This article explains the process involved in importing a large set of PXE procedures to MET/TEAM in bulk. By the end of the article, you will have uploaded your PXE files into the MET/TEAM database, added them to procedure records, and associated them to their respective type records.
Prerequisites
1) If your procedures still exist in the old procedure directory format, you first need to convert this directory into PXE files. Please follow this link for detailed instructions on how to do this: How to Bulk Convert Procedures into PXE Files
2) The import tool will not bring in files with duplicate names of those that already exist in the database in a predictable manner. You therefore need to verify that there will be no duplicates. This can quickly be done by logging into MET/TEAM and going to Maintenance -> Files and using the CSV Export function within the Find Files screen. The resulting CSV file can be used to compare existing files with the incoming set. If there are going to be any duplicates, you can either rename the new file coming in or inactivate the old file record.
3) Validate the import path settings within the application's System Defaults. Log into MET/TEAM as an administrator and go to Configure -> System Defaults. Find the settings titled "Import - Data Directory" and "Import - Files Directory", and make sure the paths provided point to actual directories accessible by the web server. Note down the Files Directory path, as this info will be needed just prior to running the import.
4) Be sure to take a backup of the MET/TEAM database prior to running the import. Imports, when performed incorrectly, can potentially cause irreparable damage to your data. Please follow this link for instructions on how to do this: How to manually back up a MET/TEAM database
Instructions
1) Download and open the Excel spreadsheet procedure_import.xlsx (also found at the bottom of this article). This will become the data file used to import the PXE procedures.
2) Fill out the document. The first sheet contains definitions and examples that you can use as a guide. The second sheet contains the empty template that you need to fill.
3) You now need to save this spreadsheet as a text file that MET/TEAM can work with. Make sure the second sheet is selected. Go to File -> Save As, and under the "Save as type:" dropdown, select "Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt)".
4) Close out of Excel and open up this new text file in Notepad.
Note: The MET/TEAM import tool does not allow quotation marks, so make sure there are no double quotes in the file (sometimes when converting a spreadsheet to a text file, Excel will encapsulate text strings in double quotes).
5) Save the file.
6) Now that your data file is created, you need to create the import records. First, download the definition file found at the bottom of this article.
7) Log into MET/TEAM (as a user that is part of the security group "Import"), and go to File -> Import -> Import Definition.
8) Click the Add button to create a new definition record.
9) Enter a definition name and save the record.
10) When the page refreshes, click the Upload a Data or Definition File button, and select the definition file Procedure Import Definition.def (also found at the bottom of this article).
11) Close the record.
12) Go to File -> Import -> Import Setup, Then click the Add button.
13) Build a Import Setup similar to the below screenshot. The description field should be a unique name, and the import definition field should point to the record we just created.
14) You are almost ready to run the import. Place all of the PXE files into the Import File Directory (as noted down in the prerequisite steps).
15) Go to File -> Import -> Run Import and click the Add button.
16) The Import Data File field should point to the data file you created earlier. The Import Setup field needs to point to the Import Setup record you just created. Skip Header Rows is the number of header rows in the data file that need to be ignored (which is 1 if using the data file provided in this article).
Note: Check the Update Existing Data checkbox if your data file's Procedures.cProcedureName column matches the names of procedure records in MET/TEAM. If it is unchecked, the import tool will not place any PXE files into the respective record's Data Sheet fields.
17) Click the Process button to run the import, and wait for it to complete.
18) With the import complete, go ahead and verify that everything was brought in successfully. Go to the procedure records and make sure the Data Sheet field contains the PXE files. Go to type records and verify that the procedure records are associated with them.
Note: If there are any errors, click on the View Log for details.