Importing and Exporting Resources

Steps for Importing Resources

Use these basic steps to import resources:

1. In Application Administrator, click the Resources icon on the Administrator portal, and then click Import/Export.
2. Export a resource spreadsheet template. For details, refer to Export Resources Page.
3. Add data to the spreadsheet using the information in:
   • Spreadsheet Requirements
   • Preparing the Resources Sheet
   • Preparing the Teams Sheet
4. Select the Import tab, and then import the spreadsheet.
5. Review the import log. For details, refer to Import Log.

Spreadsheet Requirements

The spreadsheet used to import resource teams and resources must adhere to certain requirements:

• Only files of type .xls can be imported. If you have an .xlsx file or any other type of spreadsheet file, you must convert it to .xls.
• The spreadsheet must contain exactly two sheets: one called Resources and one called Teams.
• Use care when adding data to the spreadsheet. In some cases, such as resource names, rows are skipped if data already exists in the system. In other cases, such as skills, new entries are added if data is similar but not identical. For example, "C++ (Level 1)" and "C++ (Lvl 1)" are considered separate skills.

Preparing the Resources Sheet

Each column represents a resource attribute. The information in this section describes the relationships between those attributes, as well as guidance on which are required, which are used for uniqueness checking, and data rules.

Each row represents a resource. Each resource may have multiple rows, depending on the number of teams the resource is assigned to.

• Required Columns for Resources
  • Resource Name

    For SBM User types, the resource name must be identical to that in the SBM user account.

  • Type

    Must be either User or SBM User.

  • Login ID

    For resources set as SBM User types, you must provide a login ID that matches the user's SBM login ID.

• Uniqueness Checking
  A combination of the following columns are used to determine if a resource already exists:

  • Resource Name
  • Type
  • Login ID (for SBM User types only)

  If row data is not unique for these columns, a new resource is added.

  For identical matches, resources are not added, but new attributes can be assigned to the resource if they were not already assigned to the resource.

• Manager Information for Resources
  • If the manager is not already a resource, you must add the manager as a row and import it with the resource.
  • You must indicate whether the manager type is User or SBM User.
  • For managers set as SBM User types, you must provide a name and login ID that matches those in SBM.
• Importing Team Assignments for Resources
  • Resource teams must exist in the system or be imported with resources before they can be assigned to resources during an import. Resource teams are imported on the Teams sheet of the spreadsheet.
  • A resource can be assigned to multiple resource teams. Create a row for each team to which a resource will be assigned, and specify start dates, end dates, and shared percentages for each team.
  • A start date is required for all resource team assignments, but an end date is optional. Start dates must be in MM/DD/YYYY format.
  • Shared percentages must be specified in integers only. For example, to indicate that a resource is assigned to a resource team for half of the time, use 50 and not 50%.
  • If the shared percentage column is empty for a row, it is imported as 0.
  • To assign a resource to a resource team in the hierarchy, use this format in the Team column:

    parent/child/child

    To prevent import errors, resource team names should not include a forward slash (/).

• Importing Attributes
  • If a resource attribute in the spreadsheet row does not exist in the system, it is added and assigned to the resource. If the attribute in the spreadsheet row exists in the system, it is assigned to the resource.
  • Skills and job functions require a level, which must be specified in parentheses after the skill or job function name. A space is required between the skill name and the parenthesis. For example, a job function might be "C++ (Senior)."
  • You can only specify one job function per row.
  • You can add multiple skills for a resource by separating them with commas. For example, "C++ (Senior), Java (Advanced)."
  • You can only specify one department, business unit, type, and title group per row. All of these attributes are optional.
• Data Rules
  • Data matching is case-insensitive. For example, USER, User, and user in the Type column is always interpreted as User.
  • Data in the Start Date and End Date columns must be in MM/DD/YYYY format.

Preparing the Teams Sheet

Resource teams must exist in the system or be imported with resources before they can be assigned to resources during an import.

Columns represent general resource team settings: name, description, and parent. Each row represents a single resource team.

Use the following information to prepare the Teams page of the spreadsheet.

• Team Name

  Required for imports.

• Description

  Optional for imports. The import process does not update the description for existing resource teams, however.

• Parent

  If no parent is specified, the resource team is added at the top of the team hierarchy. To import a resource team as a child, add the parent team by name to this row. Separate hierarchy levels with a foward slash (/) as follows:

  parent/child/child

The Team Name and Parent columns are used for uniqueness checking. If data does not match existing resource team records for both columns, a new team is added. If row data exactly matches existing data for both columns, the row is skipped.