How to convert from
ACT! to Salesforce.com

Here is a page from the Help feature included in Salesforce.com
showing the procedure developed by Brian Astle of Oakhurst.

ACT! to Salesforce using ACT!PAK!

ACT! allows you to export contact data in a text-delimited format which can then be imported. Using a third-party tool, you can also export notes from ACT! and then import them into accounts and contacts.

• Exporting Contacts from ACT!
• Exporting Notes from ACT!

Exporting Contacts from ACT!

To export contact data from ACT! (versions 4.0 or 2000), follow the steps below:

1. Launch ACT! and open your database.
2. Select File | Data Exchange | Export....
3. Select the file type Text-Delimited.
4. Choose a filename and location for the exported data and click Next.
5. Select Contact records only.
6. Click the Options... button.
7. Select Comma for the field separator character.
8. Check the Yes, export field names check box and click OK.
9. Click Next.
10. Select All Records and then click Next.
11. Leave the export field order list alone, and click Finish.

Exporting Notes from ACT!

Before importing your ACT! notes, you must import your ACT! contacts. Using ACT!PAK!, you can export your ACT! notes into a file for import. You can download ACT!PAK! from www.oakpro.com/prod01_ACTPAK.htm; the software costs about $99.

To export notes from ACT! (versions 4.0 or 2000), follow the steps below:

1. Install and launch ACT!PAK!.
2. Open the ACT! database from which you want to export notes, and set it up to export to Microsoft Excel.
3. In ACT!PAK!, choose Transfer from the Excel menu.
4. In the "Transfer" dialog:
   1. Choose Contact under Select Record Type.
   2. Choose Lookup under ACT! Contacts.
   3. Under Select Fields, make sure Contact Fields is selected in the drop-down menu.
   4. Add the following fields from the field list on the left to the list on the right: Company, Last Name, First Name.
   5. Change the Select Record Type selection to Notes/History.
   6. Under Select Fields, make sure NoteHistory Fields is selected in the drop-down menu.
   7. Under Select Fields, add the Regarding field to the list of fields in the box on the right. Add any other note field data you want to export, e.g., Date.
   8. Under Hold File, select a location for your export file, and click Transfer.
5. When the transfer finishes, locate your exported file and change its file extension from .txt to .csv.
6. Open the file in Excel.
7. If necessary, clean up the file prior to importing it. Common problems include notes that have been broken between columns (this occurs when notes contain quotation marks).

When importing your data, do not map the note fields until the final step when you are prompted to map extra fields. Choose "Include in Contact Note" to import your ACT! notes into salesforce.com contact notes.

See Also: Oakhurst Systems

If you would like to convert from SalesForce.com to ACT!
click here for the procedure developed by Rick Shaddock