available at specific properties only, for example a lunch menu for one property and a breakfast menu for two others, open the Event Menu under Setup > Event Management > Menu, go to the Properties tab and add the properties. This is done for each Event Menu after the import.

What Do the Import Messages Mean?

The Event Menu Import shows the messages below when a row cannot be imported or the file cannot be read.

Import Validation

To ensure that your data is clean, consistent, and ready for the Live production environment after it has been validated and imported into the Training environment, follow these steps. For the full process, see Data Validation & Trial Imports.

1. On the Data Import screen, select Validate before you select Import. The results show how many records were processed, how many were successful and how many were unsuccessful. The header row, if there is one, is counted as a processed record.
2. Review any unsuccessful rows in the Results grid, correct the file and validate again.
3. Select Import and confirm when asked.
4. Navigate to Setup > Event Management > Menu.
5. Confirm that the imported Event Menus appear in the list, and that the Name and Description columns match your import file. Imported Event Menus are active.
6. Select an imported Event Menu and check that the Name, Description, Menu and Notes fields match your import file.
7. Repeat the process for additional imported records to confirm the entire file imported correctly.

Tip! The import does not set Print in Highlight, so it is unticked on every imported Event Menu. To print the Event Menu name in bold on the Event Order and Event Runsheet, open the Event Menu under Setup > Event Management > Menu and tick Print in Highlight. The same screen is used to correct any imported Event Menu, because the import cannot update existing records.

Downloadable Import File

The attached import file below contains the required file format for an Event Menu Import. Download the file and review the column headers. Populate the file with your data, ensuring that each field corresponds to the matching column.

> Next Article: Data Validation & Trial Imports