INSTRUCTIONS FOR IMPORTING DATA INTO SCHEDULE A
Download this spreadsheet - Schedule A template by right-clicking and clicking “Save” or "Save Target to..." You may name the file any name.
Follow these rules:
All of the columns must be on the spreadsheet in exactly the same order as the downloaded file.
You may resize the width of a column and change the font
The spreadsheet must have only one "worksheet" (see the tab at the bottom) and it must be named "Sheet1"
The column headings in row 1 on the downloaded file must be on the sheet you import on row 1 the same way.
There must be no blank lines until the end of your list.
The transactions must all be for Schedule A - Contributions, and no other form.
A single spreadsheet may have no more than 2,500 records, but you may upload more than one spreadsheet if you have more than 2,500 Schedule A transactions.
Only upload the transactions ONCE.
These fields are required:
Contribution Date - this MUST be a
date within the range of the dates on your cover sheet page 1
- For example, January 15, 2016 filings this will be the period 7/1/15 to 12/31/15 for
most filers
- The dates must appear in the mm/dd/yyyy format, like 10/12/2015, not as
"Oct-12-2015" or some other format
Name – Person’s name or Business name is required
There must either be a valid person's name in the First Name and Last Name fields, or there must be a business/organization name in the "Contributor organization" field
A compound first name like "Jack & Jill" is allowed in the first Name field.
"Contributor organization" is for a business or an organization. Do not use "Contributor organization" for a person’s name.
The only "Titles" allowed are "Mr", "Ms", "Mrs", and "Dr". Others such as "Rev", "Hon" and "Judge" are not allowed. Do not add the period at the end of "Mr/Ms/Mrs/Dr". You may leave the field blankOnly put one character for Middle Initial. For example, do not put "H."; only put the "H" The system will reject more than one character.
It is allowed to put both a person’s name and a organization name.
House Number – Street Address or P O Box is
required
(INPUT
ONLY ONE OF THE TWO – NOT BOTH)
There must be a valid mailing address - but DO NOT put both a P O Box and a House Number and Street Name(or you will get an error when you import)
For a valid street address, both a House Number and Street Name is required, and “Apt or Suite” is optional (You may put or omit "#" in the apartment number - it is not required)
For a P O Box, ONLY PUT THE P O BOX. Do not put a House Number , Street Name or “Apt or Suite” on the same line with a P O Box
- Don't type "P.O. Box" - just type the numberThe Street Name may not contain commas, so don't type "Marilla, 5th floor". Put the "5thFl" or suite information in the “Apt or Suite” field
The “Apt or Suite” field allows only 5 characters
City
State - 2 character abbreviation - only the standard codes from the postal service are accepted
Zip Code – This is formatted as text in order to allow a leading zero to be shown
Contribution amount - it must be a positive number with no more than 2 decimals
Type ("C" or "O") - This is a new field added by the Dallas City Council by Ordinance on February 25, 2015. It requires that filers indicate the amount of officeholder contributions used for campaign expenditures, distinguish between campaign and officeholder contributions, and distinguish between campaign and officeholder expenditures.
These Fields are optional:
Title, MI (middle initial) and Suffix of a person's name, and NickName
- Middle Initial must be blank or only 1 character
Apt or Suite
Zip Code Extension
ADDITIONAL WARNINGS
Any record that has an apostrophe anywhere in the name fields will upload properly and display properly. But later, if you want to use that name again by clicking on it, or you want to edit that name and address later in the Campaign Finance application, you will not be able to use or edit the address. (Hint: Type "Kinkos" instead of "Kinko's) This applies only to First Name, Last Name, and Contributor Organization.
ERROR MESSAGES WHEN
IMPORTING
The system will give you an error message table showing any omitted, required
information. It will show the information on the line with the error and state
specifically what has to be corrected.
BLANK LINES may attempt to import.. This will cause errors that say you are missing all of the data on a line. There must be no blank lines within the block of your data. If there are any stray blank characters below your data, this will also cause a "blank line" error. It fix this, delete about 100 lines below where the data stops to eliminate any stray blanks.
Field sizes and Rules:
Field |
Max |
Text or |
Blank |
Rule |
Contribution Date |
Date |
MM/DD/YYYY |
NO |
Required |
Title |
3 |
Text |
Yes |
Must be Dr, Mr, Ms, or Mrs only |
First Name |
50 |
Text |
Yes |
Required |
MI (Middle Initial) |
1 |
Text |
Yes |
ONE character only (Put Middle name in First name field if desired) |
Last Name |
50 |
Text |
Yes |
Required |
Suffix |
10 |
Text |
Yes |
e.g. Jr, III, Sr |
Nick Name |
50 |
Text |
Yes |
|
House Number |
5 |
Numeric |
Yes |
Required DO NOT put both P O Box and House Number |
Street Name |
50 |
Text |
Yes |
Required DO NOT use a comma DO NOT put both P O Box and House Number |
P O Box |
15 |
Numeric |
Yes |
Required DO NOT put both P O Box and House Number |
Apt or Suite |
5 |
Text |
Yes |
|
City |
50 |
Text |
NO |
Required |
State Abbrv |
2 |
Text |
NO |
Required Capital letters, US Postal code |
Zip Code |
5 |
Text |
NO |
Required |
Zip Code Extension |
4 |
Numeric |
Yes |
|
Contribution Amount |
9 |
Numeric with 2 decimals |
NO |
Required |
Type of Contribution |
|
Text |
|
Required |
Dallas City Council meeting minutes
are prepared under the authority of the City Secretary |