QUESTIONS THAT APPLY TO THIS TOPIC

• How do I perform a satellite import/export?
• Is there a step-by-step guide to using satellites?

ANSWER

The following will help you a great deal in performing satellite import/export operations. Presented in “checklist” format, it will make the process simpler to follow and easier to do.

SATELLITE IMPORT/EXPORT CHECKLIST

Note: Perform the “Satellite Set-up” portion
of this checklist only once.

In order for you to be able to use the Satellite functionality, you must install the Satellite Setup on at least one machine.  For information on how to do that, refer to the installation instructions which can be found on the Knowledgebase.

To begin the process of setting up the satellite functionality in your office, you need to create a satellite database from the “Master/Mother” machine.  The following checklist will walk you through this:

Note: The following instructions must be carried out on the Mother system.

1. _______  On the Gorilla main menu, click Import / Export, then click Satellite Import/Export Wizard.
2. _______  Click the Next button until you arrive at the screen labeled New Satellites.
3. _______  From the New Satellites screen, highlight the initials of the user whose computer the Satellite will be on.
4. _______  Click the button labeled with the three dots (to the left of the Process button). A Please Choose a Directory dialog box will appear.  Select the directory where you wish to place this file.  Once you have your directory selected, choose OK.
   
5. ______  This should bring you back to the New Satellites screen.  Now the white box should contain text showing where you have chosen to put this file.  Our example shows “C:\ windows\ desktop” as the directory.  Click Process.  This should take a minute, so wait for the operation to finish completely.Repeat steps 1 through 5 for each satellite machine.
6. _______ Once it is done, click Next until you arrive at the screen with Finish
   on it.  Click Finish.  You are done.  You have successfully created a database for your new Satellite(s).

Note: If you choose the same directory for every satellite export, the newly created file will overwrite each existing file.  Therefore, you must keep each user’s import/export files in their own separate directories.

Importing on the Satellite Machine for the First Time

The first time you open Gorilla on the Satellite machine you may receive this message:

If you do, follow steps 1 through 3 below.

But if not, just skip to the section entitled “The Daily Routine.”

1. _______  Click Yes on the above message.  This screen will appear:
   
2. _______  Click the button labeled with the three dots to the left of the Import  button, and select the location of the Mother2Satellite file you need.
3. _______   Click OK, then Import.  Click Finish and you will be taken to the login screen.

The Daily Routine

The daily routine for satellites consists of four tasks:

1. Do Exports from all Satellites.
2. Do Imports to Mother from all Satellites.
3. Export from Mother to Satellites.
4. Import to Satellites from Mother.

The following checklists cover these four daily tasks.

Do Exports from all Satellites

Note: The following steps are to be carried out on the satellite machine.

1. _______  On the Gorilla main menu, click Import/Export, then Satellite Import/Export Wizard.
2. ._______  On the “Exports (Satellite  Mother)” screen, the “Export Directory” field shows where the Satellite2Mother.mdb file will be placed.  You can change this by clicking on the button labeled with the three dots.
   Note: Each file you export overwrites any previously exported Satellite2Mother.mdb file in the same folder.  Therefore, if you have multiple satellites, you will want to export each of their Satellite2Mother.mdb files to a different location.
3. _______  Click Export.  (Please be patient.  The time this process takes depends on the speed of your system, the size of the database, and the size of the file it is exporting.  It may take more than 10 minutes.)

When the export is completed, you should have a message on your screen indicating the amount of time taken to make the export file.  Click OK in that box.  Then click Next and Finish.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each satellite system.

Do Imports to Mother from all Satellites

Note: The following steps are to be carried out on the Mother machine.

1. _______  On the Gorilla main menu, click Import/Export, then Satellite Import/Export Wizard.
2. _______  On the “Imports (Satellite -> Mother)” screen, the “Source Directory” text box shows where the Satellite2Mother.mdb file for the currently highlighted System User is.  (If this location is incorrect, or if it is empty, click the triple-dot button, find the correct folder, and click OK.)
3. _______  When ready, click Import.  When the import is complete, there will be a green checkmark to the left of the highlighted name.
4. _______  Highlight the next user you are importing for, and repeat steps 2 and 3 above.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 until all desired satellites have been imported.

Export from Mother to Satellites

1. _______  Click Next.  On the Exports (Mother -> Satellite) screen, the “Export Directory” text box shows the location where your Mother2Satellite.mdb will be exported.  Note:  You need make only one export to use on all Satellite machines.  (For example, if you do an export while highlighting sbrokerman’s name, you can then import that file onto her machine, jsellers’s machine, and jtreasure’s machine.)
2. _______  Make sure the location is correct and click Export.
3. _______  Click Next until you get to the Import Transaction Log screen.  Click Finish.

As noted in the first step, you need only do these three steps once per session.

Import to Satellites from Mother

Note: The following steps need to be performed on each satellite machine.

Repeat these steps for each satellite. After you have imported your Mother2Satellite.mdb file(s) into your satellite(s), delete all such files. Not doing so may result in failed updates in the future.

Transporting Your Satellite Files

If your satellite machine(s) cannot locate where your Mother machine has placed its Mother2Satellite file, or your Mother cannot read the location of one or more Satellite2Mother files, you will have to physically move the files back and forth between the computers.  Please note that these are large files, and may require the use of a large-capacity storage device, such as a flash/thumb drive.

1. _______  On the Gorilla main menu, click Import / Export, then Satellite Import/Export Wizard.
2. _______  Click Next until you reach Import (Mother  Satellite).
3. _______  If the white “Source Directory” text box shows the correct location for your Mother2Satellite file, click Import.  If it does not, then click the button labeled with the three dots to the left of the Import button, select the directory from which you will import the Mother2Satellite file, and click OK.
4. _______  Give this operation some time to complete.  For slow machines with several updates, this may take more than 10 minutes.
5. _______  When the Import button becomes grayed out, click Finish.