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I am trying to break my project up into separate family projects. Ie: my family would have one file and husband's would have a separate file. Anyway what is the best method for exporting data from one file to the other. I am using version 6. I have a host of custom census tags that I don't want to have to re-create by hand.

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The best way is not to do it. :)

 

If you have a host of custom tags you are likely to create more in the future, along with custom source types, styles, flags, etc. Managing them becomes a real issue when you break up a data set. Re-creating them by hand is the only reasonable way. Not to mention that you can't create ancestor or descendant report or charts that include people in the two separate data sets or projects.

 

If you really want to do it anyway, you need to collect all the folks you want to move to another project, either in a focus group, or by creating a custom flag and marking them with it. The difficulty is that you probabaly have not only the ancestors of you and your husband, but also some of the siblings of those ancestors, some children or other descendants of those siblings, some spouses of those siblings and descendants, some parents, other spouses and children and of those spouses, etc. In general, its not an easy lot to define.

 

Once you have them defined, you can use the Secondary Output of the List of People report to create a new data set or Project. Or you can use the Move People command to move them to a new data set. Either way will keep your existing custom tags intact, but still leave you with the same problem with regard to any future ones.

 

If that's the way you want to go and you have further questions about how to do it, please ask.

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I am trying to break my project up into separate family projects. Ie: my family would have one file and husband's would have a separate file. Anyway what is the best method for exporting data from one file to the other. I am using version 6. I have a host of custom census tags that I don't want to have to re-create by hand.

 

 

I'm just curious as to why you wish to put part of your current project into another one? At the very least, I would maintain them in the same project and create a separate data set. However, again, I'm interested in why you would want to do that.......

 

B)

Joan

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I wanted to create a separate set because my husband and I do not have any children together and his family is huge. The intent was to create two separate more manageable files than the one I have now.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

I'm just curious as to why you wish to put part of your current project into another one? At the very least, I would maintain them in the same project and create a separate data set. However, again, I'm interested in why you would want to do that.......

 

B)

Joan

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There was a thread yesterday "Multiple Data Sets for large Files" where one member said he was happily using one project for 150,000 names.

 

I have 28,000 names and I strongly agree with Terry. You have much more flexibility and much less dual maintenance with using a single project.

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I wanted to create a separate set because my husband and I do not have any children together and his family is huge. The intent was to create two separate more manageable files than the one I have now.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

In that case, I would definitely use 2 datasets in the same project. I have 10 datasets in my personal project: 1 is my primary dataset, 1 is my husband's line which is being researched by my daughter so I keep it locked so she can update it whenever she has more info and the rest are from other researchers which allows me to compare their info on people in my lines and, once I verify and source the info, I can import it into my dataset should I wish but in the meantime am able to see it along side my own.

 

B)

Joan

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In that case, I would definitely use 2 datasets in the same project. I have 10 datasets in my personal project: 1 is my primary dataset, 1 is my husband's line which is being researched by my daughter so I keep it locked so she can update it whenever she has more info and the rest are from other researchers which allows me to compare their info on people in my lines and, once I verify and source the info, I can import it into my dataset should I wish but in the meantime am able to see it along side my own.

There are few cases where I can see any merit to keeping data in separate data sets within single project. It has almost all the disadvantages of using separate projects - difficulty in keeping custom tag types, source types, styles, flags, etc. current, inability to connect people in two data sets, or include them in the same reports and charts, etc.). The only thing is saves is not having to open the other project to switch between the two. And it saves nothing in file size or system performance because all the data sets are intermingled in the same set of files.

 

The one case I can see it useful is as Joan describes, where you want to compare data supplied by someone else with your own.

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There are few cases where I can see any merit to keeping data in separate data sets within single project. <snip>

 

Mostly I would agree with Terry on this. If, however, the husband's family is a great deal larger, it would certainly allow TMG to work faster if that dataset was disabled while doing data entry or creating charts or reports in the other dataset :) Otherwise, absolutely it adds difficulties in being consistent.

 

B)

Joan

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... it would certainly allow TMG to work faster if that dataset was disabled while doing data entry or creating charts or reports in the other dataset...

Have you been able to see this by testing, Joan?

 

From what little I know about how the internals work, I'd not expect that. All the records for all the data sets are intermingled in the files, so I'd think the system has to read through all of them anyway to find the ones it needs for a particular task. I'd not think those from disabled data sets are more quickly disposed of than any other record not needed for that task. But I may be wrong on that.

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I am trying to break my project up into separate family projects. Ie: my family would have one file and husband's would have a separate file. Anyway what is the best method for exporting data from one file to the other. I am using version 6. I have a host of custom census tags that I don't want to have to re-create by hand.

 

It's worth mentioning that when you intend to make another TMG file, you're not going to use "File/Export" rather you're going to make a report using "Report/List of..../People" and click on Options; go to the Secondary output tab and either create a New Project or a New Data Set. If you use File/Export you will lose all your custom tags.

 

Personally, I would start by creating to new projects; one for you and one for your husband. As long as you're using the "Report/List of..." approach all the custom tags you have created will be created in your new projects. Noting that IF you created a custom tag that is used, for example, in your husband's family but not in yours it won't transfer. Also, bear in mind that once you create the two groups if you create another custom tag in one group, you'll have to create it in the other group manually.

 

The biggest issue to worry about is whether you've captured everyone. In your current file, I would dissolve the marriage between you and your husband. Presumably, there would be no other connections between your family and his family, but only you can say whether that's true.

 

Then starting with your husband; create a focus group adding ancestors, descendants, spouses, perhaps multiple times until the head count in the focus group doesn't change. Duplicate that effort by creating a focus group for your family. Make a note of how many names are in each focus group.

 

Just to be confusing.... :) "Names" in a focus group is not the same thing as "Names" in your "Project Summary". It's equivalent to "People" in your Project summary.

 

The number of "Names" in your two focus groups should add up exactly to the number of "People" in your Project Summary. If it doesn't you'll have to figure out why it doesn't. If it does then you use Reports/List of.... to export each focus group to a new project and add back in the marriage between you and your husband.

 

You should view the effort as a one way trip. If years from now you decide this was a bad idea, you're going to be in a lot of trouble.

 

I'm in a similar situation, and I have my file an my wife's file. I saw no meaningful advantage in having one file with two datasets. Actually, I have multiple data sets in my file. I have data sets of different families with the same surname that I suspect are connected but I don't know how.

 

But whether you choose to have two datasets or two projects isn't that important. To create two projects from two data sets in a is pretty trivial or to go to one project with two datasets from two projects is equally trivial.

 

P.S. I've learned there are often multiple ways in TMG to do the same thing, whether what I suggest is "best" is not something I would claim.

 

Good luck,

Jim

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Have you been able to see this by testing, Joan?

 

One of my datasets is significantly larger than any of the others and I've noticed a difference when I've got it disabled. Admittedly not nearly as much difference with this machine which is an Intel duo with lots of speed and lots of memory<g> but on my laptop with less speed and not a duo, it's still noticeable. So, whether it skips that or is somehow able to skim it quicker when disabled I have no idea........

 

B)

Joan

 

From what little I know about how the internals work, I'd not expect that. All the records for all the data sets are intermingled in the files, so I'd think the system has to read through all of them anyway to find the ones it needs for a particular task. I'd not think those from disabled data sets are more quickly disposed of than any other record not needed for that task. But I may be wrong on that.

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