Dawiso allows you to easily import and export objects and their attributes to support:
- Data backup: Exporting data allows you to create backups, ensuring that critical information is protected and can be restored in case of loss or corruption.
- Data migration: When transitioning to new systems or updating existing ones, data export and import facilitate the smooth transfer of objects and attributes, preserving continuity.
- Record organization: Exporting data to external files helps organize and review large volumes of information offline, providing flexibility for data management or compliance reporting.
Dawiso currently supports:
- The import of Excel (.xlsx) files.
- The export of Excel (.xlsx), Word (.docx), and PDF files.
To enable import and export, configure it in the settings section of your package.
Ensure your data does not exceed Excel’s hard limits, such as 32,767 characters per cell (including HTML). Data over this limit is trimmed, which may result in missing information.
Download Excel template
Object imports are done using Excel files. Each file must contain certain fields to identify what should be imported and in what way. As each application will have its specific fields, we recommend downloading an editable Excel template.
- In Dawiso, open your app and click the three dots on the left side navigation.
- From the list, click Export objects. Select Excel and choose Template.
- Continue by selecting the elements you want to include in the export. These can be used for updating existing objects or as a template for creating new ones:
- Existing objects (at least one must be selected)
- Attributes
- Relations
- User Relations
- Click Export. Depending on your file size, you may need to wait for a few seconds.
- In the top-right of Dawiso, click the notification bell button. Look for the notification that says “Export of objects to file has finished: Click to download” for the download link.
We recommend downloading the newest template version when needed to make sure the structure corresponds to your real metadata.
The downloaded Excel template will have the following sheets:
| Editable Sheets | Description |
|---|---|
| IMPORT | Basic package identification. Here, you can select the import mode. |
| DATA | For existing data, all fields except for object IDs are editable. For new data, object IDs are generated automatically. |
| Relations | Add or modify relations between objects. |
| Non-Editable Sheets | Description |
|---|---|
| Object in Relations | List of all objects with relations. Informative purpose. |
| CL_Import_Modes | Codelist of supported import modes. The selector is used in the DATA sheet’s Import Modes column. |
| CL_Object_Types | Codelist of available object types. The selector is used in the DATA sheet’s Object Type column. |
| CL_Workflow_States | Codelist of available workflow states. The selector is used in the DATA sheet’s Workflow State column. |
| CL_Relations | Codelist of relation types. The values from the Relation Type column (combines both relation type name and key) can be used in the Relations sheet’s Relation Type column. |
| CL_Spaces | Codelist of spaces. The selector is used in the DATA sheet’s Space column. |
| CL_Applications | Codelist of applications. The selector is used in the DATA sheet’s Application column. |
| CL_Users | Codelist of all users in the environment. The values can be used in the DATA sheet’s Roles columns. |
Editable sheets can be modified and used for import, or serve as a template for adding new objects. See the following sections for details on what information can be imported and how.
IMPORT Sheet: Select import mode
The downloaded template allows you to define what you want to import. The most important part of the template are the editable sheets.
First, on the IMPORT sheet, from the Import Mode dropdown, select one of the following:
- FULL_RELOAD: Reload all data.
- INSERT: Insert new values.
- UPDATE: Update existing data.
- DELETE: Delete specified objects.
In the case of metadata apps, only UPDATE insert mode is supported. You cannot insert, move, or delete metadata objects using Excel imports.
Do not modify other cells. Changes can cause the import to fail due to schema mismatches. For example, the Code List Type field may display legacy options, but the importer accepts only KEY values.
DATA Sheet: Edit objects
On the DATA sheet, you define objects and their attributes to prepare them for import. Although mandatory fields depend on the import mode, in general:
- Object name, type, and workflow state must be filled out.
For reliable performance, limit each import run to 1,000 objects. Split larger datasets into multiple runs to avoid timeouts and validation errors.
See the table below for more information on mandatory fields depending on the import type.
| Import Mode | Object ID | Object Name, Parent Path, Object Type, Workflow State | Sort Order, Roles, Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FULL_RELOAD | Leave empty (not allowed) | Mandatory (Parent path required if applicable) | Optional |
| INSERT | Leave empty (not allowed) | Mandatory (Parent path required if applicable) | Optional |
| UPDATE | Mandatory | Mandatory (Parent path required if applicable), Any changes to the fields will be synced | Optional, any changes, including empty fields, are synced |
| DELETE | Mandatory | Mandatory (Parent path optional) | Optional |
Import modes cannot be combined. For example, delete relations in one import, insert objects in another one.
Relations Sheet: Edit relations
Only relations between existing objects can be created, as only these three fields are required:
From Object IdTo Object IdRelation Type
As there can be more than one relation between two objects, update import mode is not supported.
To change a relation, first delete it in one import before inserting it again using a second import.
Synonyms and acronyms are NOT parent-child relations, but regular relations.
To add them, use the Relations sheet, not the Parent Path column on the DATA sheet.
Import Excel file
- In Dawiso, open your app and click the three dots on the left side navigation.
- From the list, select Import objects and upload your Excel file.
- Click Start importing.
- Once the import is finished, you will see a report with the number of imported rows. Click Next.
- On the Import Overview page, you will see how many objects, attributes, relations were added, edited, or removed.
- Click Finish to confirm the import.