Script for importing items with xProperties from Excel using Batch Loader
I just went through this process as part of learning Aras. Importing items from Excel using the Batch Loader is pretty straightforward if you only have simple properties that all belong directly to the Item Type. See documentation for the Batch Loader. Note that you should save the Excel file as a tab-delimited .txt file. It gets more difficult, however, when you need to import properties over relationships. In this case Costs over the Part Goal relationship and xProperties over Part_xClass. I found no documentation to help me with this, so the script below is the result of a lot of trial and error. Comments and improvements welcome" It is my first import script! Copy the text below into Notepad++ for better readability. A big difficulty was working out how to explicitly identify the xClass. I used the xClass Property "name". This used just the simple name of the "Leaf" xClass in the xClass tree. Hope it saves someone a bit of time :) (Extract to show the highlights...) <Item type='Part' action='add'> <!--Use Action='edit' when updating items--> <!--@10, etc. denotes the column in the data file and is independent of the header row contents--> <item_number>@2</item_number> <name>@4</name> <classification>@5</classification> <Relationships> <!--Part Goal is the relationship item that links to item type Goal--> <Item type="Part Goal" action="add"> <goal>@7</goal> <!--e.g. Cost--> <actual_value>@8</actual_value> <!--Further fields available, see Loader docs--> </Item> <!--Part_xClass is the relationship item from part to xClass--> <!--Note that "name" (lower case) is the easiest of several field options for identifying xClass--> <!--Format is, e.g. "Fuel Tanks" (name of leaf, spaces OK)--> <Item type="Part_xClass" action="add"> <related_id> <Item type="xClass" action="get" select="id"> <name>@10</name> </Item> </related_id> </Item> </Relationships> <!--The properties below can only be loaded once the xClass relationship has been established as above--> <xp-mass_full set="value">@14</xp-mass_full> </Item>Lessons Learned from importing data for Parts with xClassification data and a thumbnail image
With the attached document, I just want to share my experiences and struggles with the hope that it helps someone else trying to do similar things. It follows on from my posts https://community.aras.com/f/getting-started/35943/script-for-importing-items-with-xproperties-from-excel-using-batch-loader https://community.aras.com/f/getting-started/35979/how-to-import-thumbnail-images-for-parts-using-batch-loader I eventually worked out for myself how to import thumbnails, but - unless I've missed a trick somewhere - it isn't as straightforward as one would hope. Should you be able to provide feedback / improvements / information about useful reference documents or if you have any questions I'd be happy to hear from you! Tim --------- This is just a record of my experience (as a non-programmer) trying to work out how to import the data for a demo system just using AML and Batch Loader. A lot of it was picking clues out from various sources plus a lot of educated guesses. The documentation is insufficient. What I did find was as below: A nice introduction, but just an introduction by Christopher Gillis on the Aras Forum The Programmer’s Guide in the Innovator Documentation. This includes a three-page reference, which feels a bit short. The documentation for Batch Loader includes some examples at the end I would love to see further documentation and references, in particular: The full extent of what AML can and can’t do. Specifically: Can it include logic such as IF statements that depend on the content of the file being imported (i.e. an SQL where condition doesn’t help here) Can one concatenate input data. See below where this would have been useful for loading the thumbnail images. Can one import files (e.g. image files) along with the data by using pointers to the file locations with the import sheet? A full description of the error messages returned within Batch Loader. These are mostly very obscure and singularly unhelpful. Software used Excel for Data Lookup for GUIDs to enable importing of Thumbnails Generating AML for Batch Loader Batch Loader. I assume that the reader has a basic understanding of using this program. If not MS SQL Studio. Other options also available. Used to get a list of files in the vault along with their GUID ... Please see attached file for the rest of the document: [View:/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/6/Lessons-Learned_2C00_-xClass-import-with-thumbnail-images_2C00_-forum.pdf:40:40]How to import thumbnail images for parts using batch loader?
I've worked out how to import all other part data, including related item types such as xproperties I'm stuck on getting the thumbnail images imported, however, as "thumbnail" is just a property of data type image with no data source. I can reference a filename in the import file, but how do I tell Batch Loader the location of the file? Or should all files just be dumped somewhere specific (e.g. under .../Client/Customer or .../Client/Images) and the Batchloader knows where to find them? Bonus Question: If I load images into .../Client/Customer or .../Client/Images, whilst the Image Browser picks up the folders, it is unable to recognise the image files and I have to use External File. What do I need to do to get Image Browser to recognise the new files? Thank you!