Data can be imported into a FootPrints Workspace
database from a flat text file. This feature is useful, for example,
when migrating from an existing Service Desk system to or
when combining a knowledge base with an existing Workspace.
Note
The data must first be placed into a single, flat text file.
Details on creating this text file can be found in Creating
the Data File.
To
import data into a Workspace:
Select Administration
| System | Workspaces and then scroll to the Load External Data section of the page.
Complete the appropriate
fields, which are explained as follows:
Select Time to Load Workspace Data (You May Wish to Select a Time When Server Load is Light)—The
data can be imported immediately, or can be scheduled for a future time.
If your import file is large (e.g., more than one thousand records) and
the FootPrints server is in use, we recommend scheduling the import for
a time when the server is not being accessed by users. A link to Review a List of Workspace Load events Currently in the Queue and/or Delete allows you to view scheduled loads.
Please browse for the data import file ...—Click
the Browse button to browse your local machine or network drives
for the file. A link is also provided to review the schema of the data.
Data encoding—Select the type of data encoding to use for the import file. For detailed information, see Note
on Data Encoding.
Options are server default and UTF-8.
Server
Default - If you're planning to view the csv file in Excel or other
non-UTF-8-aware application, or if you are loading data saved from Excel,
you should pick the "server default" choice.
UTF-8
- If you are sure that the application used to view the data in the .csv
file can handle UTF-8 encoded data, select "UTF-8".
Userid or full name of an agent...—There are two
different methods for indicating the default submitter of the data:
The user ID of the
administrator performing the data import becomes the submitter for all
Issues being imported unless a different submitter is entered in this
field.
Enter a valid one-word
FootPrints ID in the field provided.
This user becomes the submitter for all of the Issues being imported.
Different submitters’ IDs can be entered for
each individual Issue in the data file. Refer
to Creating
the Data File for information on how to do this.
Optional list of Assignees...—Optionally
enter one or more assignees, listed by FootPrints
ID, full name, or Team name, separated by commas if there is more than
one assignee. The user(s) entered here become the assignee(s) for all
imported Issues. Alternatively,
the data file itself can contain assignment information (refer to Creating the Data File for Issue Import).
If one
or more assignee names are provided on the System Administration page,
any names found in the load file are ignored.
Click GO. The
system checks that the file exists. A new Load External Data page is displayed. The new page displays some workspace information at the top of the page. The rest of the page is concerned with mapping the load file to the workspace fields and saving the mapping for later use.
Complete the appropriate
fields, which are explained as follows:
You may use the parameters in a built-in Field-Mapping List...—On the left side of the schema section of the page, a list of built-in and saved field mappings is displayed (if you have saved mappings previously). To use a saved or built-in mapping, select the mapping from the list and then click the Use Selected List button. The fields for mapping will be populated from the selected list. To delete a saved list, select the field and then click the Delete Selected List button.
Check here if your Load File...—The checkbox lets you indicate if your import file has a Heading line. Check the box as appropriate. If the box is checked, the first line of the import file will not be loaded as data.
The section below the checkbox lists fields with drop-down boxes for mapping the fields to load data:
Submitter in Data—If you want to indicate original submitters for issues in the import file, you can include that information in the import file, and use the drop-down to indicate which field has the information.
Create/Close Date/Time in Data—If you want to indicate create and/or close date/time for issues in the import file, you can include that information in the import file, and use the drop-downs to indicate which fields have the information.
Save Field-Mapping List button—The Save Field-Mapping List button saves the list of mappings you create. This button does not just save the list of mappings for Submitter in Data or the Create/Close Date/Time in Data fields, but for the rest of the mappings (below) as well. Consequently, if you want to save the entire mapping, you must click the button after you have completed mapping all of the fields. When you save the mapping, you are prompted for a name for the saved field mapping. When the save completes, the name is displayed in the list on the left side of the page.
Field Mapping—Map the fields in the load file to workspace fields by selecting the appropriate load file fields from the drop-downs. To skip a field mapping, select Do Not Import from the drop-down. If you select Do Not Import, no data is entered into that field. You can also select Blank Field #1 to leave fields blank.
If you are not using a saved mapping, after confirming
that everything is correct, click the Save Field-Mapping List button if you wish to save the mapping for re-use at a later time.
Click the GO button at the bottom of the page to import the data.
The data is validated.
If the data is good, the import proceeds. It takes some time if
the import file is large, so be patient. If bad data is present,
an error message is displayed with the line numbers of contacts containing
errors.
If you scheduled
the import to occur in the future, the import does not occur until that
time. To
remove a scheduled import, click the link to Review
a List of Address Book Load events. Imports
that have already started cannot be removed.
Time Out During Import
You may encounter a problem with CGI time out when validating
large quantities of records during a data import. The solution to this is to increase the CGI timeout values on the web server. The following sections describe how to increase the timeout values for IIS servers on Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 and for Apache servers.
IIS on Windows 2000
To reset the CGI Timeout value for IIS on a Windows 2000 machine:
On the Start menu, select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Internet Services Manager. The Internet Information Services (IIS) window is displayed.
In the IIS window, right-click on the FootPrints host machine and select Properties. The Properties window is displayed.
On the Internet Information Services tab, select WWW Service from the Master Properties drop-down field, and then click the Edit button. The WWW Service Master Properties window is displayed.
Select the Home Directory tab.
Click the Configuration button. The Application Configuration window is displayed.
Select the Process Options tab.
Change the value in the CGI script timeout field. The default value is 300 seconds. Increase the value as desired.
Click the OK buttons for all of the windows to complete resetting the CGI script timeout value.
Now you must restart the World Wide Web Publishing Service. To do so,from the Administrative Tools window, which should still be open on your desktop, double-click on Services. The Services window is displayed.
In the Services window, right-click on World Wide Web Publishing Service.
Select Restart from the menu.
IIS on Windows 2003
To reset the CGI Timeout value for IIS on a Windows 2003 machine:
Open to the Windows\system32\inetserv directory.
Using a text editor, open the MetaBase.xml file.
Search for CGITimeout in the file.
Change the value for CGITimeout as desired.
Save and close the file.
Now you must restart the World Wide Web Publishing Service. To do so,from the Administrative Tools window, which should still be open on your desktop, double-click on Services. The Services window is displayed.
In the Services window, right-click on World Wide Web Publishing Service.
Select Restart from the menu.
Apache on Linux/Unix
To reset the CGI Timeout value for Apache on a Linux/Unix machine:
Open the httpd.conf file (usually found in the /etc/httpd/conf/ directory) with a text editor.
If the Timeout value is not set, then the Timeout value is 300 seconds (the default). If you are using Virtual Host, enter:
Timeout value
in the Virtual Host section of the file. If you are not using Virtual Host, enter the value anywhere in the file.
If the Timeout value is set, locate Timeout in the file and change the value as desired.