From NWS Desktop

This importer allows you to bring congregation information exported from NWS Desktop into Meeting Schedule Assistant. It is available from the Import menu.

Use this importer when you have an NWS Desktop CSV export containing congregation names and want to populate or update your congregation list in Meeting Schedule Assistant.

What This Importer Does

The NWS Desktop Congregation importer reads a CSV file exported from NWS Desktop and imports:

• Congregation names
• Weekend meeting day
• Weekend meeting time
• Talk Coordinator name
• Optional memo fields (if mapped)

It does not import publishers or speakers.
It does not modify assignment history or meeting schedules.

Required Format

The CSV file must contain the following fields:

• Name
• WeekendMeetingDay
• WeekendMeetingTime
• PTCFirstName
• PTCLastName

These must match exactly as written in the CSV header.

Opening the Importer

From the Import Menu

Import → Congregations → From NWS Desktop

Figure 1: Selecting the NWS Desktop importer from the Import menu.

Import Steps

1. Select the NWS Desktop CSV file

Choose the CSV file exported from NWS Desktop.
The importer immediately reads the header row and validates the required columns.

2. Map optional memo fields (Congregation and Talk Coordinator)

If your CSV contains additional columns, you may map them to memo fields.
The mapping window contains two tabs:

• Congregation Memo Fields
• Talk Coordinator Memo Fields

Figure 2: Optional memo field mapping. Use the tabs to map fields for the congregation and for the talk coordinator.

Use these to map CSV columns to the appropriate memo fields.

Mapping is optional — if you do not select anything, memo fields remain empty.

3. Complete the import

A summary is displayed showing how many congregations were added or skipped.

Field Mappings

Field	How It’s Used in Meeting Schedule Assistant
Name	Becomes the congregation name.
WeekendMeetingDay	Converted from a day name (e.g., “Sunday”) into an internal day index.
WeekendMeetingTime	Parsed as a time value (HH:MM). Invalid times cause the row to be skipped.
PTCFirstName + PTCLastName	Combined to create the Public Talk Coordinator’s name.
Mapped memo fields	Stored in either the congregation’s or the talk coordinator’s memo record, depending on which tab you mapped them under.

Troubleshooting

Memo fields did not import

This can happen if:

• The CSV column was not mapped
• The column contains no data
• The field was mapped under the wrong tab (Congregation vs Talk Coordinator)

Duplicate congregations

If two rows contain congregation names that differ only by spacing or punctuation, they may be treated as separate congregations.
Ensure names are consistent in the CSV.

Summary

The NWS Desktop Congregation importer provides a simple way to bring congregation information into Meeting Schedule Assistant. It supports:

• Importing congregation names
• Weekend meeting day and time
• Public Talk Coordinator details
• Optional memo field mapping for both the congregation and the talk coordinator

After processing the file, a summary report shows how many congregations were added or skipped.

Back to Congregation Importers

Related Importers

• From MSA
• From PTS