How to update Blackbaud FE NXT from Excel

The CData Excel Add-In for Blackbaud FE NXT enables you to edit and save Blackbaud FE NXT data directly from Excel. This article explains how to transfer data from Excel to Blackbaud FE NXT. This technique is useful if you want to work on Blackbaud FE NXT data in Excel and update changes, or if you have a whole spreadsheet you want to import into Blackbaud FE NXT. In this example, you will use the Accounts table; however, the same process will work for any table that can be retrieved by the CData Excel Add-In.

Establish a Connection

If you have not already done so, create a new Blackbaud FE NXT connection by clicking From Blackbaud FE NXT on the ribbon.

Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties.

See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for more information.

Retrieve Data from Blackbaud FE NXT

To insert data into Blackbaud FE NXT, you will first need to retrieve data from the Blackbaud FE NXT table you want to add to. This links the Excel spreadsheet to the Blackbaud FE NXT table selected: After you retrieve data, any changes you make to the data are highlighted in red.

1. Click the From Blackbaud FE NXT button on the CData ribbon. The Data Selection wizard is displayed.
2. In the Table or View menu, select the Accounts table.
3. In the Maximum Rows menu, select the number of rows you want to retrieve. If you want to insert rows, you need to retrieve only one row. The Query box will then display the SQL query that corresponds to your request.
4. In the Sheet Name box, enter the name for the sheet that will be populated. By default the add-in will create a new sheet with the name of the table.

Insert Rows to Blackbaud FE NXT

After retrieving data, you can add data from an existing spreadsheet in Excel.

1. In a cell after the last row, enter a formula referencing the corresponding cell from the other spreadsheet; for example, =MyAccountsSheetInExcel!A1.
2. After using a formula to reference the cells you want to add to Blackbaud FE NXT, select the cells that you are inserting data into and drag the formula down as far as needed. The referenced values you want to add will be displayed on the Accounts sheet.
3. Highlight the rows you want to insert and click the Update Rows button.

As each row is inserted, the Id value will appear in the Id column and the row's text will change to black, indicating that the record has been inserted.