This guide walks through preparing your application data, running the lottery, and formatting the results to send back for import.


Step 1: Select and Export Applications

  1. Select all of the applications you want included in the lottery.
  2. Click Export. At minimum, you'll need the following fields:
    • ID
    • Position Number
    • Lottery Number
  3. You can export everything to a CSV (comma-separated file), then save it as an Excel document before running the lottery.


Note: The ID must match to a Position Number for the import to work correctly. If an application doesn't yet have a lottery number, this field can be updated manually.


Step 2: Run the Lottery in Excel

  1. Open your exported CSV and save it as an Excel document.
  2. Add a new column for your random number.
  3. Generate a random number for each row.
  4. Copy the column, then use Paste Special > Values Only to lock in the numbers (since random values recalculate otherwise).
  5. Rename this column something like "Lottery Number Static".
  6. Sort and filter the list in ascending order by that column — this is your lottery result.
  7. Add in your position numbers based on the sorted order, and bring that down through the full list.


Step 3: Clean Up and Finalize the File

  1. Delete all columns except ID, Position Number, and Lottery Number.
  2. Rename the lottery number column to "Lottery Number".
  3. Save the file as an Excel file, or — preferably — save it again as a CSV, replacing the original file.


Step 4: Send for Import


Send the finalized CSV (or Excel file) back so the position numbers can be imported and matched to the corresponding IDs.


Important: Add any paper applications before running the lottery. Paper applications need a matching ID in HavenConnect in order to connect to a position number.