National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

Appendix B – Troubleshooting and FAQs 


National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

B.1 Troubleshooting 
Main Menu Function 

NFIP Import 

Problem – The NFIP import process begins, but “hangs” before it is finished. 

Solution – This is generally a computer processing issue related to the speed and 
memory specifications of the PC. See System Requirements in 
Appendix A for suggested PC configuration and try importing smaller 
portions of data (fewer records) if necessary. 

Problem – After choosing a file for import, there is an error message, “The 
Following error has occurred: -2147418113 – Catastrophic 
failure” 

Solution – Make sure you have the correct drill down. There are drill downs with 
similar but not identical formats to the one used with the tool – the RL 
Data for National Tool. Be sure the drilldown being used is in the 
correct format and refer to Section 4.4.1 of the User’s Guide on how 
to access this data. 

Problem – When importing NFIP data for updates of existing records, the 
older data are not being replaced with data from the new import. 
Instead, new records are created. 

Solution – Make sure that the Property Locator/Rep Loss number on the record 
matches the one in the NFIP spreadsheet. 

Appending Data 

Problem – I appended data more than once from the same database. Some of 
my image names have changed to include “_01” or “_02” and the 
disk space used has increased dramatically. 

Solution – When you append data into the database, it also appends the images 
into the NFMDCT folder where your database resides. During the 
append process you can select how duplicate images are handled. If 
you selected to Not overwrite files with the same name, then the file 

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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

was renamed with a sequential number. This doubles up the amount 
of disk space used and isn’t very efficient. 

To correct the situation, you can use one of these two options. 

1. Manually remove the extra images by deleting them from each property 
record. 
2. Create a new database and append the data only one time. If there are a lot 
of renamed images, this may be less time-consuming than Option 1. To 
create a new database, copy the empty NFMDCT database from the 
appropriate folder on the installation CD. Append the data from the 
original database only one time into the empty database. 
Problem – I appended data from a previous version of the NT and the “Total 
Number of Claims per NFIP” field on the Insurance screen 
contains “Unknown.” 

Solution – This occurs because this field did not exist in the older versions of the 
NT. To fix the problem, re-import the latest NFIP data. 

Images 

Problem – TIF images are not loading on the image screen or being displayed 
as a thumbnail. 

Solution – Microsoft Office 2003 does not include TIF graphics filter files which 
are necessary for proper viewing of TIFs in this application. You can 
load the necessary files from installation CDs for previous versions of 
OFFICE (XP). To load the files, load the Microsoft Office CD into 
the PC and choose Custom Installation. Load the Graphics Filters 
found under Office Shared Features, Converters, and Filters. Make 
sure to click on all other entries and apply the “X” so the older 
applications are not installed. 

PDF Documents 

Problem – When clicking on a PDF document link, my screen flashes and the 
document never displays. 

Solution – PDF documents are located throughout the NT application, but reside 
mostly on the HELP screen. Adobe Reader 7.0 has a known bug 
where it won’t display PDF documents when they are linked from a 
Microsoft Office document. If you have Adobe Reader 7.0, uninstall 

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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

it and download the latest version of Adobe Reader from the Adobe 
web site (www.adobe.com). 

Problem – When clicking on a PDF document link, I receive the error 
“Unable to open …PDF. No program is registered to open this 
file.” 

Solution – Several of the supporting documents for the NT are PDFs (Portable 
Document Format). These documents need Adobe Acrobat Reader in 
order to open them. You can download Adobe Reader from the 
Adobe web site (www.adobe.com). Please note the Adobe Reader 

7.0 issue in the preceding problem and solution. 
Problem – I could not print to PDF. 

Solution – During the NT installation, two additional files will be installed called 
DynaPDF.dll and StrStorage.dll into the same folder as the database. 
Check the location of these files. These are necessary in order to print 
to PDF. If you move the database and not the files, you won’t be able 
to print to PDF without a PDF printer. 

Miscellaneous 

Problem – My database continues to grow in size. Can it be compacted? 

Solution – Yes. Microsoft Access databases do not recover unused space until 
they are compacted. As with all Microsoft Access databases, it will 
need to be compacted periodically. Access has a built in feature to 
compact automatically every time the database is closed. However, 
this feature is not included in the NT program because of the time 
delay and risk of corruption. If the compact process is interrupted, 
the database will be corrupted. Therefore, compacting is a process 
that must be performed manually. 

