Data Import Tool Help
Import Data into Your Secure Dragonfly Database
Data Import Utility Overview
The Dragonfly data import utility will allow you to import data you already have into your Dragonfly work types. You can import data from Excel spreadsheets. Quickbooks, financial software, most CRMs and other software have export utilities to export data into spreadsheets.
Typical imports include:
- Customer / Contact lists
- Vendor list
- Supplier list
- Project list
- Product list
- Asset list
- Knowledge base list
If you or someone in your organization is not comfortable exporting and importing data, or you have a complex set of data you need help with, please contact PhaseAlpha for assistance by emailing support@wedragonfly.com.
Before You Start the Import Utility
Below are the steps to do before you run the Data Import Utility for each work type:
- Export data from your existing software or spreadsheet to a spreadsheet. The field names must be in the first row.
- Clean the Import spreadsheet data – delete the columns and rows you do not want imported into Dragonfly
- In Dragonfly Settings > Work Type > Custom Fields, add and delete the custom fields that match the spreadsheet column data you want to import. Make a note of which custom work items allow selecting from a list.
- In the Import spreadsheet, double-check the columns that allow selecting from a list and write down the list in Notepad or on paper.
Clean Data Tips:
If your Import spreadsheet has a column that contains values that will be imported from another spreadsheet, make sure there are not multiple different ways the same item is spelled. For example, if you are importing a project list to the Projects work type and the list contains customer company names, make sure the company name is spelled exactly the same every time it is shown in that column.
If you are importing the customer list that came from your financial software and importing a project list from a spreadsheet, make sure the customer names in the spreadsheet is spelled exactly like the list from the customer spreadsheet.
While doing clean data imports takes a little time, it saves tons of time and confusion for everyone using data to do their work.
Using the Import Utility
Now that you have followed the steps outlined above for creating the cleaned import spreadsheets and configured the custom fields in Dragonfly to match the desired import data in those spreadsheets, it is a fast process to import the data using the Data Import utility.
In Dragonfly Settings module, click Import Utility.
Here is a summary of the steps to set up an import.
Steps:
- Step 1 – Select how the records are to be imported
- Add Only will add records (work items) to records that are in the selected Work Type
- Add/Update will add records AND update existing records that are in the Work Type. Use this option if you want to add additional columns or add more information to Work Items already in the Work Type.
- Re-Import will delete ALL records in the Work Type and replace them with new Work Items. Use this to start over with importing Work Items for the selected Work Type.
- Ignore Required Fields – If this is checked, if there is no data in the Import spreadsheet for a Custom field that is marked as “Required”, then the Work Item will still import. If unchecked, there will be a data error.
- Step 2 – Select an App from the list. Apps group Work Types and are defined in the Settings > Apps
- Step 3 – Select the Work Type from the list which is filtered by the app selected
- Step 4 – If there is a Parent Work type for Step #3, select from the list. For example, if the parent work type for a Contact is “Customer” or “Company”, select it. Otherwise, leave the selection as “Select…”.
- Step 5 – Select a user to assign as the person importing the list. Dragonfly keeps track of who adds work items and the date they are added. If you choose a user here, it will add that user’s name in the Work Items as adding the data.
- Step 6 – (optional) If it will help you, you can download a pre-configured import spreadsheet that matches the custom fields for the Work Type selected. Sometimes it is easier to download this to use as an import template and you can copy data to it for importing.
- Step 7 – Select the clean Import spreadsheet to import the Work Items to the selected Work Type.
Mapping and Validating the Data
Once the spreadsheet is selected and loaded, the screen will refresh to show the data in the Excel Import spreadsheet. Now the Dragonfly fields must be mapped to the import spreadsheet column names.
An example of a mapped project list is shown below. Note that the Dragonfly field names do not have to match the spreadsheet field names.
- Step 8 – For each column, map the Dragonfly field to the Excel field by selecting the Dragonfly field from the list. If there is no Dragonfly field for your Excel column, then either do not import it by keeping the dropdown as “Select” OR go back and add a custom field to the Work Type in Settings > Work Types > Custom Fields
- Step 9 – After all the columns to be imported are selected, click on Validate Data button. Draginfly will check for data integrity and return any messages should there be any incompatibility with the spreadsheet data and Dragonfly field.
Check How Things Look
Now go back to the Dragonfly client, look at the Work Item data in the Work Type and see if it is what you expect. If some changes need to be made, make the changes in the import spreadsheet or in Dragonfly and select Re-Import.
