Use a Custom Database

Here are step-by-step instructions for using a custom database — a player database you built yourself in another program (a spreadsheet or general-purpose database app), rather than one SwissSys created for you or an official USCF, CFC, or FIDE download.

Note: Different software packages handle databases differently, and with different degrees of ease and success. The step-by-step instructions below are only guidelines. Consult your software documentation for more details.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1

First make sure your database as shown in your database program is properly prepared for export to one of the formats SwissSys supports: dBase (.dbf), Access (.mdb/.mde), Excel (.xls or .xlsx), or delimited text (.csv, .tsv, .txt).

As a rule, make the field data general text format whenever possible. Some software requires quotes around this kind of data, other software does not. Also make sure the fields are wide enough to display all the data comfortably. This avoids some conversion bugs that have been discovered in various third-party packages.

Step 2

Save your database in the desired format. Modern Excel (.xlsx) and Access (.mdb/.mde) files are read directly — there is no need to “save as” an older file version. For Excel, put your player data on the first worksheet with column headers in row 1.

Save it to the folder where you want SwissSys to use it. Some programs require you to select the data you want to save first, others save the entire database. Consult your software’s documentation if you are in doubt.

Excel files are read using a built-in engine — no Microsoft Office, ACE driver, or ODBC install is required. Access (.mdb/.mde) files do require the Microsoft Access Database Engine to be installed.

Step 3

Go to SwissSys and select Database | Database setup… to open the Database setup dialog.

Database setup dialog for a custom dBase file, showing the Database file box with Browse, the Primary/Secondary radio, the Auto-configure field mapping checkbox, and the Expert field-mapping section

Step 4

Decide whether this is your Primary or Secondary database using the Which database is this? radio buttons near the top of the dialog. Primary is the default. (Use the Swap button if you want to exchange the primary and secondary slots.)

Step 5

In the Database file: field, type the path to your database, or click Browse… to locate it. SwissSys picks the format from the file extension — there is no separate format selector.

When you choose a file, SwissSys inspects it and may show a Detected: label beneath the field (for example, a USCF/CFC/FIDE optimized binary or a USCF+FIDE combined download). For dBase (.dbf) files it also reads the field names and tries to recognize a known layout (USCF, USCF Golden, or CFC).

Step 6

Leave Auto-configure field mapping for this file type checked (the default) so SwissSys fills in the field mapping for you automatically based on what it detected. With auto-configure on, SwissSys applies the matching preset without prompting.

If you clear this checkbox, SwissSys instead asks before applying a detected preset, and you can set the mapping yourself in the Expert panel (Step 7).

For most USCF, CFC, and FIDE downloads, auto-configure is all you need: browse to the file, confirm the detected format, and the field mapping is handled for you. The Expert panel below is only for custom or unrecognized layouts.

Step 7

Only if your database is a custom or unrecognized layout, expand Expert: override individual field mappings / index files to map fields by hand.

In the Expert panel you can:

Control	Purpose
Field boxes (Name, ID number, Rating, Class, Team, etc.)	Type the column or field name from your database that maps to each SwissSys field. Your database may contain extra fields you do not use; only the fields you fill in here are read.
Display field list…	Open a list of the field names SwissSys found in your database. Drag a name from the list and drop it into the appropriate box.
Choose Defaults (USCF Joint, USCF Golden, USCF TARSFLE, CFC, FIDE)	Fill all the boxes from a built-in preset, which you can then adjust.
Clear all	Empty every field box so you can start over.
Save settings… / Load settings…	Save your field mapping to reuse it later, or load a previously saved mapping.
Name index file / I.D. index file	For dBase databases, name the index files (see Step 8).

Optimized binary (.rbin) databases use a fixed built-in schema, so the Expert field-mapping boxes do not apply to them; the panel shows a notice to that effect. Leave auto-configure on for these files.

Step 8

If you are using a dBase (.dbf) database, give names for the index files SwissSys should build, in the Expert panel’s Name index file and I.D. index file boxes. SwissSys searches the database by name and by ID number, so both index files are required for dBase.

The index files can be named anything you want, but the name must use the reserved extension .ndx or .ntx (e.g. NAMES.NDX), and cannot exceed 19 characters.

Step 9

Click OK - Apply to commit your settings. If SwissSys offers to create your index files now, say yes; otherwise you can index later from the main menu with Database | Index….

Testing your database

You should now be ready to import players from this database at registration time. Test this by opening the registration dialog and typing in the last name of a player you know is listed in the database.

Click the registration dialog’s Search Database (F1) button (or press F1) to load that player from the database.

If there is a problem, recheck the steps above to be sure you did not omit anything, or consult Database Troubleshooting.

Create or Update a Custom Database Using SwissSys – Build a custom database from scratch using SwissSys
Database Setup – Configure database fields and paths
Index Database – Required indexing step for dBase format databases