HelpAdministrators

Adding data using RIA

The Replicon Import Add-in (RIA) allows you to add data to your Replicon instance using a spreadsheet.

Changes you make using RIA cannot be reversed. Therefore, use caution when working with RIA, as it allows you to easily make changes to large amounts of live data that cannot be undone.

Making bulk changes using RIA can impact the performance of the Replicon system. If you are importing lots of data, we'd appreciate it if you'd carry out your import outside of standard business hours.

You can also use our in-app data import feature to add, edit, or delete projects, tasks, clients, project and task assignments, users, holidays, activities, and groups. It doesn't require installation, and is supported for use on Macs.

In what order should we add data to Replicon?

If you’ll be importing multiple types of data, be sure to import templates in the order they’re listed on the RIA Import Dashboard. This will help prevent errors due to data dependencies.

In addition, when adding users:

  • We recommend starting at the top of your organization's supervisory hierarchy and working your way down to ensure supervisors are available to assign to new users as you add them
  • Refer to Adding and editing users for a list of items that typically have to be set up before you begin importing users

If you’ll be using RIA to import multiple batches of users with similar settings, you might want to set up a custom user import template to save time.

Adding data

When you use an Add template, all existing data will be overwritten for the record in question. For example, if you add a timesheet and hours have already been entered in Replicon for that timesheet period, those hours will be overwritten. The only exception to this is the Tasks import; if you add tasks, they will be appended to existing tasks.

To add data using RIA, log in to RIA and then:

  1. Select a template and import fields
  2. Enter new data in the template
  3. Perform the import
  4. Troubleshoot import errors

A. Select a template and import fields

  1. Select the template for the import you want to perform.

  1. Choose which fields you’d like to import. The ones selected by default are required to carry out the import.

The template opens in a new spreadsheet tab.

B. Enter new data in the template

Enter data in each column, either manually or by copying and pasting from an existing spreadsheet.

Refer to About the RIA data entry features for information about built-in functions that can simplify the data entry process.

C. Perform the import

  1. Once you’ve finished adding all data you want to import, click the Add button.

An Avoid Data Overwrite dialog displays.

  1. Choose Yes if you want data already existing in Replicon to be retained and not overwritten by the imported data.

Choose No if you want data in your spreadsheet to replace data already existing in Replicon.

Enable the Don’t ask me this again option if you want your choice to apply in all future imports.

An import progress dialog displays.

Once the import attempt is complete, the import status of each row displays in the Internal: Status column of the spreadsheet.

D. Troubleshoot import errors

Rows may fail to import successfully for the following reasons:

  • Data in one or more cells doesn’t meet rules set in Replicon.

For example, if you’re assigning a password, it must meet the password complexity requirements set in your instance.

  • You don’t have permission to update the data

If you can’t modify a field in the Replicon instance, you can’t modify it using RIA.

  • Data in one or more cells doesn’t match values in Replicon

For example, if you’re assigning a department, it must match a department that exists and is enabled in your Replicon instance.

  • Data is missing

All required fields in the template, except for conditional ones, must be filled in for data to import successfully. Required fields are indicated by the small red triangle located above their name.

If errors occurred that prevented successful import:

  • The data cells that are causing the error will be highlighted in yellow
  • They will show as Failed and the cell will be red in the Internal: Status column
  • The error will be explained in the Internal: Remarks column

If there is a failure, the entire row will fail to import, not just the cells with issues.

To fix the errors, ensure all cells are complete with valid data and try the import again. Be sure to first close the Import Status dialog – you won’t be able to edit the spreadsheet until it’s closed.

You don’t have to remove successful rows to carry out another import – those rows will just be ignored.

FAQs

The Internal: Status column is blank for a row – did it import?

This may occur if you left blank rows in your import. If you don’t see a failure message, the row likely imported, but you might want to confirm that the data exists in Replicon.

I’d like to restart my import on a blank spreadsheet. How can I do that?

Click the Create Template button, and you can start over.

I’ve started setting up an import, but can’t complete it now. Can I save my data for another RIA session?

You can save the spreadsheet, but RIA won’t load when you reopen it, due to a technical limitation. To save data for a later session, we recommend that you:

  1. Save the spreadsheet you were working with.
  2. When you want to resume the import, open that spreadsheet.
  3. Log in to RIA and create a fresh template.
  4. Copy and paste data from the spreadsheet into the new template.

Why do I get a permission access error when I try to import data?

Your access in RIA is dependant on your assigned permissions. Therefore, you can only carry out actions in RIA that you can perform in your Replicon instance. If you get an access error that mentions permissions, you don’t have the permissions required to carry out the import.

Can I add more rows to a template after completing an import?

Yes, you can add and import more rows on a template you’ve already used.

If I overwrite the sample row at the top of the spreadsheet, will that row’s new data be added?

Yes, it will.

Why are the Department and Resource Placeholder mandatory in certain templates, when they don’t need to be included for the import to succeed?

Department and Resource Placeholder are listed as mandatory in the Add and Update templates for the following templates:

  • ProjectResourceAssignment
  • ProjectResourceBillingRate
  • TaskResourceAssignment
  • ProjectResourceAllocation

This is because, when setting up a project team, you can assign individual users, entire departments, or placeholders. Therefore, you must include at least one of these types of team member fields in any resource import. However, they are conditional fields since only one of the three types needs to be used in an import.