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If you already have a text file and just need to attach a record header, use the following format for the record header:
(There should be no spaces in the record header between the commas and the text. These are also available in your
on-line help file. You can copy and paste the record header from the help file into your file.)
If you are importing to Schedule D (Secured)
Name, Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Zip, AccountNo, DateIncurred, HWJC, Contingent,
Unliquidated, Disputed, ClaimAmt, Amended, ExSchedule, ExMatrix, PropertyName, LienNature, PropertyValue,
UnsecuredAmt, SeniorLiens
If you are importing to Schedule E (Unsecured Priority)
Name, Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Zip, AccountNo, DateIncurred, HWJC, Contingent,
Unliquidated, Disputed, ClaimAmt, Amended, ExSchedule, ExMatrix, Consideration, PriorityAmt, PriorityType,
Setoff
If you are importing to Schedule F (Unsecured Nonpriority)
Name, Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Zip, AccountNo, DateIncurred, HWJC, Contingent,
Unliquidated, Disputed, ClaimAmt, Amended, ExSchedule, ExMatrix, Consideration, Setoff
If you are importing to Schedule G (Contract/Lease Parties)
Name, Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Zip, Amended, Intention, Description
If you are importing to the List of Equity Security Holders
Name, Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Zip, Amended, Class, Number, Interest
If you are importing additional notice parties into the Creditor Address Matrix
Name, Address1, Address2, Address3, City, State, Zip
Note that if you are using the record headers above and your data does not contain a field listed in the record
header, you should delete the field name from the record header. If you have the city, state and zip in one field,
substitute the single field CityStZip for the three (City,State,Zip) listed above.
Tips about Data Format
The only field that is required is the Name field.
You will only be able to import one
“
Name
”
field. If your file has both first name and last name
fields, you will need to combine these fields into one name field before importing, or lose one of
the fields.
If you do not have the city, state and zip codes in three separate fields, you can import these as
one field called
“
CitySTZip.
”
In the CitySTZip field, you can have the cities and states separated
by commas or by spaces. Best Case will attempt to separate the data into three fields; where this
is not possible, the CityStZip field will be imported to the city field so that the addresses print
properly.
The import program is fairly forgiving if you have some blank records, which Excel often adds
when you convert to a delimited text file.
If you are using the CitySTZip field, the import program will tolerate files with addresses of
different lengths. For example, if some records have 1 address line and some have 2 or 3, they
should all import properly.
For foreign address, don’t put data in the zip or state fields. The country name should be in al
l
caps in the city field. Note that for foreign addresses in Best Case Bankruptcy, zip codes will
appear on the screen as 00000-0000, but will not print on forms.
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If you have a creditor name that you want alphabetized under a word other than the first word,
insert a tilde character right before the first character of the word it is to be alphabetized under.
(E.G. - Joseph ~Sample will print as Joseph Sample but will be alphabetized under S.)
If your data contains any fields which do not have the specific field names listed above, you
should remove them before importing. If you don’t, you will get a message while importing
which says that the field is not recognized. You can choose to continue with the import, but
unrecognized fields will not be included.
You can import your data to Schedules D, E, F, G, the List of Equity Security Holders, or as
Additional Notice Parties on the creditor address matrix screen. If you want some of your
imported creditors to be listed on one schedule and some on another, you can either 1.) create an
import file for each schedule which contains only the creditors you want on that schedule OR 2.)
import one large file to the schedule that will list most of the creditors, then use the Move to D/E
button in the creditor schedule to move individual creditors to other schedules as described in
Moving Creditors from One Schedule to Another on page 276. (Only available for Schedules D, E
and F.) There is not a way to import a file to several schedules simultaneously.
Tips on Exporting from Other Applications in CSV Format
If you are exporting data from Excel: Type the field names in the first row of your file while in Excel, typing each
field name in a separate column:
When you are ready to save data, choose File/Save As. Give your file an 8-character file name and for Save as Type,
pick the “CSV (comma delimited) (*.csv)” option.
When you save the file, you may get a message telling you that the file might contain features that are not
compatible with the CSV format. The message asks if you want to keep this format. Click Yes.
Close the file before attempting to import.
