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Data imports

The ​Data imports​​ page provides a wizard-based feature for imports of data into SAM Core on Snow Atlas. Depending on the type of import, you can either create new objects or update existing objects with new metadata.

On the ​Data imports​​ page you find wizards for import of data related to agreements, applications, computers, custom objects, licenses, users, and vendors. The import types listed on the page are determined by the access rights of the user who has signed in.

Data import steps​

Summarized, the import process consists of the following steps:

  1. Upload a source file with the data to be imported.

  2. Configure your import settings.

    This step only applies to the computer, custom object, license, and license assignment imports.

  3. Map the data in the source file to the destination fields in SAM Core.

  4. Preview the import and correct any errors.

  5. Import the data.

You can import information to the standard fields in the SAM Core user interface and to most custom fields applicable to the category. The exception is custom fields of the type "​currency"​.

Source files​

The import source file can be in XLS, XLSX, or CSV format. If you use CSV files, they need to be encoded as UTF-8.

You can use import files both with and without column headers. If you use column headers, the names of the headers in the import file do not have to match the names of the destination fields in SAM Core.

On the ​Data imports​​ page in SAM Core, you find import templates in XLSX format available for download. Each template has column headers on the first row and example values on the second row. For more information, see Download import templates.

For a successful import, certain information must be provided in the import file. As an example, if you want to import new licenses, the ​Metric​ and ​Quantity​ of the licenses are required, or the licenses will be regarded as incomplete and will not be included in license compliance calculations. For detailed information on the required data and where the data can be found in the user interface of SAM Core after the import, see Data Import Field Description.

Mapping of source and destination fields​

In one of the steps of the data import, you map the column names in the import file to the corresponding destination fields in the SAM Core user interface. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk, *, and must be included in the import file. If the import file has no column headers, you can use index mapping instead. This means that you map each column by its position number in the source file instead of its name.

Validation of data​

The preview step of the import validates the data before you import it. This is to verify that only allowed data types and values are included in the import file. Errors are highlighted in red. You can point to the highlighted fields to see more information on the errors. Any errors or conflicts that are highlighted in red will prevent the import.

In the preview step and for each row in the import file, the Status column shows if the row is Ready or Not ready to be imported. You can continue with the import or update even if the import file contains invalid rows. However, rows with status Not ready will not be included in the import.