Data Import

Overview

The Data Import option is available to users with Admin role and to users with Edit access. While the Administration menu option is visible only to Admins, Editors. Users without Editor privileges cannot import.

Whether you're working with system asset types (e.g., Glossary Terms, Data Dictionary, Analytics Dictionary, Fields & Lineage) or custom asset types, the Data Import functionality enables efficient population of the platform using structured Excel files.

Admins and Editors can import up to 50,000 records at a time using .xls, .xlsx, or .csv file formats. This capability significantly reduces manual effort and accelerates the onboarding and management of metadata assets.

Let’s explore how the Data Import process works in detail.

Steps to Data import

Important: Ensure that the Domain and Sub-domain are created in the application before starting the import process. The import will use these as a reference when uploading data.

Step 1: Starting the Import

You can start an import in two ways:

1. From the Administration menu – Go to Administration → Data Import, select the Asset Type from the dropdown, and click Next.

2. Directly from an asset view – Open the listing page for the asset you want to import (for example, Glossary Terms) and click the Import button at the top right. This method works for any supported asset type.

Step 2: Preparing the Import File

To begin, download the sample file and fill in the data as per the instructions.

Important:

Field Dictionary Imports:
The Entity field must now include both the Data Domain and Subdomain in the format: DD.SD.EntityName
For example: Default.Default.US_PASSPORT.
This structure ensures each entity is uniquely identified during the import.

More information on above, refer to this article.

Note on Subdomain Handling

The Field Dictionary import template does not include a separate Subdomain column. Subdomain is not a required field in the Field Dictionary and is automatically inherited. A separate Subdomain column is available only in the Business Glossary import, where it is mandatory.

Additional Notes for Sample File:

Tags:
The Tags column in the sample file allows multiple tags to be added using the format {Tagset Name}={Tag}. Multiple tags can be separated by a comma. For example:Data Classification=Public, Custom Tags=PKR.
Data Steward and Data Owner:
These fields in the sample file must contain valid email addresses of users already added in the DvSum tool.
For Glossary Terms file imports only
- The Term Type column must contain one of the eight predefined term types.
- The applicability of Business Rules—such as Category Data Rule, Pattern Rule, Regex Pattern Rule, Value Range Rule, and Manual—depends on the selected Term Type.
- If the Term Type is Numerical:
  - Only Value Range Rule and Manual are applicable.
  - For Value Range Rule, use the format:
    {Min Value} - {Max Value}
    Example: 1 - 20
- If the Term Type is Categorical Attribute:
  - Use Category Data Rule in the format:
    {Categories.Value 1}={Categories.Description}, {Categories.Value 2}={Categories.Description}
- If the Term Type is Computed Measure:
  - The Term Formula must be provided in the same file.
- Once the file is filled correctly, upload the sample file through the Data Import screen.
- By default, the "Update Existing Records" option is enabled for Data Dictionary imports, allowing you to update existing records during the import process.

Note on Status

If you include a Status column in your import file, the import process validates the value to ensure it is recognized by the platform.

Status Values Recognized and Processed During Import

If you include a Status column in your import file, note the following:

The following Status values are recognized and processed during Data Import:
- Published
- Draft
- Modified
When these supported values appear in the import file:
- The import does not fail due to Status validation
- The Status value is accepted and processed according to the domain’s configuration (workflow or non-workflow)
If your file includes unsupported or invalid status values, such as:
- Deleted
- New
- Suggested
- Default
- Any custom status
Then:
- The import will fail for those records
- The import view will not accept those rows
- The summary report will display the remark: Status has Invalid data

This validation helps ensure only valid and supported Status values are processed during import.

Important Notes

You do not need to include a Status column in the import template. The system will assign the correct status automatically.
If included, the Status column should only contain values recognized by the platform. Any other value will cause the row to fail validation.

Image: Existing Import Status Table Example

Caption: Import view showing records with different status outcomes.