If you are exporting data from MS Access: Go into the design view of the table and rename fields with the correct
field names, if necessary. If there are any fields that are defined as date fields, change them to text fields. (This is
because Access includes the time in date fields, and this shows up as 0:00:00 at the end of your field when you
export to text.)
Choose File/Export. For the type of file, choose “Text Files (*.txt; *.csv; *.tab; *.asc)” and for the name of the file,
type the name and the csv extension - e.g. - Creds.csv. In the export wizard, choose Delimited. In the next window,
choose comma as your delimiter and put a check mark in the box that says “include field names on first row.”
When you have formatted your creditor data according to the specifications above, you are ready to begin.
Test Import Data Before Importing to Your Actual Client File! Since there is no way to
“undo” the import once you have imported*, we recommend that you first create a duplicate
client file and import your text file to the duplicate client file as a test. (To make a duplicate
file, go to the Client List Window, highlight the client file, then click the Copy Client button.
Import into the copy first.) That way, if any of the fields were labeled incorrectly or if there are
problems with th
e data, you won’t have to delete each of the imported entries. Once you are
sure your import has worked, import the text file to your actual client file and delete the
dummy client.
1. Prepare your creditor file according to specifications above, making sure you save the file as a comma-
delimited text file, with an 8 character file name and the CSV extension, and that you have the correct field
names. Test the import as described in the sidebar.
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2. Go to the form where you want your creditors listed. Your choices are Schedule D, Schedule E, Schedule F,
Schedule G, the List of Equity Security Holders, or the Creditor Address Matrix for additional notice parties
who will not be listed on a schedule but need to be notified of the filing.
3. In the summary list screen for the form, click the File option from the main menu, then click the Import option.
4. Click the Import button to continue.
5. You will be prompted for a file location. You can import your file from any location on your hard drive,
network, or floppy disk drive. Navigate to the file to be imported, then click Open.
6. If you are importing any fields to a schedule which does not ask for those fields, you will get a message telling
you that the field name is not recognized. Click Skip Field. When data has been imported, you will get a
message telling you how many records were imported. Click OK.
Troubleshooting: If you get a message that the import file contains the field
“
TABLE
”
which is not recognized, and
you are unable to import, it is likely that the file was saved as a dif file (Data Interchange Format) instead of a CSV
file, and was just given a CSV extension. Solution: Open the file in Excel and do File/Save As. Be sure to change
the file type to
“
CSV (comma delimited) (*.csv).
”
If you are importing data containing address fields that are longer than the local rules allow on the matrix, you will
receive a warning message. You can either abort the import or ignore the warning. It is recommended that you abort the
import and correct your data before importing, since the import feature will not truncate or correct addresses that are
too long.
Deleting All Creditors on a Schedule
Although there is no way to “undo” an import, there is a way to
delete all creditor entries on any given schedule.
The “kill all” feature DELETES ALL ENTRIES ON THIS SCHEDULE, so if you had any entries before you
imported, those will be deleted, too. To delete all entries on a creditor schedule, go into the schedule and press
C
-
A
-
S
-
K
.
A warning message will appear; click Yes if you want to continue. The schedule will be completely deleted and you
will be returned to the Forms and Schedules Menu. Note that if you had any additional notice parties or codebtors
associated with creditors on this schedules, this information will be deleted also. If you are deleting all creditors
from Schedule D, and you have claims that are linked to property on Schedule A or B, the property information will
NOT be deleted from Schedules A and B, but the lien information will. There is no way to undo the kill all feature,
so use it with caution.
Creditor Export
This feature exports creditor data to a text file in comma-delimited ASCII format. This procedure requires you to be
knowledgeable about data management, data file structure, and data manipulation. If you do not know how to
manipulate the exported data file, contact your computer technician or consultant.
To ensure that our technical support representatives are available to help customers with our program, we cannot
assist you with changing the format of your exported data file for use in other applications.
Use this feature to export scheduled creditors (Schedules D, E, F or G), equity security holders, or additional notice
parties from Best Case Bankruptcy to a text file for use in other applications. The file will have the CSV extension
and will be a comma delimited text file.
1. Go to the Schedule containing the creditors you want to export. For Additional Notice Parties, go to the creditor
address matrix screen from the Forms and Schedules Menu. (When exporting Additional Notice Parties, Best
Case only includes those added through the Creditor Address Matrix screen.)
