Work Items
A work item is any entity within your organization to which personnel, finances, and time can be allocated. Items can be scheduled, tracked, modeled, compared, reported against, managed, analyzed, and assigned.
Items are represented by projects, portfolios, projects (including backlogs, features, and sprints), products, programs, applications, and by custom items that your organization may have created.
All items are part of a hierarchical structure called the work item tree, which orders every work item in relation to its parent, peers, and children.
You can use the template to import work item data. Each row on the Investments tab of the template represents work item that you want to import. Each column on the Investments tab represents an attribute (required or optional) that is used to define where the imported work item will be placed in the work item hierarchy, what it's name will be, and so on.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Import | Required. Values: True, False. Set this column to True to import the data contained in the row. |
| Item | Required. The name of the work item as it will appear in the work item hierarchy and also in the Name field of the item's Summary view. |
| Item Types | Required. The name of the work item type for the work item being imported. The name for a work item type can be found in the System Name field on the Item Types tab of the Types Setup view in the Configuration module. |
| Description | Optional. The description of the work item as it will appear in the Description field of the item's Summary view. |
| Parent Item | Optional. The name of a parent work item in the work item hierarchy. This name must be a valid parent of the work item type. A valid work item type parent can be found in the Containment tab of the Item Types tab in the Types Setup view of the Configuration module. |
| Attributes | Optional. The system name and value of an attribute that can appear on the Summary view for the work item being imported. This must be a valid attribute for the work item type. Valid attributes can be found in the Attributes tab on the Item Types tab in the Types Setup view of the Configuration module. For each attribute that you want to appear on the item's Summary view, add a column in the template using the system name for the attribute as the column header. The system name of an attribute can be found on the Attributes tab in the Custom Attributes view of the Configuration module. Enter the value that you want to import in the column. This must be a valid value for the attribute. List values associated with attribute lists can be found on the Lists tab in the Custom Attributes view of the Configuration module. |
Resource Roles
- How your organization functions. What are the roles of the people in your organization? Where do they fit within your organization's hierarchy? To which security roles and groups do users need to belong?
- As a way of organizing secondary data about a resource role (such as skills and costs). How much (per hour) does a resource cost (once allocated)? Do the rates (per hour) change over time? What proficiency levels do people have in your organization (low, medium, high)? Programming skills (C++, AJAX, JavaScript, and so on). Writing experience (Jr., Sr., and so on).
You can use the template to import resource role data. Each row on the Resource Roles tab of the template represents a resource role that you want to import. Each column on the Resource Roles tab represents an attribute (required or optional) that is used to define where the imported resource role will be placed in the enterprise resource pool, what it's name will be, and so on.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Import | Required. Values: True, False. Set this column to True to import the data contained in the row. |
| Role Name | Required. The name of the resource role. This must be a unique name. |
| Description | Optional. The description of the resource role. |
| Rate | Required. The rate per-hour of the resource role that is being imported. This should be entered as a per-hour rate (with the default currency used by your organization implied). For example, if you are using United States dollars, then if you enter 10, that will be imported as $10 per hour. |
| Rate Effective Date | Required. The date the rate becomes effective for the resource role that is being imported. This should be entered as day/month/year. For example, to import June 04, 2008, enter 04/06/2008. |
Resource Teams
All resource teams are part of a hierarchical structure called the enterprise resource pool, which orders every resource (and resource team) in relation to its parent, peers, and children. Resources can be added to resource teams, which are nodes in the enterprise resource pool. Resources that belong to resource teams can be assigned and/or allocated to a log item and to tasks.
You can use the template to import resource team data. Each row on the Resource Teams tab of the template represents a resource team that you want to import. Each column on the Resource Teams tab represents an attribute (required or optional) that is used to define where the imported resource team will be placed in the enterprise resource pool, what it's name will be, and so on.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Import | Required. Values: True, False. Set this column to True to import the data contained in the row. |
| Team | Required. The name of the resource team. |
| Description | Optional. The description of the work item as it will appear in the Description field of the item's Summary tab. |
| Parent Team | Optional. The name of a parent resource team in the enterprise resource pool. |
Resources
A resource is a user (people -- labor) that can be used by items. This includes generic labor resources and a TBH (to-be-hired or unknown) resource. A resource manager is allowed to add resources and to create resource teams for actual and generic resources (a placeholder). The Resources module helps provide tools to resource managers for creating, managing, allocating, and securing your resources.
All resources are part of a hierarchical structure called the enterprise resource pool, which orders every resource (and resource team) in relation to its parent, peers, and children. All resources belong to resource teams. You should first import resource roles and resource teams before importing resources.
