Do you have an existing SQL Server table that you want to adopt into your Blackbaud CRM™ and want to setup some staging tables. family? The first question you have to ask is “Why would you want to do that”? For this example, let’s say you have an existing or ancillary system that you want to sync with Blackbaud CRM™

You could open up SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and look at the table schema. Next you would open up Visual Studio and create a brand-new table spec by looking at each column and translating it by hand to a Blackbaud CRM SDK field type. However, if you are short on time, and who isn’t, you could use this handy script to get you started.

For example, you have an existing table that handles volunteer's timesheet entries

First we will need to populate our variables in the script with the OBJECTNAME (which is the table we are converting). This OBJECTNAME will translate to the CRM Record Type and will generate a CRM Table with the USR_ prefix.

Next, we create a table variable and populate with the fields from our SQL Table

The script will translate your SQL Columns into Blackbaud CRM Field Types and generate a XML Document you can cut and paste into a new table spec.

Finally, you can cut and paste your table spec into your Visual Studio and LoadSpec it!

If you'd like a copy of the script, please log into DropBox to download a copy.

If you'd like to learn more about BrightVine, or our services, please contact us today.