askSam 5 Tip Of The Month - August 2002

askSam is a great way to archive email. askSam can help you take all the information you receive via email and turn it into a valuable knowledgebase. For example, you can take information from email discussion lists and email newsletters, and import these into a searchable database. You can also use askSam to import email sent and received by multiple individuals and have a centralized database of this information.

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askSam and Email

When you import email messages, each message becomes a Document in the askSam database. askSam automatically turns words - To:, From:, Date:, Subject: - into fields. askSam comes with filters for several popular email packages: Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Netscape, Eudora, and PocoMail. In addition, askSam can also import information from other email packages that save their data as HTML or text files. Once the email is imported into askSam you can use any of askSam's powerful search or report tools to locate and organize your information. askSam will even allow you to reply to your email messages once imported (see the Document -> Email Document option).

askSam Makes Importing Email Easy

askSam 5 offers a brand new feature to help you archive your email with ease. The Import Email Wizard (File -> Import Email) allows you to create and save Email Profiles containing all your email import settings. Email profiles only need to be created once and can be used over and over. Imagine importing all of your email boxes into multiple askSam files with just a few mouse clicks.

With the email wizard you can...

Ÿ     Create Multiple Email Profiles - Create as many profiles as you need. Create profiles for individual mailboxes or groups of mailboxes. For example, you could have one profile for business email, another for personal email, and others for specific types of information like list serve messages, newsletters, recipes, jokes, receipts, etc.).

Ÿ     Choose Your Email Package - Select the email application you're using. askSam will locate your email package and automatically display a list of your mailboxes.

Ÿ     Choose Mailboxes to Import - Select from the available mailboxes the one you want to import. You can select one mailbox or multiple boxes. The boxes you select are stored in the Profile so you never have to select them again.

Ÿ     Set the askSam database - Select the askSam file to import your messages into. The askSam file name is stored with the profile, so no matter where you run this profile from it will always import into the selected file.

Ÿ     Select Specific Messages to Import - Specify a date range for the messages that you'll import (for example: all new messages since last import or only messages between Jan 1 and Dec 31). This will allow you to import your messages everyday, or once a week, without worrying about duplicates.

Ÿ     Attachments - Save attachments to your email in your askSam database. Each Email Profile you create allows you to select if you want to save attachments. Once the attachments are saved in askSam you can view the attachment in it's original format, delete it, rename it and save it to your hard drive or to a network drive.

...and much more.

Benefits of using Email Profiles

Ÿ     Stored Settings - Set up a profile once and those settings are used every time you select the profile.

Ÿ     Import From Anywhere - Run a profile from anywhere in askSam - you don't have to open each askSam file to import.

Ÿ     Import Email in Bulk - You can import multiple profiles at one time. Each profile will use it's own settings and import into it's own file. Simply choose File -> Import Email, select your profiles and click IMPORT.

Ÿ     Central Email Archives - Multiple people can import email into a central archive using their own profiles.

Creating an Email Profile

Creating an email profile couldn't be easier with the new Import Email Wizard. The Wizard will lead you through the process. In this tip we will walk you through step by step on how to create a profile with the Import Email Wizard and explain some of the options along the way.

1. Choose FILE -> IMPORT EMAIL.

The Import Email Dialog Box will appear. This dialog contains Email Profiles. You'll need to set up a profile for your Email client.

2. Choose the CREATE button.

The first screen of the Email Wizard will appear.

3. In the "Profile Name" field enter a name for your profile.

Note: A profile name can be anything you want. If this profile will import all of your Personal Email you could name it "Personal", for example.

4. Select the Email application where your messages are stored and choose the NEXT button.

The Select Folders/Mailbox screen from the Email Wizard is displayed. Your screen will look slightly different. The names of your mailboxes will be listed.

5. Select the mailbox or mailboxes you wish to import.

The "Select All" option selects all of your mailboxes. If no mailboxes are displayed, choose the browse button and locate the directory containing your mailboxes.

6. Once you've selected the mailboxes you wish to import, choose the NEXT Button.

The Select askSam File screen is displayed.

This screen lets you select an askSam file into which your email messages are imported. By default, the current askSam file is selected.

7. Choose the NEXT Button.

The Import Date Range screen is displayed.

You can import all messages, messages from a specified date range, or all new messages since you last imported.

Ÿ     New messages (since last import) - This option will import new messages since the last time you imported. The first time you use this profile all emails will be imported. This option only imports messages through the previous day. The current days messages are not imported.

Ÿ     Select Date Range - Lets you select a date range for the imported messages. This option allows you to specify which email messages will be imported. For example, you could import messages from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2001.

Ÿ     All Messages - Imports all messages. Only choose this option if you wish to import all messages in a mailbox each time you import using this profile.

8. The option "New messages (since last import)" is selected. Choose the NEXT button to continue. The Import Options screen is displayed.

This screen lets you set options for importing your messages.

Ÿ     Import Location - Determines the location where imported messages are added to your askSam file. The Import Location option lets you import documents at the End of the File or the Top of the File

Ÿ     Import Into Entry Form - You can have askSam import into a selected Entry Form. When you import a message into an Entry Form, the email message is appended onto the end of the Entry Form. If you would like to import into an Entry Form, pull-down the list by clicking in the box and select the name of the Entry Form.

Ÿ     Full Header - Determines whether full header information from the email message is imported or only the most relevant header information (To, From, Subject, Date, and Folder).

Ÿ     Save Attachments - If you would like to save attachments along with your email messages, click on the SAVE ATTACHMENTS option and change it from NO to YES. Other than this, there's no need to modify these settings for the tutorial.

9. Choose the FINISH Button. You return to the Import Email Dialog Box. Your new email profile is complete. Setting up an email profile is a one-time process. From now on, you are able to select this profile and import. The settings you selected are stored in the profile and used each time you import.

To import the email messages using the Profile:

10. Make sure the Profile has a check mark in the box to the left. You can select multiple profiles from this screen once you have them setup. askSam can import multiple Profiles.

11. Choose the IMPORT Button.

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