How to send your Broker's Ally database
for conversion to another format  

There are 3 basic steps:

1. COMPRESSING YOUR Access DATABASE  .MDB FILE
   Compress the files for faster upload, using WinZip.

2. SEND THE FILE via a secure web browser service

Go to https://WeTransfer.com
Select the file such as "MyDatabase.zip"
Send to Convert@CICorp.com
Enter your email address at your company
Message is optional, such as a password if necessary
click Transfer

    Large (over 2 GigaBytes):       Upload it using FTP (call for instructions and password)

    Or you can mail us a CD.

    Remember to let us know the password if necessary to open the files.
    We will then perform the conversion.

3. DOWNLOAD the FINISHED DATABASE FILE
    When done, you can download the converted ACT file
    Use the ACT Admin record to check the conversion
    Let us know when you are satisfied with the results so we can delete your files.

How much will it cost?

In Excel, open up the MAIN.DBF, but DO NOT SAVE.  You can look at the number at the bottom row, then use the number of contacts to look up the cost on our Standard Chart.
If you have an unusually large number of fields, tables, or queries, please contact us.

How to determine the number of records

Which files to send?

The most important files are highlighted

Here is a sample folder of what your directory might look like.

Here are the general steps for submitting a conversion to be done.

1. COMPRESSING THE FILES

If you need WinZip, download the free Evaluation copy from http://WinZip.com

Find the Access Data folder. It may be under C:\Program Files\Access\Data
You can tell if this is the right folder if it contains such files with extensions such as .GDB

Once WinZip is installed on your computer, you can
1. Make sure everyone is out of Brokers Ally
2. Select the Brokers Ally Data folder with a single left click
3. Right click, then select Add to Zip
4. For the file name, enter a name such as MyData.ZIP

Everyone should be out of Access for this to work because if a file is open by someone on your network, it will not compress some files, and I will not have all the data to convert.

To make sure you have the right database, go in and make a simple change, such as changing "St." to "Street" in an address.  Then exit the software and check the date and time stamp.  If it is within the last minute you have the right data file.   More Tips

We can take care of the data files. If you need assistance on the other files, such as word processing templates, which may have to be converted separately by your staff, please feel free to call.

The attachments can make the Zip file quite large, such as 200MB, when the necessary data would fit in 2 MB.  This makes it take longer to send your files to us.

2. UPLOAD YOUR Access DATABASE TO OUR SECURE SERVER

Large files (10 MB+) often do not transmit properly, if at all, through email.    
Some organizations have a limit on the size of attachments you can email.
We suggest using our web based drive, which offers you up to 100 Megabytes of online storage space.

If your file is larger than that, give us a call at 800-319-3190, so we can send you the FTP settings to upload it directly using an FTP program such as CuteFTP.

Enter your name, company, phone, and email, so we can contact you if there are  any questions during the conversion.  This will be the phone and email we will use to tell you when your data is ready. 

For your protection, enter a password of your choice.  We will use this to encrypt  the ZIP file.  This is for your security.  We want zero chance that your data will   accessed by anyone other than you.

BrokersAllyConvert.com
202-829-4444
800-319-3190

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