Tracker Artifact Import

Project Administrators have the means to import artifacts into Tuleap trackers using the well known CSV (Comma Separated Value) format supported by all of the major office productivity suites. The artifact import functionality greatly facilitates the migration and integration of external project tracking and management tools into Tuleap trackers.

The import is divided into three steps:

  • CSV file submission. The project administrators can access the Import functionality from the tracker administration screen or over the Project Administration Menu. Enter/choose the tracker to update and specify the CSV file to import. In this step you can also check the option to send a mail notification to all users concerned by the artifact changes due to the import. If you don’t check this option no notification will be sent.

  • CSV file parsing. If no parse errors were found in the uploaded file, a parse report is shown to validate that the information to import is correct.

  • Database update. Depending on the parsed information new artifacts are created or existing ones updated.

When to use the Import

You will find below a couple of suggestions regarding the use of the tracker import feature:

  • Initial import from a project management software to your Tuleap task tracker.

  • Migration of your legacy defect tracking system into your new Tuleap defect tracker.

  • Migration of artifacts from one Tuleap tracker to another.

The Database Update

If you import new artifacts, all non-mandatory fields that are omitted in the CSV file will be initialized to their default value.

The submitter and submission date of an existing artifact is never changed by an import even if the import file contains relevant information.

If an error occurs for some artifact during the database update the following artifacts in the CSV file are not imported any more.

Each import is tracked in the project history (Project History). On the other hand, no e-mail notification is sent in response to the import.

Note

If a .csv file is opened in Excel, any change to the spreadsheet (even something as simple as a column resizing) may cause Excel to modify and update the .csv file. Changes that may occur include: dates, times and numbers converted to the same format as those used by your system’s regional settings, single line feeds converted to line feed and carriage return, extra commas appended to certain lines.

The updated date format might not be compatible with the Tuleap date format and potentially cause troubles when importing such updated CSV files back into Tuleap. On the other hand Tuleap-exported CSV files might not open correctly under Excel in certain Regionals.

If you have a .csv file that either will not open correctly under Excel or was opened in Excel and will not import into Tuleap please try the following: Make sure all applications are closed. Change your system’s regional settings (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Regional Options) to use the English with the following formats: Date = MM/dd/YYYY Time = hh:mm. Using Excel, open the .csv files that don’t import, make a column width change, save the files and exit Excel. Go back and restore your original regional settings. Import the “fixed” .csv file into Tuleap.