Import data
When you and your team need to process large amounts of data effectively, you can use the import function.
You can create and update investment plans, as well as purchase orders (POs) and actuals, through an import. This process is explained in detail in the following sections:
Over time, you will likely develop a preferred file structure and import settings that optimally support your data management for POs and actuals. To avoid manually entering these settings for every import, you can save them as templates. For more details, see Import templates.
Currencies during import
During an import, amounts are transferred from your file without a specified currency. When setting up your import files, keep the following interpretation rules in mind:
Investment plans: Amounts imported into an investment plan are interpreted in the local currency of that specific plan.
POs and actuals: A central system setting determines whether imported amounts for POs and actuals are interpreted in the local currency of the investment plan or in the master currency.
Mapping rules
When importing, you can use unique and static rules to map imported records to their corresponding investments.
Unique rules
Unique rules directly tie a PO or actual to a specific investment. For example, if each investment has a unique ID number, you can include that ID in your import file. The system then uses that ID to automatically connect the PO/actual record to the correct investment.
You can also use regular expressions (search patterns used to identify a specific sequence of characters within a larger string) to extract a direct identifier.
- Example
Suppose an investment ID is buried at the end of a PO description field, such as ‘Registration for XYZ Event 7658159’. You can use the regular expression
\d{7}to identify and extract that 7-digit number from the description, allowing the system to map it to the associated ID in your investment plan.
Static rules
Static rules are broader and not specific to a single investment. They utilize specific columns in your import file to identify which area of the organization the PO or actual record belongs to.
- Example
If Finance tracks the business unit and region for all spending, those will be distinct columns in your import file. Using static rules, the import process will identify the business unit from the file and connect the PO/actual to that unit within your organizational hierarchy.
Scheduled imports
Your system may be configured with scheduled imports. This means that data from a third-party system is imported automatically on a regular basis, ensuring your PO and actual data remains consistently up to date without manual intervention.
Scheduled imports are managed by administrators. Contact your system administrator if you have any questions about this schedule or if you notice any data irregularities.