Electrical Design Software | Elecdes Design Suite by Scada Systems Ltd

How to Import Components

Existing data can be imported into the Instrument Manager project database tables. Instrument Manager can import data from several different formats.


Importing Access Database Tables

Importing Excel Datasheets

Importing Excel Spreadsheet Tables

Importing DBF Format Database Tables

Importing EDS Projects

Import map files

All forms of importing require import map files. These files specify for Instrument Manager how the data in the imported files should be mapped to data in the project database tables. For every table or file that you wish to import you will need to prepare a suitable import map file.

Risks of re-importing

Importing data is generally a task for the beginning of a project. The data is imported into an empty Instrument Manager database to create components. After the components have been imported you begin making changes using Instrument Manager.

You may find that you wish to re-import data into a project database that you have been working with. For example, you may have updated data or there may be new entries in the original tables. Re-importing data into an existing database can overwrite changes that you have made in the database.

  • If you have made changes to the data of components then re-importing may overwrite those changes without your knowledge. You can add Conditions to your import map file to prevent data from being overwritten but you would have to ensure that you have added the appropriate condition to every mapping..

  • If you have manually created electrical connections between components then re-importing can remove or change those connections unexpectedly. When you make a connection manually, Instrument Manager chooses the first available connection column, whereas in an import map file you must specify either the C1 or the C2 connection column. You may find that the manual connection has used the same connection column that the import will set, so the manual connection will be lost following re-importing. You should avoid re-importing if you have manually created any electrical connections.

  • Erroneous data from the original import will not be cleared by re-importing. If the original import had data in fields that should have been empty, then re-importing will not fix that problem. An import operation will never remove data when the field to be imported is blank or empty. You must manually remove the data from these fields in the database.

Reduced import mapping for changes

You can create an import map file with a reduced set of field mappings to import only selected data into an existing database. Create a new import map file and copy from the original import map file(s) only the mappings that identify the component by name and the mappings for the changed ratings fields.

For example, you may have updated ratings data but your original import may have created components and/or links between components and may have set values differently depending on the existence of component records. In this case you only want to import the new ratings but the full original import would apply other unwanted changes. You can create a small import map file containing only the mappings for the ratings columns that you need to re-import.

Alternatives to re-importing for changes

If the changes in the original data are small in scope then you should consider simply copying the changed data and pasting it into your components in the rows and columns in Edit View.

If there are only a small number of new components in the data then you should consider adding them manually rather than importing them.

Fixing import into the wrong folder

You may find that you have imported an instrument or other component into the wrong type of subfolder within that component type, e.g. the wrong type of instrument, or the type of instrument has not been matched to a proper subfolder so the instrument has been imported into the general "Instruments" subfolder.

Each subfolder represents a different ratings table, so it is not just the position of the component in the tree that is wrong but the ratings record is stored in the wrong database table.

Once you have modified your import map file or provided the appropriate information to correctly match the instrument type, you can re-import the data and the instrument will be shifted to the correct subfolder and ratings table. Note that this will not work if the ratings table mapping specifies the "NoRatingChange" condition.

If there are only a small number of components in the wrong folders then you can simply move them manually by dragging them to the correct folder.

See also:

Importing an existing project database

Import Map Files

Exporting Tag Lists

Editing Component Records

Add components to the database

Link to a P&ID database