IMPORTING PLAYERS FROM RAPID MASTERFILE INTO SWISS PERFECT

The ACF Masterfile, the national rating system database, is now available as a Swiss Perfect tournament file – registration of players in tournaments has never been easier!

For tournament organisers/arbiters not yet familiar with using the player import facility, there are some steps to follow first to set up the database for use.

1. Download the database file ACFRAPIDSP0604.EXE (or similar filiname) from the Ratings page (the download dialog box will show into which folder the file will be downloaded – change to a preferred folder if you wish before clicking Save, but in either case note which folder is being used).
2. Open Start -> Run then Browse to locate the folder in which ACFRAPIDSP0604.EXE was downloaded. Locate ACFRAPIDSP0604.EXE (a self-extracting compressed file) in the browse window and click the file name to highlight it. Click OK.
3. The self-extractor will open the decompression dialog box, showing the file as ready to Unzip to the default folder, C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. Overwrite the default folder to your Swiss Perfect folder C:\SP98 (or use the Browse button to locate your Swiss Perfect folder). Click Finish. The file will decompress and add a new file to your Swiss Perfect folder, ACFRAPID.TRN  (or similar filename). You are now ready to start importing player details.
4. Start Swiss Perfect and initiate a new tournament – call it Test or whatever. When ready to start, click Player -> Import (or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + I ). A dialog box will open saying "Importing from C:\SP98\ACFRAPID.TRN. Use Options/Import Setup if you want to change the database." (If the specified database is NOT acfrapid.trn, then you do want to change the database – press ESC then from the SP menu bar select Options -> Import setup, locate and click on the file ACFRAPID.TRN to highlight it, then click Open.
5. The Import Player Setup screen appears, used for identifying (‘mapping’) each data column (‘field’) in the database. The screen should be already filled in for you. NOTE PARTICULARLY that the Local ID and Rating Loc. Fields must be completed – if they are blank key in LOC_ID and LOC_RTG.
6. In the Surname Field Options make sure the ‘First name is part of Surname’ box is NOT ticked. If it is, click the button to disable it (i.e. remove the tick).
7. Click the Save Mapping As.. button. In the new Enter Mapping Name box type ACF. Click OK – ACF now appears in the Mapping Name box. When used in future, use the arrow beside the Mapping Name to drop down the saved names, and click ACF – the saved mapping will be opened ready for use.
8. Click OK. A dialog box appears – ‘The database file has no index for searching. Do you want to create one?’ Click Yes. The Import Player screen appears, with all players on the masterfile listed in the left window (the file is actually broken up into chunks – the first includes surnames A’Burrow – Ager, the next Ager – Ally, and so on).
9. Click the Find button. The Find Player screen appears. In the Search by segment make sure Surname is enabled, then in Search for type your first player’s surname (upper or lower case makes no difference) e.g rogers. Click OK. The first Rogers in the file is found (Rogers, Andrew QLD). Scroll down to find the player you want – Rogers, Ian NSW. A quick check of the Selected Player details in the right segment will confirm you have the right player. Click the Import button. A new box tells you ‘Rogers successfully imported’ Click OK – Ian Rogers has now been added, with his file details, to your List of Players.
10. Click Find again and search for the next player, then import.
11. If a player is not found on the masterfile, register him manually from the SP menu Player -> Add new. Make sure his State is added to the Federation field, and the Birth Date and Gender fields are filled in.

Once you get the hang of it, registering players is fast and easy, and error-free.