Looking for a WinPATS alternative? How to export your test and tag records

If you're looking for a WinPATS alternative, the first job isn't picking new software. It's getting your records out of WinPATS in a form another program can read. Both versions of WinPATS can do it: the older WinPATS for Windows exports a CSV file through its Flexible Reports, and the newer WinPATS Android app exports your equipment inventory to CSV from its Import/Export screen.

This guide walks through both, using the steps in Wavecom's own manuals, then covers how to split the file by client and site, check it, and import it into a new register without retyping.

Which WinPATS do you have?

WinPATS is made by Wavecom Instruments in South Australia, and there are two quite different products under the name:

• WinPATS for Windows. The desktop program that runs on an office PC. The WinPATS for PC operator manual covers it.
• The WinPATS app. An Android app that connects to Wavecom testers and printers and syncs to Wavecom's cloud. It has its own online manual.

The export steps are different, so jump to the section that matches yours.

Exporting from WinPATS for Windows

Wavecom's app manual includes a section on migrating from old WinPATS to the new app. Its first half is a clean full export of your Windows database, and it works just as well if you're moving to something else:

1. Open your WinPATS database.
2. Turn off every filter, including any site filter. Filters decide what's on screen, and anything filtered out won't be exported.
3. Open the Reports menu, then Flexible Reports, then Select Fields to Display.
4. Set the report layout to Equipment Summary and click Load / Create Layout.
5. Make sure every field is in the right-hand (selected) column, then click Next.
6. Check the data on screen, then click Export.
7. Choose a folder and save the file with a .csv extension, for example winpats-export.csv.

A few things worth knowing:

• Site and Location always come with it. The PC manual notes that Site and Location aren't optional fields in a Flexible Report, which is handy when you split the file later.
• Back up first. The PC manual recommends a database backup before using administration features, and the File menu has a backup option. Keep a copy of the database itself as well as the CSV.
• Not sure which version you're on? The PC manual says some menu items depend on your WinPATS version. If your menus don't match, Wavecom support can confirm the steps for your copy.

Exporting from the WinPATS app

In the app, exports live on the Import/Export screen:

1. Open the side menu and go to Import / Export. The manual reaches it through Database+ in one section and Company+ in another, so check both sub-menus.
2. Stay on the Equipment Inventory tab.
3. Tap the Import switch so it changes to Export.
4. Export the whole item database, or filter by customer, site or location. To filter by site you pick a customer first, and to filter by location you pick a customer and a site.

Two catches:

• Technician logins may be locked out. The manual says Company+ features, including importing and exporting databases, are password protected for Technician users. You may need the company password or an Admin login.
• The export is your equipment inventory. The manual doesn't say whether it includes every past test or only each item's latest result. Open the file and check before you rely on it as your history.

Filtering by customer, and by site where a customer has more than one, gives you one file per site straight away, which saves a step below.

Split the file by client and site

A Windows export holds every client in one file. Most registers import one client's site at a time (Koalaris does), so split it first:

1. Open the CSV in Excel and turn on Data > Filter.
2. Filter the Site column to one site.
3. Copy the visible rows, including the heading row, into a new workbook.
4. Save it as CSV or .xlsx, named after the client and site, for example Riverside Clinic - Main Office.csv.

Repeat for each site. It sounds slow, but it takes a minute or two per site and makes every import small enough to check properly.

Check the file before you import

Open each file and look for:

• A description on every row. It's the one field a register can't do without.
• Dates that look like dates. If a column shows ########, widen it.
• Blank required fields. Wavecom's guide suggests filtering each column for (Blanks) to find gaps.
• Deleted items. WinPATS for Windows moves deleted equipment to a site called "deleted". Leave that site out unless you want those items back.

You don't need to rename or reorder the columns.

Import into Koalaris

In Koalaris, open the Register, choose Import, pick the client and site, and drop in the file. CSV and Excel (.xlsx, .xls) files both work.

Lyra AI, the assistant built into Koalaris, reads your column headings, whatever WinPATS calls them, and matches each one to a register field: asset code, item name, location, class, retest interval, last test date, result, next due date, make, model, serial number, earth, insulation and leakage readings, and notes. You review every match before anything is imported, and you can change or skip any column. Columns Koalaris has no field for, such as the tester's name, can simply be skipped.

Rooms that don't exist yet are created for you. If the file has no next due date, it's worked out from the retest interval. The two-minute import tutorial shows the whole thing.

Then open three or four items and compare them with WinPATS: description, last test date, result and next due date. If they match, that site is done.

Testers, tags and the trade-off

WinPATS is built around Wavecom's own testers, which send results to the app over Bluetooth or USB. Koalaris doesn't download results from a tester. You record each result in the offline field app as you test, on a phone, tablet or computer, and it works with whatever tester you already own.

For tags, Koalaris prints straight to a Zebra ZQ520 or ZQ521 or a Godex RT200 over Bluetooth, and to a Brother or any other label printer through the print dialog. If results flowing straight from the tester matter more to you than invoicing, a client portal and a cloud register your whole team can reach, weigh that up honestly before you switch.

Keep your old records

Don't delete WinPATS the day you move. A test record has to be kept until the item is next tested, and there are good reasons to keep your history longer. Our guide to what test and tag records to keep explains the rules. Keep the CSV exports and a backup of the WinPATS database somewhere safe, and stop entering new results into WinPATS once you've switched. Two registers always drift apart.

If your records are partly in WinPATS and partly in spreadsheets, the same approach works for both. See how to move a test and tag register off spreadsheets.

Common questions

Can WinPATS export to Excel?

Both versions export CSV, which opens in Excel. WinPATS for Windows can also export reports in other formats; the PC manual says 16 common file formats. For moving to new software, the CSV from Flexible Reports is the one you want.

Will I lose my test history?

Each item comes across with its last test date, result and readings. Keep your WinPATS exports and database backup as the archive of older tests. From the switch onwards, every test adds to the item's history in the new register.

My WinPATS export has all my clients in one file. Is that a problem?

No. Split it by the Site column in Excel first, as above. If you're on the WinPATS app, filter the export by customer instead.

Do I need to tidy the columns?

No. Lyra AI suggests a match for each column, and you confirm or change each one before anything is imported.

What does Koalaris cost?

Koalaris has a Free plan with no card and no end date, unlimited items, clients and sites, and a starter allowance of Lyra AI import. Solo is $29 a month and adds invoicing, card payments, Xero sync and 500 import rows a month. See pricing.

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Want to see your WinPATS records in a live register? Start on the Free plan, no card needed, and import your first export today.

This is general information based on Wavecom's published manuals at the time of writing. Menus can change between versions, so check with Wavecom if a step doesn't match. WinPATS is a trademark of Wavecom Instruments. Koalaris is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wavecom.