Easily use copy and paste to import projects, resources, absences, roles and allocations into Meisterplan from spreadsheets.
General
Required User Rights
For importing data as described in this article, you need to have the following rights:
- When importing projects:
- Either the Edit Plan of Record right or edit rights for the scenario you want to edit
- Add Projects and Programs
- Import and Export Data
- When importing resources, absences or roles:
- Edit Resource Pool and Absences
- Import and Export Data
- When importing allocations:
- Either the Edit Plan of Record right or edit rights for the scenario you want to edit
- Add, Change and Delete Allocations
- Import and Export Data
Supported Formats
You can import data from all common spreadsheet formats, such as Microsoft Excel (both the desktop application and the Office 365 version) and Google Spreadsheets.
Date and Number Formatting
To successfully import date and number fields, follow the formatting standards below:
Date Fields
To correctly import dates into Meisterplan, your spreadsheet and browser language or locale settings (e.g., English – United States) must match. Your selected language in Meisterplan is not relevant in this case and may differ.
To import dates successfully:
- Compare the language settings of your browser and your spreadsheet to ensure they are set to the same language. Some browsers distinguish between the language they use to display websites and the language for their own menus - the former is relevant when importing data.
- Or enter your dates in the YYYY-MM-DD format and the date format will be updated based on your browser language settings.
Number Fields
To successfully import numbers with decimals (e.g., 2.5 FTE in English, 2,5 FTE in German), your spreadsheet and browser language also need to match (see above). If they don’t match, the number will not be imported, and you will get an error message.
Additionally, only positive numbers are allowed, negative numbers (e.g., -5 hours) will also cause an error message.
How to Import Your Data
New data that is not yet in Meisterplan will be added. If a project, resource, role or allocation already exists in Meisterplan, they will be updated provided they can be clearly identified. Find a detailed overview of when projects, resources or allocations can be updated here.
First, select the Plan of Record or scenario where you would like to import your data (relevant only for projects and allocations).
In the Portfolio Designer, click Import and Export and select which import you would like to complete:
Below you will find a step-by-step guide on how to import your data. For detailed information on individual imports, go to the projects, resources, absences, roles or allocations section.
Step 1: Prepare
Copy the desired data from your spreadsheet.
Step 2: Paste & Preview
Paste the data from your clipboard. In this step, you can copy and paste different data as often as needed.
Step 3: Assign Fields
If your imported column name matches an existing field in Meisterplan, Meisterplan will save you the effort and assign it automatically. If you’d like to change a field assignment, you can just drag and drop it to the desired location.
Step 4: Validate & Edit
In this step you can validate and edit your data before import. Simply edit the highlighted field by clicking on it. New data will be added to Meisterplan, data already existing in Meisterplan will be updated. More details on when data can be updated can be found here.
Finally, click Import. Your data is now available in Meisterplan.
Import Details
Projects
To successfully import your projects, your spreadsheet should contain one line per project, and a column for each field into which you want to import data.
These are the required fields that your spreadsheet should contain:
- Name: name of the project
- Start: start date of the project; correct format see here
- Finish: finish date of the project; correct format see here
These fields are the optional fields you can import:
- Project Manager: The name should match a resource in Meisterplan (format “first name last name” or “last name, first name”)
- Status
- Business Goal
- Notes
- Cost Type: only CapEx or OpEx are allowed
- Project Fields: All fields for which you have edit rights; fields of the Boolean type allow only “yes”, “no”, “1”, “0”, “true” or “false”
- OBS fields: Only OBS fields of the first level; you can import OBS fields even without Resource Pool rights; you can add new OBS sub-units in Meisterplan using “>”
Meisterplan cuts off text that exceeds the character limit. For an overview of the character limits for various project fields, see the Manage Project Fields article.
Once you've clicked Import, your projects will be available in the Plan of Record or the selected scenario. Where the imported projects are placed in the portfolio depends on your user account's access rights.
If you have the Change Project Rank right, they are placed right above the red Cut-Off line. Otherwise, they are placed right below the Cut-Off line.
Would you like to try the import? Download our sample project list and import it into your Meisterplan. Your existing projects will not be overwritten or deleted by the test import.
Resources
To successfully import your resources, your spreadsheet should contain one line per resource, and a column for each field into which you want to import data.
These are the required fields that your spreadsheet should contain:
- Last Name
These fields are the optional fields you can import:
- First Name
- Primary Role
- Start Date: correct format see here
- Termination Date: correct format see here
- Cost per Hour: correct format see here
- Country
- City
- Postal Code
- External Resource: allows only “yes”, “no”, “1”, “0”, “true” or “false”
- OBS fields: Only OBS fields of the first level; you can import OBS fields even without Resource Pool rights; you can add new OBS sub-units in Meisterplan using “>”
- Skills: separate skills using a comma; this also lets you also add new skills in Meisterplan
If your spreadsheet contains new values not yet in Meisterplan, for example, roles or departments, they will be added during import:
Once you've clicked Import, your resources will be available in the Resource Pool.
Would you like to try the import? Download our sample resource list and import it into your Meisterplan. Your existing resources will not be overwritten or deleted by the test import.
