Getting Started with PDAs
Contents
Getting Started with PDAs Overview
Advisors Assistant has a direct link with Microsoft Outlook (2003 or later only) that can be used to combine the power of Advisors Assistant with MS Outlook. You can use Outlook to synchronize your Advisors Assistant calendar and contacts with your handheld device or for auto archiving your email correspondence in your client notes. Advisors Assistant’s Outlook Integration will do all this and more with ease.
Since Advisors Assistant integrates with Outlook, it will work with any PDA that synchronizes with Outlook. Almost all PDAs on the market, including Cell Phone PDAs, synchronize with Outlook. You may have to check with your PDA manufacturer for instructions on how to synchronize your PDA with Outlook.
You must be using Outlook 2003 or later to synchronize Advisors Assistant with Outlook.
Advisors Assistant can synchronize both Contact and Calendar data with Outlook. You choose the data that is synchronized with Outlook - contact data, calendar data, or both. You can also turn on the "Real-time Export" for Advisors Assistant Calendar Events with Outlook.
Contacts
| • | Advisors Assistant will synchronize Contact data with Outlook, including 3 addresses, 4 phone numbers, 3 email addresses, 1 web address, birthdates, wedding anniversary dates, categories (with the Name Type field in Advisors Assistant,) and notes. |
| • | If you send birthdates and anniversary dates to Outlook, Outlook will set up an event in the Outlook Calendar for those dates. You can opt not to send these dates to Outlook. If you send these dates your synchronization can take a long time and you may not be able to use your Outlook until it is finished. |
| • | Advisors Assistant only synchronizes with the main Contact List in Outlook. When you import from Outlook, all Contacts will be imported unless you specify just one category to import. |
Calendar
| • | Advisors Assistant can synchronize Appointments and Tasks. |
| • | You get to choose to synchronize Appointments and/or Tasks each time you synchronize. |
There are 3 options for transferring data between Advisors Assistant and Outlook.
| • | Export from Advisors Assistant to Outlook |
Update Outlook with additions or changes from Advisors Assistant.
| • | Import from Outlook to Advisors Assistant |
Update Advisors Assistant with additions or changes from Outlook.
| • | Both Export and Import |
Advisors Assistant will be updated by Outlook changes and Outlook will be updated by Advisors Assistant in one easy step.
You do not actually have to use Outlook in order to synchronize it with Advisors Assistant. Outlook must be open, but it can be used to just hold the data from Advisors Assistant so that the PDA can grab it.
How to Synchronize with Outlook
Make sure you've turned your Outlook Synchronization on through the User Preferences. Click on the Outlook Icon in the Advisors Assistant Sidebar to synchronize data.
Details about the synchronization criteria are available in the Outlook Synchronization Help.
Real-Time Export
Advisors Assistant has a Real-time Export of calendar data, that will automatically send any additions or changes to your calendar over to Outlook.
Due to Outlook Security, only the calendar for the user logged into both Windows and Advisors Assistant is automatically updated. You can not send another person's calendar to Outlook unless you are logged into Windows and Advisors Assistant as that person.
Turning On the Real-time Export
| 1. | Click on the File Menu and choose Preferences. |
| 2. | On the User Preferences screen click on the Outlook Tab. |
| 3. | Choose whether or not you want Advisors Assistant to automatically synchronize your Advisors Assistant calendar with your Outlook calendar by setting the “Real-time Export for Calendar Events” to “On” or “Off.” |
| 4. | Click OK to save your preferences. |
See Also