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Batch Utility Overview

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iService includes two types of utilities that can be used for importing contacts and generating interactions from an input file. The iService Batch Form Submission Utility can be used to read a file of information and process it through a predefined iService form. This utility includes a graphical user interface or can be used as a command line utility, and is the recommended method for importing contacts or processing records from a CSV file.

In addition to the iService Batch Form Submission Utility, iService includes an older command line utility (BatchUtility) that performs similar actions but without a predefined form. Because the command line utility does not use a predefined iService form, it requires more definition within the input file itself. However, it is more flexible in that it does not require a pre-existing form.

The batch form submission utility and command line utility can both be used to perform the following actions based on an input file.

1.	Create new contacts

2.	Set, update, or remove properties for contacts (e.g., name, email, address, phone, etc.)

3.	Send agent emails to contacts and set interaction properties within the email

4.	Create notes within contact history

5.	Create tickets and queue them for agent handling

The utilities read a comma separated value(CSV) text file that contains the contact information to import and the details related to the interactions to create (agent email, notes, or tickets). The Command Line Utility is designed to be run at the command line or included in a batch file to automate routine execution on a predetermined schedule. The Batch Form Submission utility includes a graphical user interface and is significantly faster than the command line utility.

The utilities perform a variety of error checks to validate the input file. However, it is recommended that you ensure users are familiar with its operation and limitations before making it broadly available. Also, you should test the utility against a test file with limited data before using it on a large scale project. The source code for this utility is provided so that you can modify or extend its functionality. You can also use it as the baseline for other projects.