Importing records

You can import one record type at a time, including the history and attachment information for that record type.

1. Start the HCL Compass Client.
2. Click File > Import > Records.
3. Select the connection to import the data in to, or click Connect to create a new connection to a HCL Compass user database, and click Next.
   The Import wizard opens.
4. In the Select a record type window, select the name of the record type for which you are importing records and the type of data that you are importing. Select all that apply.
   You can import history and attachment information for the selected record type.
   1. If applicable, indicate whether you are updating existing records.

      If this is your first import operation, this step is not necessary.

   2. Click Next.
5. In the Specify file names window:
   1. For Record Data, enter the location and name of the import file that contains the data to be imported.

      Enter a location and name for the discarded data log. Note that if you use an existing file, the contents of that file are overwritten with the new log data.

      If a record does not convert successfully, the record is saved to the discarded data file that you specify. You can use this file to fix problems and to import the record again. For more information, see Recovering from import errors.

      Select the field delimiter used in the import file.

   2. If you are importing history information, enter the History Data:

      Enter the location and name of the import file that contains the data to be imported.

      Enter a location and name for the discarded data log. Note that if you use an existing file, the contents of that file are overwritten with the new log data.

      If the history data does not convert successfully, the Import feature saves it to the discarded data file that you specify. You can use this file to fix problems and to import the record again. See Recovering from import errors.

      Select the field delimiter used in the import file.

   3. If you are importing attachment information, enter the Attachment Data:

      Enter the location and name of the import file that contains the data to be imported.

      Enter a location and name for the discarded data log. This must be a new file; you cannot use an existing file.

      If the attachment data does not convert successfully, the data is saved to the discarded data file that you specify. You can use this file to fix problems and to import the record again. For more information, see Recovering from import errors.

      Select the field delimiter used in the import file.

   4. Click Next.
6. In the Import wizard - Import settings window:
   1. To import state values, select the Import state values option. If you select this option, you must map the exported field to a state field that you defined in the import schema. The state field specified determines the state that the record is imported into. If this field is empty, the default is the Submit state.
   2. To import duplicates, specify whether the import file contains information about duplicate records.

      If the import file contains information about duplicates, select the exported field name that contains the duplicate information. For more information about importing duplicates, see Importing duplicate records.

   3. To import a self-reference relationship, select the Import self-reference relationship option. This option is already selected if the record type in the import schema contains self-reference fields. If you do not select this option, the self-reference relationship in the import file is not imported.
   4. To import record updates, duplicates, history, or attachments, select the field in the import schema that will contain the original record ID (or other unique identifier) of the exported data.

      When you import history, attachments, and duplicate records, the original unique identifier (typically the old ID number) of the imported record is used to find the record to which the attachment, history information or duplicate record belongs.

      Note that if a record type has self-reference fields, you must provide a field for the original record ID even when you are importing new records. If the field that has the original ID is not specified in this step, a duplicate record will be created.

   5. Click Next.
7. In the Configure record field mappings window, map the fields in the import file to the fields that you created in the import schema. If the field names are the same, the mapping is complete. To import record history or attachment data, you must repeat the mapping for the history and attachment fields.
   • You cannot map a field in the import file to more than one field in the schema.
   • Map the original ID in the import file to the Destination field that stores it.
   • If you used the Export feature to create the import file, the original ID is stored in the ID Column of the exported file. Map this field to the original ID field.

   To save the mapping:
   1. Click Save.
   2. Navigate to a location in which to save the mapping profile and type a name, using a .xmi file name extension, and click Save.
   To reuse an existing mapping:
   1. Click Load.
   2. Select an existing mapping profile and click OK.
   To clear a mapping:
   1. Click Clear. A confirmation dialog opens.
   2. Click Yes to continue and clear all of the field mappings, or click No to cancel the operation.
8. In the Import wizard - Summary window:
   1. Review the import summary to verify that the settings are correct.
   2. Specify how many errors can occur before the import process is terminated.
   3. Select save configuration to save your import settings.
   4. Click Finish.