This option is available as a hyperlink at the top of matchIT's main window, or within the View menu as View Data in Main File. View Data allows you to browse and update the selected Main
File in any order. It is similar to the View menu, View Table option, except that you don't have to specify the table to browse and you can browse the Main File in order of any field within it.
First, an options screen will be presented:
"View Data" from the View menu allows you to browse records in different orders e.g.
- browsing in Prefix or Salutation order will show groups of records, typically at the top or bottom of the view, which have default salutations or unusual titles. The vast majority of records will be in a contiguous block i.e. MISS, MR, MRS, MS and Dear Miss, Dear Mr, Dear Mrs and Dear Ms – you should at least spot check these, but then look in detail at the records at the top and bottom of the list (i.e. not Miss, Mr etc.), because here in particular you may find errors or unusual salutations. You will also find default salutations that perhaps should not be default
- browsing in Address line 1 order may show undeliverable items at the top
- browsing in Company order will show blank companies at the top
- browsing other fields is a common technique for spotting problem entries in a field - the problematic entries will usually be at the top or bottom
Each time you select to browse in order of any field for which an index was not created at the end of Import (such as all the fields mentioned above), matchIT will create an index – this will take quite some time on a large file, but not as much time as sorting out an error when it's too late to pre-empt it.
You can change records and delete records in View Data and these changes are retained in the DBF file – so you can make any corrections that you wish in this view.