Absences
To successfully import your absences, your spreadsheet should contain one line per absence, and a column for each field into which you want to import data.
These are the required fields that your spreadsheet should contain:
- Resource Name: e-mail address or name of existing resource
- Capacity in %: capacity for the time period (for example, during a vacation the capacity is 0%); correct format see here
- Start: first day of the absence; correct format see here
- Finish: last day of the absence; correct format see here
You can import multiple absences for the same resource, but they must not overlap. Also, if there is already an absence for the same resource on the same date in Meisterplan, the new absence will overwrite the existing one.
Before importing, you will see which absences will be imported:
Would you like to try the import? Download our sample absences list and import it into your Meisterplan. Your existing data will not be overwritten or deleted by the test import.
Roles
To successfully import your roles, your spreadsheet should contain one line per role, and a column for each field into which you want to import data.
These are the required fields that your spreadsheet should contain:
- Role Name
These fields are the optional fields you can import:
- Cost per Hour: correct format see here
- Cost Type: only CapEx or OpEx are allowed
- OBS fields: Only OBS fields of the first level; you can import OBS fields even without Resource Pool rights; you can add new OBS sub-units in Meisterplan using “>”
Once you've clicked Import, your roles will be available in the Resource Pool.
Would you like to try the import? Download our sample role list and import it into your Meisterplan. Your existing roles will not be overwritten or deleted by the test import.
Allocations
To successfully import your allocations, your spreadsheet should contain one line per allocation, and the following required columns:
- Project: name of existing project
- Resource or Role: email address or name of existing resource or role
- Start: start date of the allocation; correct format see here
- Finish: finish date of the allocation; correct format see here
- Allocation: allocation value in FTE, hours or person days; correct format see here
You can import several allocation segments for the same project and same resource or role, but they must not overlap. When a project has been split, the allocation segment in your spreadsheet must be within the date range of one of the project segments in Meisterplan.
If there is an allocation for the same resource and the same project during the same time period in Meisterplan, the new allocation from the spreadsheet will overwrite the existing one. However, only the allocation period listed in the spreadsheet will be updated. Existing allocations outside this time period will remain unchanged.
Before the import in step 4 (Validate & Edit), you will get an import preview with the sum of all (new and existing) allocations that will be imported:
Would you like to try the import? Download our sample allocation list and import it into your Meisterplan. Your existing allocations will not be overwritten or deleted by the test import.
Impact on Existing Data
Update Existing Data
If projects, resources, roles or allocations from your spreadsheet already exist in Meisterplan, they will be updated on import. This is possible only if their names in your spreadsheet exactly match the names of the projects, resources or roles in Meisterplan. Please note that, while Meisterplan generally supports having multiple projects, resources or roles with the same name, updating such data through the import described here is not possible.
Here are more details on when projects can be updated:
| Example | Data in Spreadsheets | Existing Data in Meisterplan | What Will Happen in Meisterplan |
| Case 1 | "Project Icarus", "Project Atlantis" | "Project Icarus" | Project Icarus will be updated in Meisterplan, Project Atlantis will be added |
| Case 2 | "Project Icarus", "Project Icarus" | - | Both projects will be added to Meisterplan. |
| Case 3 | "Project Icarus", "Project Icarus" | "Project Icarus" | Meisterplan will neither update nor import these projects, because there are two projects with the same name in your spreadsheet. |
| Case 4 | "Project Icarus" | "Project Icarus", "Project Icarus" | Meisterplan will neither update nor import these projects, because there are two projects with the same name in Meisterplan. |
| Case 5 | "Project Icarus", "Project Icarus" | "Project Icarus", "Project Icarus" | Meisterplan will neither update nor import these projects, because there are two projects with the same name in your spreadsheet and in Meisterplan. |
The same logic applies to importing resources, absences, roles and allocations.
Projects are identified by their name.
Resources are identified by either their email address or, if there is no email address, by their first and last name (written "first name last name" or "last name, first name"). We recommend you use the email address as the identifier to avoid mistakes especially if you have a large number or resources.
Roles are identified by their name.
Possible Data Loss by Shortening the Project Duration
If a project is shortened by changes to the start or finish date, milestones and allocations that are thereby shifted to after the project finish date will be deleted. This happens if
- the start date is moved back and the finish date remains the same.
- the start date remains the same and the finish date is moved forward.
- the start date is moved back and the finish date is moved foward.
If a project is extended, there will be no changes to the milestones and allocations.
Data Import and Project Fields
If you want to import project data that doesn’t yet have a corresponding project field in Meisterplan, you’ll need to add the field before importing the data. The Manage Project Fields article shows you how to do this.
If you assign project data to a “Lookup” project field during import, the field values not yet in Meisterplan will automatically be added during import.
For example, let's say your Meisterplan has a project field called “Status” with Lookup Values “No issues” and “Critical”:
If you then import a project with “Watch List” as its status, “Watch List” will automatically be added as a new Lookup Value for the “Status” project field in Meisterplan.
Please note: If you export your projects as an MS Excel file in the Project List and edit them, you can then import your changes back into Meisterplan quickly and easily by using this copy and paste import. Please be aware that this import feature does not recognize all fields from the Project List and therefore will not import unrecognized fields.