Data Import

Introduction

Data Import is a tool that enables you to update items and its associated data columns based on the contents of external Microsoft Office Excel documents.

Create or receive Microsoft Excel Document from anywhere and simply import the data directly into Highstage without having to rely on cumbersome filtering, searching and manual entry.

Features

Data Import enables you to:

• Import data to existing items (of any type) in Highstage from external Microsoft Office Excel files.
• Create new items (of any type) in Highstage and populate it directly with data from external Microsoft Office Excel files.
• Configure any number of Data Import profiles controlling the specific matching, filtering, and mapping of data from the external Microsoft Excel files against data and items in Highstage.

User guide

The following guides introduces you to the basic access and usage of Data Import.

Prerequisites

To make use of Data Import, please make sure that you satisfy the following prerequisites:

• Accessibility: Ensure that you have access to an item (e.g. Document, Action, Part, Device) where a Data Import profile has been configured and is readily available.
• Data file: Ensure that the folder associated with the accessed item contains the external Microsoft Office Excel file where data will be imported from.

Note: Please note that each Data Import profile is configured in such a way that the external Microsoft Excel file must contain specific information/data and may need to be set up with a specific layout. Furthermore, there may be requirements for the naming of the file that data is imported from.

Accessing Data Import

• Navigate to a specific item (e.g. Document, Part, Action, Device).
• Navigate to Options > Advanced (requires a minimum set user level of AdvancedUser for the advanced section to be accessible):

It is from this section that you can initiate import of data from the associated Microsoft Excel file that is placed in the item folder.

Note: Please note that the accessibility and usage of Data Import depends on the configuration. Any number of Data Import profiles can be configured and may be available for items only of specific base- and/or subtypes. Similarly, each profile may be configured to only be available to select users under specific conditions.

Using Data Import

• Click Import Data to initiate an import of data from the external Microsoft Excel file.

This will prompt a dialogue to open with a preliminary overview of pending data to be imported from the associated Microsoft Excel file that is placed in the item folder:

The matched items and their pending changes originates from the Microsoft Excel file that is placed directly in the item folder from where the import is initiated:

The dialogue provides you with information about:

Matched items: Matched items and pending data columns to be updated. Items not found: Unidentified items (with the potential option of creating those items directly with data from the Excel file). Summary: Basic overview providing information about the import and scope.

• Click Import to initiate the import.

A summary will be displayed showing the results of the import:

The Results section will inform you whether the changes have been successfully executed. If an import failed for any individual matched entry, then you will be informed whether it is because the field is not writable or if the imported data is not correct (e.g. if the data type does not match or if the value is not a permitted list entry).

Tip: Data Import enforces standard Highstage security. You can only update data on items where you have appropriate write permissions.

• Click Close to finalize the import.

Configuration

Click here to view all of the available configuration options, including sample profiles, for Data Import.