You can use the template to import resource data. Each row on the Resources tab of the template represents a resource that you want to import. Each column on the Resources tab represents an attribute (required or optional) that is used to define where the imported resource will be placed in the enterprise resource pool, what it's name will be, and so on.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Import | Required. Values: True, False. Set this column to True to import the data contained in the row. |
| User Name | Required. The logon name for the user. For customers who are using an on-demand version, this must include the domain, for example: egrant@serena.com. |
| Resource Team | Optional. A resource team to which this resource belongs. |
| Resource Type | Optional. The type of resource. |
| Primary Resource Role | Required. The resource's primary resource role. |
| Assign License | Optional. Values: True, False. Set this column to True to assign a license to this user during import. |
| Security Group | Optional. The name of the security group to which you want the user to belong. |
| First Name | Required. |
| Last Name | Required. |
| Required. The email address of the user. For on-demand customers, this column is identical to the User Name column. | |
| Start Date | Optional. |
| Address 1 | Optional. |
| Address 2 | Optional. |
| City | Optional. |
| State | Optional. |
| Zip | Optional. |
Messages
As you are importing data, the Results window will report back information as the import process progresses, including information about which part of the import process is occuring and information about which part of the import process may have gone wrong. Before you click the Finish button and complete the data import process, you should review the messages and attempt to address any issues noted in the spreadsheet, and then re-import the data. You cannot import data when errors are present.
In the table below, brackets {} are used as placeholders for variables that you may see in the error messages. For example, the message Row {row} was skipped because the following columns had invalid values: {value}. could appear in the Results pane like this: Row 2 was skipped because the following columns had invalid values: C.
| Error Message | Description |
|---|---|
| Exception when the server attempted to open {filename}. | This is a general error message. If you continue to get this error message, re-download the template and try again. If the error persists, please call Serena Support. |
| Could not open server copy of the workbook file {filename}. The file does not exist or this user does not have access. | Make sure that you are opening the template and that you have the appropriate permissions to import data. Only users with the Import Data (View/Edit) permission will be allowed to import work item and resource data. Users must also have permission to add resources (Create Resource), add items (Create Project Items), add resource teams (Create New Resource Team), and add resource roles (Create Resource Role). |
| Row {row} was skipped because the following columns had invalid values: {value}. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Ensure that the columns have valid values and re-import the data. |
| There was an unexpected error processing file. {filename} | This is a general error message. If you continue to get this error message, re-download the template and try again. If the error persists, please contact Serena Support. |
| A worksheet with the name of {worksheet tab name} was already processed. | The names of the tabs in the template should not be modified. New tabs should not be added. Verify that only four tabs exist (Items, Resource Roles, Resource Teams, and Resources) in the copy of the template you are using to import data. |
| The worksheet with the name of {worksheet tab name} did not have all the required columns. | Each tab in the template has required columns:
|
| There was an error opening the Microsoft Excel file. The file may be corrupt or of the wrong format. | Verify that you have attempted to import data using a copy of the template. If you continue to get this error, re-download the template. |
| The user does not have sufficient permissions to create {name of resource, item, resource team, or resource role}. | Only users with the Import Data (View/Edit) permission will be allowed to import work item and resource data. Users must also have permission to add resources (Create Resource), add items (Create Project Items), add resource teams (Create New Resource Team), and add resource roles (Create Resource Role). |
| Row {row} was skipped because the following values created a duplicate key {value}. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Duplicate user names, work item names, resource role names, and resource team names will not be imported. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained resource type {invalid resource type} which is invalid. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. There are three valid resource types: Contractor, Permanent, and Part Time. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained role name {duplicate role name} which is already in the system. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Duplicate resource role names are not allowed. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained work item type {invalid work item type} which is either not a work item, not in the system, or is not creatable. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. The work item type is incorrect. It may be misspelled, it may not exist, or it may not be a valid child work item of the parent work item. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained resource team {invalid resource team} which is not in the system. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. The list of resource teams currently available can be found in the Resources module. |
| Column {column} was ignored because it was a duplicate. | An attribute can have only one value. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained user name {duplicate user name} which is already in the system. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Duplicate user names are not allowed. |
| Column {column} was ignored because they attribute key specified was not valid for importing. | Verify that the correct system name for the attribute is being used. The system name of an attribute can be found on the Attributes tab in the Custom Attributes view of the Configuration module. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained list value {invalid list value} which is invalid. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. List values associated with attribute lists can be found on the Lists tab in the Custom Attributes view of the Configuration module. |
