What you'll see below is a copy of the import instructions from Safelog. Basically, what happens is that Safelog spits out a .csv (comma-separated file) "template" that you then fill in with your data. The actual template depends on the configuration of your logbook in Safelog - for example, if you have a Flight Instructor field activated in Safelog, then a Flight Instructor field will appear in the template file.

The easiest way to fill in your template file is by opening it up in Microsoft Excel^tm. So, for most people this means just cutting and pasting a few columns. It works pretty well. We've had people do imports of 20,000+ hours of piloting and they thought the process went smoothly.

As of right now, basically the 'standard' logbook data can be imported. We hope to allow the importation of more complex information, such as comments and so forth, in future versions.

Please note that the instructions below are current at the time that we wrote this helpdesk question / answer, but may change as the program changes. Of course, consult the instructions in the software itself when actually doing the import, as things may change here and there.

Safelog Data Import Instructions
by Dauntless Software

There are in general two possible reasons why you might want to use the data import functionality of Safelog:

1. You want to import existing data from another electronic logbook or data source
2. You find it easier to enter old flights in bulk in another source, such as Microsoft Excel^TM and now want to "bring them in".

This document will help you import data into Safelog. The process has several elements, but should be fairly straightforward for most people with a reasonable amount computer experience if they follow the steps exactly as outlined below. However, we note that due to the large number of possible data sources and situations, we are generally not able to provide in depth technical support for free on data import issues. That said, we are happy to address relatively small issues or questions on the usual free support schedule and always do our best to answer all feedback in short order. We will be happy to process your data (including entering data from written logbooks) or provide in-depth import-related technical support for a fee--please contact us via the "contact" section of www.dauntless-soft.com if you are interested in such a service.

Migrating from Other Logbook Software?

Some of you may be migrating from other logbook programs. If this is the case, please let us know before importing. We're (understandably) keen to help users transition to Safelog. If there is sufficient interest, perhaps we can be talked into writing a standard import tool for the output of your logbook program. Again, please contact us via the "contact" section of www.dauntless-soft.com if this applies to you. Be prepared to offer us sample output from the program in question that we can use to develop our filters.

Import Instructions

1. Before you even begin thinking about importing data, make a backup of your mylogbook.dat file. Click on "backup" inside of Safelog and follow the instructions therein. Don't risk losing your existing data because of an import operation gone wrong!
2. Set up the Safelog logbook such that the fields are as close as possible to the data that you want to import. The order of the columns is not important, but the fields represented are. Go into the "setup" screens to make the necessary changes.
3. Go to the "logbook" screen and then click the "import / export" button and then the "click here" for import link to take you to the import screen.
4. Note the filename (in yellow) of the import template file. This file will be named "(Safelog Folder)\safelog_import_template.csv".
5. Remembering the above filename, shut down Safelog and then open the above file in your favorite editing program. For many, Microsoft Excel^TM is a good choice for editing .csv files. You may also edit this in your favorite text editor (such as notepad).

You will see that this file contains a comma-separated list of field names in the first line. Microsoft Excel^TM will display this by placing each field name in a cell in row 1. You must not alter this first row. Instead, add flight records by adding additional rows to this file, one flight per row.

Each value must be separated with a comma from the next one, just like in the header row. Here is a sample entry of three flights in a simplified (for example purposes) logbook of only five columns:

Date, Aircraft Type, Aircraft Registration, Duration of Flight, Instrument Approaches
7/4/2003,P28A,N12345,1.2,3
7/5/2003,B747-400,C-SFLG,2.1,0
7/6/2003,P28A,N54ABC,0.5,1

These three flights are properly formatted and ready for import. In Microsoft Excel^TM, you can simply enter data into columns under each heading and then save (as directed in step 6) as a .csv file.

A note about dates: the dates in the above sample are given in the US Month/Day/Year format. Safelog will import dates based on your local computer settings, so European users can enter dates as Day/Month/Year.

A note about numbers: Sorry Europeans and South Americans, but decimal values must be entered using a period for a decimal point (in other words, use "3.2", not "3,2" for three and two-tenths hours. All users: do not use commas to separate thousands places. Enter "1000000" for one million, not "1,000,000". You may also input numbers in hh:mm notation--for example, "3:23" for three hours, twenty three minutes.

An important note for FAA pilot users about category / class fields: You may recall that Safelog does not store category / class data (such as an "Airplane Multi-Engine Land" column) directly. Rather, it derives this from the total duration of flight column and the type of aircraft being flown. Therefore, such fields will not appear.

Route of Flight: Some logbook configurations allow you to store a flight route. Generally, this will mean that there is one entry for a departure location, one entry for an arrival location, and one field for intermediate (via) airports that can contain a number of airfields. Separate "via" records with colons as such (again, a stylized example showing a flight from Honolulu to NY/Kennedy via San Francisco and Chicago O'Hare):

Date, Aircraft Type, Aircraft Registration,From,Via,To,Duration of Flight, Instrument Approaches
7/7/2003,B777-300,N123DS,HNL,SFO:ORD,JFK,1.2,3

A very important note about commas: Safelog uses commas to delineate fields. Therefore, you may NOT use commas inside of field data, as the import filter will interpret this as the beginning of a new field. If you really must use commas for some field (for example, the aircraft type name has a comma in it), put double quotes around the entirety of the field containing the comma. If you use MS-Excel, this is done automatically for you. If we had an imaginary aircraft with the designation FSA,200 (that is, with a comma in it), the file would need to look like this to work properly:

Date, Aircraft Type, Aircraft Registration, Duration of Flight, Instrument Approaches
7/7/2003,"FSA,200",N98765,1.2,3

6. Once you have edited your file, you need to save it to another filename. Specifically, if the file was "(Safelog Folder)\safelog_import_template.csv", you need to save it as "(Safelog Folder)\safelog_import.csv". That is to say, keep it in the same folder, but remove the "_template" from the filename (keep the .csv extension).
7. Start up Safelog. Click on "logbook" then "import + export" then "click here" to get to the import screen. In the import screen, the "Import!" button should now be enabled (not grayed). If it is not, chances are that you didn't name the file correctly as indicated in step 6. Make sure you:
   • saved it in the correct folder
   • renamed it appropriately as indicated in step 6.
   • didn't accidentally give it a "double extension" like ".csv.txt" if you were working in notepad or ".csv.xls" if you were working in Excel^TM.
8. If the "import" button is enabled / clickable, after selecting the "overwrite / append" option of your choice, click the button once. The import process has begun!
9. During the import process, Safelog will ask you to fill in data about aircraft and airfields / landing facilities. While this might take some time, in general you only need to do this once and you will be able to analyze your data in far more versatile ways than if we didn't ask you to do this.
10. Safelog will try its best to import all of the flights you have typed in. However, it will skip ones that it has particular trouble with. After the import process is complete, spend a few minutes checking to see if everything is as you expected. You did do a backup of your original data in step 1, didn't you? You may need to experiment and have a few goes to get things right.