2. In the summary list screen, click on File, then on E
xport…
In the window that appears, notice that you can
export all creditor schedules to one file by clicking in the “Export all schedules” box.
Click the Export button
to continue.
3. Select the drive and folder where you want the file exported, then click Save.
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4. When creditors have been exported, a pop-up box appears telling you how many records were included. Click
OK to acknowledge the message.
Copying a Creditor Schedule from One Client to Another
Using the export and import features in Best Case Bankruptcy, you can easily copy all creditors from one client file
to another. This will be useful if you have related corporate entities filing separate cases, or if a debtor is filing both
as a consumer and as a business. (Also see Making a Duplicate Copy of a Client File on page 279 which copies all
information, not just creditor info.)
For
simplicity, we’ll say that the original file is Client 1, and the second file is Client 2. To copy a creditor schedule
from one case to another:
1. Enter all creditors into Client 1.
2. From the Forms and Schedules Menu, open Schedule D.
3. With Schedule D open, click File, then click Export Schedule D.
4. Click the Export button.
5. The export feature will create a file called Sched-D.CSV. The default file location is your bestcase folder. You
can accept the default by clicking Save, or change to a different directory then click Save.
6. An export box appears telling you how many creditors were exported. Click OK to acknowledge the message.
7. Repeat procedures 2-6 for Schedules E, F and G if you have creditors on these schedules, and the List of Equity
Security Holders if this is a corporate Chapter 11 case. When you export from Schedule E, accept the default
file name Sched-E.CSV, etc.
8. After exporting, close the creditor schedule you have open, then close Client 1. At the Client List Window, open
Client 2, or create Client 2 i
f you haven’t already, then open it.
9. From the Forms and Schedules Menu in Client 2, open Schedule D.
10. Click File, Import Schedule D.
11. Click the Import button.
12. Click on the Sched-D.CSV file, and make sure the directory is the same directory you exported to, then click
Open.
13. A message will appear telling you how many creditors were imported. Click OK to acknowledge the message.
14. Close Schedule D, and repeat steps 10-13 for Schedules E, F and G, importing Sched-E.CSV, Sched-F.CSV and
Sched-G.CSV.
Converting Word or WordPerfect Addresses into CSV Format for Import
The import features in Best Case Bankruptcy allow you to import CSV files (*.CSV - comma delimited text files)
but not regular text files (*.txt). Using the Text2csv utility that we have included in your bestcase folder, you can
convert text files into CSV files for import into Best Case. You can use this utility if a client gives you a Word or
WordPerfect file of addresses that you want to import into Best Case.
Your text file should be in the following format:
There should be a hard return at the end of each line. At the end of each record, there should be either 2 hard
returns (i.e. - one blank line between each address) or a page break. For each address, City, State and Zip should
all be on one line; the city and state can be separated with a comma and a space or just a space. There should be no
text other than names and addresses in the file. Your addresses can be formatted as follows:
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Chapter 9
File Management and General Procedures 287
Mike Creditor
123 Main Street
Apartment A
Chicago, IL 60610
Janet Creditor
856 Post Oak Rd.
Houston, TX 77050
If the file is a Word or WordPerfect document, you will need to do a
“
Save As..
”
and save the document as
file type
“
Text Only (*.txt)
”
with an 8 character file name. (In WordPerfect, for the
“
As type,
”
select either
“
ASCII DOS Text
”
or as
“
ASCII DOS Generic Word Processor.
”
) Close the file before running the Text to
CSV utility.
1. When you have the file ready, go into My Computer on your desktop (or Start/Programs/Windows Explorer)
and navigate to your Bestcase folder. (If you can’t find your bestcas
e folder, click the About button in Best
Case Bankruptcy and look at the exe path.)
2.
In your bestcase folder, you’ll see a file called Text2csv.exe. Double
-click on this exe file.
3. The Convert Text to CSV dialog box appears. Click the
button to the right of the In File Name to navigate
to your text file. Select the drive, directory and file name to be converted.
4. By default, the Out File Name is Outfile.CSV, and the default location for the out file is your bestcase folder.
You can accept the default or choose a new path and file name. (Note that the conversion process does not
overwrite the original text file; it merely creates a CSV version of it. The input and output files will never have
the same name.)
