Import

The Import subtab is for when you are ready to bulk upload changes into the catalog. For example, you might have new components to add, components to modify, components to delete, or other catalog entries to mark as deprecated.

To import an Excel table, follow these steps:

1. Ensure your Excel table is ready for import.

   IMPORTANT:

   • The Excel sheets must be in the same format as the exported examples. See Catalog Import/Export for more information.

   • If importing a Grouping, double-check the “Can Auto-Optimize” column.

     • All components except for Conditioning Taps and Taps should be set to TRUE.

     • For Conditioning Taps and Taps, you can choose either TRUE or FALSE. If you choose TRUE, then Conditioning Taps and Taps are Optimized in your design.

2. On the Import subtab, click Browse, then navigate to the location of your file and Open it.

   IMPORTANT:

   • Don’t worry, this does not immediately start the import process. You get a chance to double-check what you are about to insert, update, deprecate, or delete before initiating the upload.

   • If you plan on inserting new items, you must populate all required fields for those items in the Excel table. If you do not, you receive an error after trying to open the Excel table. The error lists which components are at fault, and it lists which columns and rows are missing in the Excel table.

   • What does the Load File button do? After browsing to and opening the Excel table on the Import subtab, let’s say you notice a mistake while previewing the data on the Import tab interface. You could open the same table within Excel. Then, if you perform edits within Excel and save them, you can press Load File, and that brings in the most recent version of the Excel table.

3. Choose your appropriate option:

   • Insert/Update Resources: Any new items in the Excel table that do not exist in the DHFC catalog are created. Any existing items are updated with the differences found in the Excel table.

     • If inserting new items, you do not need to create a GUID in the ID column prior to upload. You can leave the IDs null. The application creates new GUIDs for new items.

   • Delete Resources: This deletes selected items from the DHFC catalog. This is particularly helpful for data clean up purposes.

     IMPORTANT: If you delete components that have been used in a node that is currently saved in your GIS or if you delete components currently in a design file, the application is no longer able to open that design. You should only delete components that are not used by any designs or nodes (for example, components that were used only for test purposes). If a component has been used in a design or node, you should deprecate it instead.

   • Deprecate Resources: This toggles the “Is Deprecated” option on the components, and places them under the Deprecated list.

     • If you want to verify your bulk deprecation, remember to check the “Include Deprecated” option when searching for components in the Components tab.

4. The interface displays the recognized DHFC Catalog entries (again, it recognizes the Excel table based upon the templates provided from the Export). These include Project Files, Groupings, and Components. The following image is an example, and depending on what was in your Excel table, your entries vary.

   

5. Check and uncheck your desired Project Files, Groupings, and Components. Always double-check the number of selected to make sure it is what you are expecting.

   

   IMPORTANT: If working with underground structures, we recommend you import (and export) UndergroundStructure and UndergroundStructureType together.

   

6. After verifying your selections, click Import Resources.

7. You can watch the log track your progress. When it is complete, there are two possible outcomes:

   1. You receive a success message. At this point, the process is complete. Optionally, you can click Copy Log to create a copy of the import report. It is a text report, and you can copy it into any text application such as Word, Notepad, or an email.

   2. You receive an error message, for example:

      

      • At this point, you definitely want to click Copy Log to create a copy of the import report, then paste it into a text application.

      • The report contains more information and details about what specifically went wrong with the import. For example, perhaps you were missing a required field (the following image uses a missing ModelNumber field entry as an example).

        

      • Correct the issues listed in the report, then re-try the Import.