There are two ways you can compact: 

• Through the use of the Compact_MDB program in NT 
• Through Microsoft Access 
Compacting using the Compact_MDB program in NT 

1. Locate the Compact_MDB.exe file on the NT Installation CD 
and copy it to the same location as the master database. 
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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

2. Double-click the filename to execute. 
3. Click “Browse” to locate the database to be compacted, then 
press OK. 
4. An ***Important*** information box is displayed (as shown at 
upper right). The database will be backed up into a new folder 
called “Backup.” Do not interrupt the compact process once it 
has started. If it is interrupted, the database will be corrupt. If 
that happens, you can restore it from the backup folder located 
where the database resides. 
6. Click Yes to continue and the database will be compacted. 
When completed, a message will be displayed. 
7. The database is now compacted. A backup is captured for you 
in the Backup folder. As other compactions are done, the 
backups will be numbered sequentially in the Backup folder. 
Compacting through Microsoft Access 2002 or 2003 

1. Open Microsoft Access. 
2. On the toolbar, select Tools / Database Utilities / Compact and 
Repair Database menu item. 
3. You are prompted for the “Database to Compact From” file. 
Browse to and select the master database and press Compact. 
4. You are then prompted for the “Compact Database Into” filename. 
Enter a new filename (example: 
NFMDCT_RegionIV_Master_Compacted.mdb) and press Save. 
The compacting process will begin. 
5. When the compacting process is finished, exit Microsoft Access. 
6. Rename the old master database to something more meaningful 
(example: NFMDCT_RegionIV_Master_Backup1.mdb) 
7. Rename the compacted database to the original name 
(NFMDCT_RegionIV_Master.mdb). 
Compacting through Microsoft Access 2007 

1. Open Microsoft Access 2007. 
2. Click on the Office button in the top left corner of the screen. 
3. Click Manage on the left, then Compact and Repair Database. 
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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

4. You are prompted for the “Database to Compact From” file. 
Browse to and select the master database and press Compact. 
You are then prompted for the “Compact Database Into” filename. 
Enter a new filename (example: 
NFMDCT_RegionIV_Master_Compacted.mdb) and press Save. The 
compacting process will begin. 

5. When the compacting process is finished, exit Microsoft Access. 
6. Rename the old master database to something more meaningful 
(example: NFMDCT_RegionIV_Master_Backup1.mdb) 
7. Rename the compacted database to the original name 
(NFMDCT_RegionIV_Master.mdb). 
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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

B.2 FAQs 
Q: How do I create a smaller database with specific properties? 
A: Create a subset NT database (Section 4.4.7). 
Q: How do I combine several community databases into one main county database? 
A: Append properties (Section 4.4.4). 
Q: How do I create a spreadsheet with selected properties so I can update 
information in a single category all at once? 
A: There are two ways: 1) From Limited or Detailed Views, use Find Properties 
to select the properties you want, and then select Export Property Data Template 
from the Tools Menu. And 2) From the Main Menu, select Utilities, then Export 
Property Data Template. Delete the rows for properties you don’t want to import. 
Q: I exported the Claims and Flood Events spreadsheet and updated it. Why can’t I 
import it into NT? 
A: This spreadsheet cannot be imported into NT. The data from this 
spreadsheet is for use with FEMA’s Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) 
program. To add updated Claims or Flood Events data, update the data 
fields in the Property Data Template spreadsheet under the appropriate 
worksheet tab and then import the Property Data Template into NT to add 
the information. 
Q: I need to have the same photo associated with several different properties. Should 
I rename the photo file each time I want to add it to a different property before 
importing? 
A: You can go into the Photo Gallery, locate the image, right click it and 
assign it to additional properties. Alternatively, in the property data 
template spreadsheet, enter the same document path and file name of the 
photo for each property you want. The photo will be imported once, but 
NT will associate it with all of the different properties. Same reasoning 
works for the same document associated with several different properties 
(Section 4.4.3). 
Q: I entered all of my field information into a property and then later found out that it 
is the duplicate of another property. Do I have to retype all of the same 
information into the main property? 
A: No, you can Merge properties (Section 4.4.5). 
Q: Why did I receive an error after trying to import several photos? I included the 
entire path. 
A: Make sure the filenames of your photos do not have any blank spaces. If 
they do, either replace the spaces with an underscore (“_”) or remove the 
spaces entirely. 
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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

B.3 Importing Property Data into the NT 
Many data fields for multiple properties can be imported at one time by populating a 
Property Data Template (a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet) with the Property Locator/Rep 
Loss Number and a column for each data field found in NT. Any errors during the import 
process are displayed in a report immediately following the import. 

