Import items using a CSV file

Description:

There may be some occasions where you need to import new items from another source. For example, if you have been provided with an audit or inspection by a 3rd party and you wish to continue working on it within Insite.

Similarly, there may be occasions when you wish to update existing items using a spreadsheet editor and import the changes into Insite.

If you come across either of the above scenarios, you can prepare your changes as a correctly formatted CSV file and import the updates into Insite. This article explains how you can update existing items and create new items using a CSV import.

Notes:

• This is a browser-only feature and cannot be accessed via the Insite app for iOS or Android.
• Items can only be updated if you have permission to do so. See User roles & permissions explained for more information on permissions.
• These file formats can be created by exporting data from a spreadsheet. For an example see: Import or export text (.txt or .csv) files.
• You cannot directly use a spreadsheet file, it must be exported to .csv format. The file must be in the following format:
  • A header row containing
    • code
    • title
    • description
    • dueDate
    • status
    • priority
    • assignee_n*
      • *note that 'n' represents any number, for multiple assignees you should have one column for assignee_1 and another for assignee_2, etc
    • location_n†
      • †note that 'n' represents any number, for multiple locations you should have one column for location_1 and another for location_2, etc
  • Row under the header representing each item to be created/updated which defines their details
• In order to update existing items, the item codes must be included in the import file, otherwise, new items will be created.
• The import feature will flag any up and errors in the CSV file provided. These must be fixed before the changes can be applied.

Guide:

1. Go to the list which you would like to import your changes into.

2. Click on the Actions button located on the top right of your screen.

3. Choose Import items using .csv from the menu which pops up.

4. You will now be presented with the Import items using CSV page. From here, you can download a template for the CSV import file. This will include all of the items in your list and all of their details.

5. After updating the CSV template file to match the changes that you wish to make, drop the file into the white box or click Choose to open your file explorer and find the file. 

5a. If the headers in your CSV file do not match the standard format, you will be presented with a page where you can match the columns in your file with the Insite item fields. Use the dropdown boxes on the right-hand side to choose which Insite fields the columns in your file should apply to.

6. You will be presented with a table where you can review the items that are about to be created or updated. As per the format of the import file, each row represents an item and if a code has been included, the corresponding existing item will be updated otherwise a new item will be created.

7. From here, you can edit all of the details of your new item apart from the code, assignees and locations. You can also remove items using the ✕ at the end of each row. Any errors will be displayed with a red highlight, these must be fixed by editing the errored fields or removing the items. 

8. When you are happy with the details of the items to be created, click on Apply updates in the bottom right of the page. Your changes will be applied and any new items will be created accordingly.