Example: Summary Report for Invalid Status

Caption: Summary report showing failed record due to unsupported Status value ("Deleted") with remark "Status has Invalid data".

Example: Email Notification of Import Failure

Caption: Email notification from DvSum indicating that the import failed due to invalid data.

Importing/Updating values for Custom Attributes

The Data Import process also supports importing values for custom attributes. Any custom attributes applied to an asset type should be added as a column in the downloadable import templates.

Move the required custom attribute column from Available to Assigned so that it appears in the view, allowing users to download the template and populate values for those attributes.

To import custom attribute values:

Download the import template for the asset type.
Locate the custom attribute columns (these are added dynamically based on the attributes applied to that asset).
Enter the values in the respective custom attribute columns.
Upload the completed template through the Data Import tool.

Example:
If a custom attribute called “Credit Card Number” is applied to your assets, the template will include a “Credit Card Number” column. Filling in this column with values that match the defined format (e.g., 16-digit numbers like 1234-5678-9012-3456) will assign the values to the correct assets once the import is processed.
After entering the values, follow the same steps to import.

Note: Values that do not match the required format (defined when creating the custom attribute) will not be accepted.

For more details on creating and managing custom attributes, refer Creating and Managing Custom Attributes.

Excel (.xlsx) File Requirements

When importing data using an Excel (.xlsx) file, ensure the file is clean before uploading.

The Excel file must contain only one worksheet.
Any formatting applied to rows beyond the actual data records must be removed.
- Rows that appear empty but contain formatting are treated as records during import.

Note: Failure to meet these requirements may result in additional or incorrect records being imported.

Import Behavior and Record Matching Options

While preparing the import file, you can configure how records should be added or updated in the system. These options help control matching behavior and determine how existing data is treated during the import process.

Add New Records:

Selecting Add New Records from the “Add new records based on” dropdown displays the Identification Fields. These fields include the source, database, schema, and table name. The values from these identification fields in the import file are used to add new records.

Update Existing Record:

Selecting Update Existing Records from the “Update existing records based on” dropdown displays fields such as ID, Full Name, and the Identification Fields. Any one of these fields can be used from the import file to identify and update existing records.
Both:

Selecting Both displays the Identification Fields from the “Add or update records based on” dropdown, which are used to determine whether records from the import file should be added as new records or used to update existing records.

Case-sensitive matching – Matches records using the exact case for Full Name.

Skip empty values – Ignores blank values during import.

Override Tags – Replaces existing tags with imported tags.

Override Relations – Replaces existing relations with imported relations.

Automatically create parent assets – Automatically creates the databases and schemas specified in the import file for tables, ensuring they are available and correctly mapped during the import process.

Step 2.1: Download and Reuse Data for Import

Users can also download data from the listing page and import the downloaded file using Data import:

Step 3: Field Mapping

Fields from the uploaded file will get mapped with Field in dvsum. Mapped Tab will show all fields which are mapped. Once All Required Fields are mapped. Users can Click on Import button and start import

If a field is unmapped, the user can map it individually by selecting the appropriate option from the dropdown available in the Fields section under the DvSum column. Similarly, to remove a single field, the user can click the remove icon provided for that field.

For bulk actions, the user can utilize the Reset Field Mapping and Apply Auto Mapping buttons.

Step 4: Import Completion

A success screen will be shown to the user when the file is imported successfully.

I'm Done Button will redirect the user to the Data import step1.
Go to Assets Dictionary button will redirect the user to the Assets dictionary listing page with respective Asset Type.

Step 5: Import Summary Email

After 3-5 minutes the user will receive an email with a complete summary of imported Data. Users can also download the summary of uploaded data using the Download button.

Step 6: Post-Import Actions (Domain-Specific)

After completing the import, records are not automatically published.

Please follow these additional steps to publish your records. The post-import steps vary depending on whether your domain has a workflow enabled or not.

Please refer to the relevant guide to complete your import process appropriately.

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