Steps for Importing Property Data (with notes for each step) 

1. Export the property data template. 
• This template is run from the Utilities Menu or from the Tools menu in 
Limited and Detailed Views. 
• Template is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing a column for each data 
field that can be imported. 
• The property data for each property is also exported. 
• Some of the columns limit your entries by using drop down lists. 
• Three worksheets are exported – Import Data, Claims, and Flood Events. 
• You can limit the properties exported by using the Find Properties feature in 
the Limited or Detailed Views. 
2. Populate the spreadsheet with the values to be imported. 
• Delete or hide the columns you don’t want to import. It won’t hurt to keep an 
empty column. 
• Delete the rows for properties you don’t need to import. 
• Delete the additional worksheets you will not be using to import data. 
• The Property Locator/Rep Loss Num column is required and must exist in the 
spreadsheet. The number does not have to contain the leading zeros. 
• Do NOT rename any of the column names. If you do, the import process will 
fail for that column. 
• If you enter inspector information, make sure to enter the inspection date. If 
you don’t, the inspection information will not be imported. 
• Claims and flood events will also not import without the date. 
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National Flood Mitigation Data Collection Tool and RLP Viewer Appendix B 

• You can import multiple image and document files for a property by 
separating the filenames with a comma or a semi-colon (e.g., 
c:/RL00001899_1.jpg, c:/RL00001899_2.jpg, etc.). Do not mix commas and 
semi-colons as a file separator in the same cell. Also, do not include blank 
spaces in the filename. Replace blank spaces with an underscore (“_”) or 
hyphen (“-”). 
• If multiple properties share the same image or document file, enter the same 
document path and filename for each property in the spreadsheet. The file 
will only be moved once, but it will be associated with each property it was 
assigned to. 
NOTE: This same process applies to existing image or document files in the 
database. That is, if you are importing a file that has already been imported 
for another property, the file will not be moved (if your path is the NFMDCT 
folder). However, an association will be made between the new property and 
the existing file. The image or document file can then be viewed in both 
property records. 

3. Import the data. 
• Open the NT database, go to the Utilities menu, and select Import the 
Property Data Template. Browse to locate and select the spreadsheet, and 
then press Import to continue or Close to cancel. 
• If any warnings or errors are detected in the import process, a Property Data 
Import Warnings and Errors report will be generated to provide more detailed 
information about the errors. The following table lists possible warnings and 
errors included on the Property Data Import Warnings and Errors report with 
their solutions. 
Possible Warnings, Errors, and Solutions 

Warning/Error Solution 
The Property Locator/Rep Loss Num 
column was not found in the spreadsheet. 
The Property Locator/Rep Loss Num column is 
required. Make sure the column exists and the 
spelling of the column name is correct. 
Invalid Column. Not imported. The column name is not recognized as a valid 
column. Check the spelling of the column name 
against the template columns and/or export the data 
template and copy the column name. 
Text data too long. Only n chars 
allowed. 
The column data value for this row contains too 
many characters. It is limited to the number of 
characters given. 
Invalid Date. The column data value for this row does not contain 
a date in valid date format. Format the column as a 
date field (mm/dd/yyyy). 

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Invalid value. Must match a value in the 
drop-down box. 
The data value for this column does not match a valid 
value from the drop down box in the NT. Check the 
NT screen drop down box for this field for valid 
values or print the drop down box values from the 
Help menu. 
File doesn't exist in the path stated. The image/document doesn’t exist in the path stated. 
Check the spelling and location of the 
image/document path. If both commas and semicolons 
were used in the same cell to separate multiple 
image/document names, change to only one type of 
separator. You cannot use both commas and semicolons 
in the same cell when separating filenames. 
Number too large. Must be < 
999,999,999. 
The number value is too large. Make sure it is less 
than the number listed. 
Invalid value. Valid Values are: x, x, x The value entered is invalid. Select one of the values 
listed. 
Inspection must contain an inspection 
date. Not imported. 
The inspection date is missing for this row. The 
inspection record won’t be imported unless it has a 
valid inspection date. Enter the inspection date in the 
format mm/dd/yyyy. 
Warning: Image/Document already exists 
for property: n. This property will be 
assigned to the existing 
Image/Document. 
The image/document being imported already exists 
in the NFMDCT folder; therefore, this 
image/document was not imported. The imported 
property was assigned to the existing 
image/document. 
If the imported property shouldn’t be assigned to the 
existing image/document, you can un-assign it by 
going to the View > Images or Documents menu and 
deleting the image/document. The image/document 
will not be permanently deleted from NT until it is 
deleted from the last property assigned to it. 
If the image/document name is not spelled correctly, 
change it before re-importing. 
Warning: Image/Document already 
existed in the NFMDCT folder, but it was 
not assigned to any properties. The 
existing Image/Document was 
overwritten with the new 
Image/Document. 
The image/document being imported already existed 
in the NFMDCT folder, but there were no properties 
assigned to the image/document. This may occur 
when images/documents are manipulated outside of 
the NT database. 
Since the image/document wasn’t assigned to a 
property, the new image/document replaced the 
existing image/document. 

User’s Guide B-9 August 2008