| Row {row} was skipped because it contained parent {invalid parent} which is not in the system or in the spreadsheet. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. If you are importing a parent, be sure that it's a valid parent for the resource team or work item. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained resource role {invalid resource role} which is not in the system. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Resources can only be assigned to an existing resource role. Verify that you are importing the resource with the correct resource role name. If that role is not present, add it, and then re-import the resource. |
| There was an error assigning license to user {user name}. User was imported with no license. | A license could not be assigned to the user. Verify that the license is the correct license or that your organization has enough licenses. |
| Row {row} was skipped because parent work item type cannot contain this work item type. | Verify the information in the row indicated.Information for a work item can only have a child that is valid for the work item type being imported. Valid children can be found in the Containment tab on the Item Types tab in the Types Setup view in the Configuration module. |
| Row {row} was skipped because parent had same name as self. | Parent-child relationships for resources, resource teams, and items must have the correct parent-child relationships:
|
| The parser detected a recursion error. Please check the parent-child relationships of your {parent of resource team name or parent of work item name}. All processing will be stopped and nothing was imported! | See the previous entry. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained value {invalid attriubute type value} which is not valid for the attibute type. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. When importing attribute data, the value must be an appropriate value for the attribute's data type. If it is a list value, it must be one of the list values associated with that attribute type. |
| Errors occured during processing file or there were no valid rows for importing. | Verify that you have selected an template, that there is data in at least one tab in the template, and that the Import column is set to True. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained user name {invalid email address} which is not a valid email address. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. An email address must be the full email address. For example: rforster@serena.com. |
|
Row {row}, Column {column} contained security group {security group name} which is not in the system. |
The user was not imported. Verify the information in the row and column indicated, and then re-import the user. The list of security groups available can be found in the Administration module, Users and Security view, on the Groups tab. The name of the security group in the should identical to the name of the security group shown in the Name field. |
| There was an error assigning user {row} to security group {column}. User was imported with no security group. | The user was imported, but without an associated security group. Verify the name of the security group and that it is the name of a valid security group. The list of security groups available can be found in the Administration module, Users and Security view, on the Groups tab. The name of the security group in the should identical to the name of the security group shown in the Name field. |
| Row {row} was skipped because it contained a ParentAgileWorkItem {name of parent work item} which is not in ths system or in the spreadsheet. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. A parent work item must exist in order for a work item to be associated to it. |
| Row {row}, Column {column} contained AgileWorkItem {name of work item} which is either not an AgileWorkItem, not in the system, or is not creatable. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Valid work item types that are already in the system (and that can be imported) can be found in the Attributes tab on the Work Types tab in the Data Model Setup view of the Configuration module. |
| Row {row} was skipped because a Product had same name as self. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Owning work item names must be unique. Verify the name of the owning items in the template and re-import the data. |
| Row {row} was skipped because it contained a Product {name of owning item} which is not in the system or in the spreadsheet. | Verify the information in the row and column indicated. Ensure that the owning work item name is in the system or in the spreadsheet. |
| Row {row} was skipped because the work hierarchy was not found. | Verify the information in the row indicated. Ensure that a work hierarchy is available for the work item you are trying to import. |
| Row {row} was skipped because the AgileWorkItemType cannot exist without a parent under the work hierarchy. | Verify the information in the row indicated. Ensure that the work item you are trying to import has a parent that exists in the work hierarchy. The parent is defined in the ParentAgileWorkItem column. |
| Row {row} was skipped because the AgileWorkItemType of the parent is not supported by the work hierarchy. | Verify the information in the row indicated. Verify that the work item's parent work item type exists in the existing work hierarchy. |
| Row {row} was skipped because the AgileWorkItemType is not a valid type under its parent AgileWorkItemType. | Verify the information in the row indicated. Verify that the work item's parent work item type is a valid parent based on the existing work hierarchy. |
| Moved {row} from parent {row} to parent {row}. | Verify the information in the rows indicated. Ensure that the work item's new parent is the one you want it to be. |
| Status Message | Description |
|---|---|
| Finished parsing of worksheet named {worksheet tab name}. | The validation process for data import has finished. |
| The following rows were parsed successfully: {row}. | Status message. Each row that was parsed successfully will be listed. For example, The following rows were parsed successfully: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9. |
| Starting parse of worksheet named {worksheet tab name}. | Status message. |
| User {user name} already had a license. No action was taken. | Status message. |
| The import job has finished. | Status message. |
| The import job has started. | Status message. |
| Finished assigning licenses. | Status message. |
| Attempting to assign license named {license name} to users. | Status message. Indicates the license type being assigned to users during import. |
| License was assigned to user {user name}. | Status message. Each user that was successfully assigned a license will be listed. For example: License was assigned to user gmclennan, rforster, lbalcom. |