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We take an existing table into the inventory: settle on target types, line up the columns, paste in the rows, check the result, save. At the end the devices are assets with type, organization and location. Prerequisite: a spreadsheet or a CSV file with the devices.

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Starting point

Docusnap Sports GmbH has completed its first scan. Servers and workstations are in the inventory. Devices without a network connection, accessories and workshop equipment the IT department keeps in an Excel table. This is the table we take over.

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1. Settle on target types

The import matches the type by its name. It does not create a type.
1

Check which types exist

Under Settings › Data Model › Types and Fields stand the tenant’s types. We need one type per kind of device in the table; if one is missing, we create it there.
2

Choose the list

Under Assets we open the list the devices belong in and choose Asset. The dialog’s type selection is restricted to the types of this list.
The type names in the table have to be in the language of the interface. Upper and lower case make no difference, the language does. A table labelled in German finds no type against an English interface.

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2. Line up the table

The dialog expects four columns in this order: Name, Type, Organization, Location. Name and type are mandatory.
1

Put the columns in order

We bring our table’s columns into this order and remove all others. Further details — serial number, purchase date — we add after the import through bulk editing.
2

Check organization and location

Both are matched by their name. We write them exactly as they stand under Organization and in the location structure. A name that differs stays empty.
3

Leave the header row in place

A first row carrying the words name, type, organization or location is recognized as a header row and skipped.

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3. Paste in the rows

In the dialog we set the switch from Single to Multiple. Two ways: We work out of Excel: select the columns, Ctrl+V into the paste field. The table in the dialog fills.
Import CSV reads text files. An XLSX file is not accepted; we save it as CSV first.

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4. Check the result

1

Read the message

The message names the number of rows taken over and the number of rows without a recognized type.
2

Check the type column

A row without a type is not saved. We add the type or remove the row.
3

Check for duplicates

Flagged are rows whose name and type already occur in the inventory or in the table. They do not block saving.
A duplicate hint is not a block. Two assets with the same name and type are permitted — the same device name at two locations, for example. Check every flagged row before you save.

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5. Save

Create stays locked as long as a row is missing its name or type. After saving, the message names the number of assets created and the number of rows that failed.
Details that had no place in the table — serial number, purchase date, owner — we set now: select the new rows in the list, Edit Entries, set values for all of them together.

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Next steps

The devices are in the inventory. Their significance for the business comes from the organizational layer: Justifying Why a Server Is Critical. The dialog in detail: Creating Assets.