5. For End of Record, you need to select either Blank line, as in the sample above, or Page break. If your text file
was a text file formatted for labels in WordPerfect, you will have a page break between each record. Make your
choice, then click Convert.
6. The file will be converted, and a Conversion Complete box will appear containing the name of the output file
and the number of records. Click OK to acknowledge the message. Click Close to close the Text2CSV utility.
7. If there are problems with converting any of the records, Best Case adds warning messages in a new
“
Note
”
field. (For example, if a zip code was entered improperly and the Text2csv utility was unable to separate the
city, state and zip code into three separate fields, you will see a warning message for the record.) Open the CSV
file in Excel or another spreadsheet application to search for any warning messages and fix data, and to delete
any non-address data that was included in your file, then resave and close the file.
Import the file using instructions in Creditor Import on page 281. Note that when you import a file that was
converted using this utility, you will always get a message that there is an unrecognized Note field. Just click Skip
Field and proceed with the import.
Property Import and Export
The property import feature allows you to import property data from other applications into Schedules A and B in
Best Case Bankruptcy. For example, if a corporate client gives you a spreadsheet of property to be included in your
petition, you can export the data from the spreadsheet application in the proper format, then import the property
description, market value, and other information into Best Case Bankruptcy.
The property export feature allows you to export property schedule data from Best Case Bankruptcy so that you can
work with it in other applications.
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Tip: You can also use the property export and import features to copy entire property schedules from one
client file to another within Best Case Bankruptcy. See Copying Property Schedules from One Client File to
Another on page 290.
Property Import
This feature requires you to be somewhat knowledgeable about data management, data file structure, and data
manipulation. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to get your property type data into the correct format for importing.
The correct data structure is outlined below. If you do not know how to manipulate your data file so that it is in the
proper format, contact your computer technician or consultant. If you need the help of our technical support team to
convert the data into the proper format, you will need to e-mail the file to us and allow a few days for the
conversion.
File format for schedule import
Your file must be a comma-delimited text file with a CSV extension (E.g. - PROP.CSV.). You can create the file in
any spreadsheet or database application by assigning the correct field names and saving or exporting the data file as
a comma delimited text (CSV) file. (See Tips about Data Format on page 283.)
The fields that you can import are:
Field Name
Type of field
Type
REQUIRED 2 character text field: A or 0 = Schedule A (Real Property)1-33 =
Refers to the property type for Schedule B (Personal Property)
HWJC
1 character text field - H=Husband, W=Wife, J=Joint, C=Community. N = If the
type of claim is not specified
MarketValue
Numeric field - do not enter a dollar sign or commas - indicate that this is
unknown by using a U here, or any word that starts with U
SecuredAmt
Numeric field - do not enter a dollar sign or commas - indicate that this is
unknown by using a U here, or any word that starts with U
Interest
Indicates nature of debtor's interest in property (e.g. joint tenant, etc.) Text field -
88 character limit (Schedule A only)
Description
REQUIRED text field - Description of Property - text field - 1320 character limit
Amended
Indicates whether property is marked as amended (0=no, 1=yes)
OwnedPercent
Numeric field - do not enter a dollar sign or commas, only numbers and decimals
- 1-100 = 1-100%, if no number is specified, the default is 100%
You do not need to have all of the fields above in your text file. However, for any fields you do want to import, the
field name must match the field name above exactly. (E.g. -
A Secured Amount field called “Secured Amount” will
not import; it mus
t be named “SecuredAmt.”)
Tips About Data Format:
The only fields that are required are the Type and Description fields. You cannot import data that
does not have a field called “Type” or “Description.”
If your data contains any fields which do not have the specific field names listed above, you
should remove them before importing. If you don’t, you will get a message while importing
which says that the field is not recognized. You can choose to continue with the import, but
unrecognized fields will not be included.
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Chapter 9
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If you enter a U or any word that begins with U in the MarketValue and SecuredAmt fields, the
“Unknown” checkbox will be checked when the property is imported into Best Case.
For more tips, see Tips about Data Format on page 283. When you have formatted your property data according to
the specifications above, you are ready to begin.
Importing Your File
Since there is no way to “undo” the import once you have imported*, we recom
mend that you first create a duplicate
client file and import your text file to the duplicate client file as a test. (To make a duplicate file, go to the Client List
Window, highlight the client file, and click the Copy Client button) That way, if any of the fields were labeled
incorrectly or if there are problems with the data, you won’t have to delete each of the imported entries. Once you
are sure your import has worked, import the text file to your actual client file and delete the dummy client.
