How Do I Customize Columns for Importing Data into SentVi

Choose the Source Data

SentVi lets you import data from a variety of formats such as an Excel spreadsheet, text file, and table or query from an Access or SQL Server database.

After choosing the source data, a screen appears with a preview of the data and options. By default, all the columns are included.

Screenshot of Import Excel Spreadsheet dialog showing Source path, Sheet: VisitorLog, and a data grid of visitor columns; Customize Columns button on the right.

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Choose Columns and Set Their Order

The Customize Columns dialog lets you select the columns to include in your import. Just choose the columns you want and their order. This is especially helpful if your source data has many columns.

The [>] button moves the selected column(s) from the Available Columns to Selected Columns list. The [<] button moves them back. The up and down buttons on the right, reorder the selected columns. [caption width="886" id="attachment_2508" align="alignnone"] #image_title[/caption]

Click [OK] to return to the previous screen. Notice the preview shows the selected columns:

Screenshot of an Import Excel Spreadsheet dialog showing the source path, sheet name (VisitorLog), range field, and a data preview grid with columns like FirstName, LastName, Appt Start Date, Appt End Date, Total People, and Visitee names; OK/Cancel buttons at bottom.

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Create Calculated Columns

In addition to selecting existing columns, you can also create Calculated Columns using formulas and references to column values.

Reference columns with brackets around the [Column Name].

You can have multiple Calculated Columns.

Custom Columns

Notice the three calculated columns using data from the First and Last name columns:

FirstLast: Combine first and last names with space between: [FirstName] + ‘ ‘ + [LastName]
FirstLastProper: Combine first and last names and use proper case so only the first letter: StrConv([FirstName] + ‘ ‘ + [LastName], 3)
LastFirst: Last name, comma, first name: [LastName] + ‘, ‘ + [FirstName]

Calculated Column Formulas

Arithmetic Operators

Perform math operations on your numeric columns.

Operator	Description	Example	Result
+	Addition	`[Sales] + [Tax]`	Adds Sales and Tax columns
–	Subtraction	`[Revenues] - [Expenses]`	Subtracts Expenses from Revenues column for Profit
*	Multiplication	`[UnitPrice] * [Quantity]`	Multiplies UnitPrice and Quantity for Total Sales
/	Division	`[TotalSales] / [Quantity]`	Divides TotalSales by Quantity for Average Price

String Operations

Perform string operations to combine strings, remove leading and trailing spaces, extract and replace strings, and measure length.

Operator	Description	Example	Result
+	Concatenation	`[FirstName] + ' ' + [LastName]` `[LastName] + ', ' + [FirstName]`	John Doe Doe, John
Trim(string)	Remove whitespace	`Trim([FirstName] + ' ' + [LastName])`	Eliminates the extra space if the first or last name is missing.
LCase(string)	Convert to lowercase. For SQL Server, use LOWER.	`LCase([FirstName])` `LOWER([FirstName])`	JOhN → john
UCase(string)	Convert to uppercase. For SQL Server, use UPPER.	`UCase([FirstName])` `UPPER([FirstName])`	JOhN → JOHN
StrConv(string, 3)	Convert to Proper case. Not available in SQL Server.	`StrConv([FirstName], 3)`	JOhN doE → John Doe
Left(string, n)	Leftmost n characters	`Left([FirstName], 1)`	Beth → B
Right(string, n)	Rightmost n characters	`Right([SSN], 4)`	123-45-6789 → 6789
Mid(string, start, length)	Extract characters starting at a specified position. For SQL Server use Substring.	`Mid([Phone], 2, 3)`	(703) 356-4700 → 703
Substring(string, start, length)	Extract characters. Similar to Mid, but Start is base 0.	`Substring([Phone], 1, 3)`	(703) 356-4700 → 703
Replace(string, find, replace)	Replace occurrences of one string with another	`Replace([Country], 'United States', 'USA')` `Replace([Column], '-', '/')`	United States → USA 08-22-2025 → 08/22/2025
Len(string)	String length	`Len([FirstName])`	Beth → 4
InStr([start], string, substring)	Find the first location of a substring. For SQL Server, use CHARINDEX.	`InStr('Arthur Conan Doyle', ' ')`	Location of first space → 7
CHARINDEX(substring, string, [start])	SQL Server function to find the first location of a substring.	`CHARINDEX(' ', 'Arthur Conan Doyle')`	Location of first space → 7
InStrRev([start], string, substring)	Find the last location of a substring. Not available in SQL Server.	`InStrRev('Arthur Conan Doyle', ' ')`	Location of last space → 13
Combine Left and InStr	Get text before the first space	`Left('Arthur Conan Doyle', InStr('Arthur Conan Doyle', ' ') - 1)`	Arthur
Combine Right, Len and InStr	Get text after the first space	`Right('Arthur Conan Doyle', Len('Arthur Conan Doyle') - InStr('Arthur Conan Doyle', ' '))`	Conan Doyle

Create Date Time Columns

DateSerial and TimeSerial functions convert strings and numbers to DateTime columns. Use the Left, Mid, and Right functions to split fields into date and time parts.

Operator	Description	Example	Result
DateSerial(year, month, day)	Create date from parts	`DateSerial(Left([DateNumber],4), Mid([DateNumber],5,2), Right([DateNumber],2))`	20250819 → 8/19/2025
TimeSerial(hour, minute, second)	Create time from parts	`TimeSerial(Left([TimeString],2), Mid([TimeString],3,2), Mid([TimeString],5,2))`	080102 → 8:01:02 AM
+	Add Date and Time	`DateSerial(Left([DateNumber],4), Mid([DateNumber],5,2), Right([DateNumber],2)) + TimeSerial(Left([TimeString],2), Mid([TimeString],3,2), Mid([TimeString],5,2))`	20250819 and 180102 → 8/19/2025 06:01:02 PM

Comparisons

The Immediate IF function IIF makes a comparison and returns one of two values depending on whether the comparison is TRUE or FALSE.

Operator	Description	Example	Result
IIf(condition, truePart, falsePart)	Immediate IF conditional logic	`IIf([Directomn]='OUT', [Phone1], [Phone2])`	Can be used to determine which phone number represents the caller or receiver based on call direction.

Comparison Operators

Operator	Description	Example	Result
=	Equal	`[Column1] = [Column2]`	Value in Column1 is equal to Column2
<>	Not Equal	`[Column1] <> [Column2]`	Value in Column1 is not equal to Column2
< <=	Less than Less than or Equal	`[Column1] < [Column2]`	Value in Column1 is less than Column2
> >=	Greater than Greater than or Equal	`[Column1] > [Column2]`	Value in Column1 is more than Column2

Logical Operators

Operator	Description	Example	Result
AND	Logical AND	`([Price] > 0) AND (Quantity > 0)`	True if both conditions are true
OR	Logical OR	`(Len([ZipCode]) < 5) OR (Len([ZipCode]) > 10)`	True if ZipCode length is less than 5 or more than 10
NOT	Logical NOT	`NOT [IsDeleted]`	True if IsDeleted is false

Among Multiple Values and Pattern Matching

Operator	Description	Example	Result
IN	Among multiple values	`[State] IN ('DC', 'MD', 'VA')`	True if State is Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia
LIKE	Pattern match with % as wildcard	`[FirstName] LIKE 'A%'`	True if FirstName starts with A. Use `LIKE '%A%'` to find A anywhere in the string.

Additional Resources

How to use the WHERE Clause