Meisterplan offers several options for importing data from Excel. This article describes how to import and export data with the Meisterplan Excel template.
- Required Access Right
- General
- Import from Excel with the Provided Template
- Import in Portfolio Designer vs. Data Source Import
- Export to Excel
Required Access Right
All Excel imports and exports require the Import and Export Data right. The import with the Excel template also requires the Import and Export via Excel Template right. Find more details here.
General
There are several different ways to import Excel files:
- Import from Excel with the provided template
- Quick Import from spreadsheets - Recommended if you would like to import uncomplicated project, resources, roles, allocation or absencedata with a few clicks.
- Import from an Excel data source - Recommended if you already have data in Meisterplan or would like to import data from various sources.
Please note: Importing data with the Excel template will overwrite the Plan of Record. Only the above-mentioned Quick Import allows you to import projects or allocations into a scenario.
If you have any questions or issues importing your data please don't hesitate to contact us.
Import from Excel with the Provided Template
You’ll find the Excel import and export buttons under Import and Export in the Portfolio Designer:
Note: The Meisterplan user interface shown here differs slightly from the current Meisterplan system. Nevertheless, what you learn here is still applicable to your system. If you have any questions, our support team is happy to help.
Please note: Importing data will overwrite the Plan of Record. It is not possible to import into only a scenario.
- In the Import and Export menu of the toolbar, select the Import from Excel option to open this window.
- Make sure you have the latest version of the Excel template for your Meisterplan instance. You can download the latest version via the button at the top of the Import from Excel window.
- For details about the Excel template, see the Excel Template Overview article.
- If you already have data in Meisterplan, you can export these data to Excel via the Import and Export menu in the toolbar in the Portfolio Designer view, modify the resulting Excel file and re-import it instead of starting with a blank Excel template.
- Enter the desired data into your Excel template or your previously exported Excel file.
- Under File, click the folder button and select your Excel file to import.
- Under Setting for Existing Plan of Record During Import, determine how to treat existing plan of record data in Meisterplan during the import:
- Keep and update: existing plan of record data in Meisterplan will be retained. If the Excel file to import contains data records existing in Meisterplan (internal ID in Meisterplan matches ID column value in Excel), these data records will be completely overwritten with the data from the Excel file. Fields left empty in the Excel template will result in empty fields in Meisterplan, potentially overwriting any data previously stored in these fields.
- Delete and replace: existing plan of record data in Meisterplan will be deleted and completely replaced by the data in the Excel file.
- Click Import to start the import. Data will be imported into the plan of record without affecting any scenario.
Import in Portfolio Designer vs. Data Source Import
The Import from Excel option available in the toolbar for the Portfolio Designer view works slightly different than the import via an Excel data source. The following table gives a short overview of the differences.
| Excel Import in the Toolbar of the Portfolio Designer View | Excel Data Source Import |
|---|---|
| Always available for Administrators and Data Managers. | Must be configured for Administrators and Data Managers. |
| Imported data have "Meisterplan" as Data Source entry. The data behave as if they had been created inside Meisterplan. |
Data source name is set as Data Source entry. |
| The list will always be sorted by priority of the imported projects. | Applying the project priority from Excel is optional. |
| Global update or delete option for import. | Configurable update and import rules allow for treating different types of data differently. |
Export to Excel
- In the Import and Export menu of the toolbar for the Portfolio Designer view, select the Export to Excel option to open the Export to Excel window.
- Either the plan of record data or the data of a scenario will be exported. Under Scenario, the active scenario will be selected by default. If no scenario is active, the Plan of Record will be selected. If desired, change this selection.
- Click OK to start the export. The selected data will be exported into a new Excel file using the latest version of the Excel template for your Meisterplan instance.
- Please note: The data will be downloaded as an xlsm file and contains macros. Depending on your browser, your download may fail due to the macros. Please check and change your browser settings if applicable.
You can export a simple Excel file with all project information you need from the Project List.