1. Prepare your property file according to specifications above, making sure you save the file as a
comma-delimited text file with the CSV extension, and that you have the correct field names.
2. Open the form for Schedules A or B. It does not matter which form you have open, both property types
are imported into Best Case at the same time.
3. In the summary list screen for the form, click the File option from the main menu, then select the
Import Property menu item.
4. Click the Import button to continue.
5. You will be prompted for a file location. You can import your file from any location on your hard
drive, network, or disk drive. Navigate to the file to be imported, then click Open.
6. If you are importing any fields to a schedule which does not ask for those fields, you will get a
message telling you that the field name is not recognized. Click Skip Field if you want to continue.
When data has been imported, you will get a message telling you how many records were imported.
Click OK.
Printing the Error Report
Certain conditions will cause warnings or error messages when you import data. For example, if you have extra
blank records at the end of your data, you will get a warning. In the Import Errors and Warnings window, a button
appears that says Print Report of Errors. Click this button to preview the error report, then click File/Print to send
the report to your printer.
If you don’t get an Import Errors and Warnings window, there were no problems with the format of your data.
Deleting All Properties on a Schedule
* Although t
here is no way to “undo” an import, there is a way to delete all property entries on any given schedule.
The “kill all” feature DELETES ALL ENTRIES ON THIS SCHEDULE, so if you had any entries before you
imported, those will be deleted, too. To delete all entries on a property schedule, go into the schedule and press
C
-
A
-
S
-
K
. The Mass Delete Property window will appear. Here you will have the choice of deleting schedule A or B
individually or both schedules at once. The selected schedules will be completely deleted and you will be returned to
the Forms and Schedules Menu. There is no way to undo the kill all feature, so use it with caution.
Property Export
This feature exports property from schedules A and B to a text file in comma-delimited ASCII format, also
commonly known as a CSV file. This procedure requires you to be knowledgeable about data management, data file
structure, and data manipulation. If you do not know how to manipulate the exported data file, contact your
computer technician or consultant. To ensure that our technical support representatives are available to help
customers with our program, we cannot assist you with changing the format of your exported data file for use in
other applications.
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Use this feature to export property schedules from Best Case Bankruptcy to a text file to use in other applications or
to import to a separate client file within Best Case Bankruptcy. The exported file will have the CSV extension, and
will be a comma delimited text file with the field names listed above.
1. Open the property window for Schedules A or B.
2. In the summary list screen, click on File, then on Export Property.
3. Click the Export button to continue.
4. Select the drive and folder where you want the file exported and type in a file name, then click Save.
5. When your property types have been exported, a pop-up box appears telling you how many records
were included. Click OK to acknowledge the message.
For a list of field names, see Property Import on page 288.
Copying Property Schedules from One Client File to Another
To copy the property schedules from one client file to another client file in Best Case Bankruptcy, use the export
procedure to export all property, and the import feature in the second client file to import it. (If you need to copy the
entire file, use the copy client file feature instead.) This procedure will copy Schedules A and B together:
1. Open the client file whose property you want to copy. From the Forms and Schedules Menu, open
either property schedule (A or B) so that you can see a full list of all property on that schedule.
2. Click File/Export Property, then click Export.
3. Select a destination and file name.
4. A message will appear telling you how many records (pieces of property) were exported. Click OK,
then close this client file.
5. Open the second client file, then open either Schedule A or B. From the list screen which would show
all property for the schedule, click File/Import Property then click Import.
6. Navigate to the directory and file you chose in step 3 and click Open.
7. A message will appear telling you how many pieces of property were imported.
Internet Options
If you have Internet Access, several features are available to you in the Help Menu, next to File, Edit, and Setup at
the top of the screen.
Connect to Websites
In the main menu at the top of the screen, click Help (or press
A
-
H
) then one of the following to open the desired
website in your default Windows web browser:
Connect to Best Case Website (connects to www.bestcase.com).
Best Case Support Desk
In the main menu, click on Tools to access the following:
Credit Report
Due Diligence
My Case Info
Loislaw Primary Law
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
