Importing tasks adds tasks and milestones to initiatives' schedules, or updates ones already there, from an Excel spreadsheet. The import is set up on an initiative's Tools > Integrations page: click New Integration, then set the Adapter to Excel and the Import Data Type to Schedule/Tasks.

This article covers both the Advanced and Simple Models, and needs the Integrations permission on the initiative. This is different from Administration > Integrations, which connects third-party applications. See Connecting a Third-Party Application.

Importing tasks or importing a schedule

Amplify has two ways to load a schedule from a spreadsheet. They work differently, so choose by what the file holds.

• Importing tasks (this article) — adds new tasks and updates existing ones. Nothing is deleted or replaced. One file can hold tasks for many initiatives, because each row names the initiative it belongs to. Tasks are created at the top level of the schedule, with no hierarchy and no dependencies. Milestones can be linked to stages and benefits, and custom fields can be set. The import doesn't lock the schedule or check it out.
• Importing a schedule file — replaces the schedule of an initiative with none beneath it, using an Excel template, a Microsoft Project file, or a Primavera file. The file keeps its task hierarchy and predecessors. Tasks that aren't in the file are deleted, and the schedule is then managed in the file. See Importing and Exporting Schedules.

Use importing tasks to add tasks to schedules that already have others, to load tasks for several initiatives at once, or to update dates, progress, or owners on particular tasks. Use a schedule file where the schedule is built, or kept, in a scheduling tool, or where tasks need an outline structure or predecessors.

Before you start

Turning on integrations and permissions

Importing needs integrations to be turned on, and permission to run them:

• Integrations turned on — on the Advanced Model, Enable Integrations is on for the classification of the initiative the integration is set up on. See Configuring Initiative Classifications (Advanced Model). On the Simple Model, Integrations is turned on under the program's Configuration > Features. See Program Features.
• Permission to run them — your team role on that initiative has the Integrations permission set to Full. See Team Roles. Full Admins, and users with an admin role that has Hierarchy set to Full, can also import. See Admin Roles.

What must exist first

Nothing is created for you. A value that doesn't match something already in Amplify stops its row, unless the column has a fallback.

• The schedule turned on — each initiative that receives tasks has tasks turned on for its classification. On the Advanced Model, this is Enable Tasks on the classification. On the Simple Model, it is under Program Items > Tasks. See Configuring Tasks (Simple Model). Rows for an initiative without it fail with the message "This classification is not configured to allow Schedules".
• Initiatives — those the tasks are added to.
• Owners and resources — each person named is a user in Amplify. Support users and guest users can't be owners or resources, and resources must be on the initiative's team.
• Stages — for stage milestones, the stages exist in the stage gate process of the initiative's classification.
• Benefits — for benefit milestones, the benefits exist, and belong to the initiative or are linked to it.
• Custom fields — mapped to the tasks' classification. Where a custom field isn't mapped to it, the row shows a warning and the value isn't set.

Where to set up the integration

Set the integration up on the highest initiative that holds every initiative the file adds tasks to. Rows can only refer to that initiative or those beneath it. Anything outside is refused.

On the Simple Model, set the integration up on the program, and map the Parent Initiative column to the project each task belongs to. A project has no Integrations menu, so tasks can't be imported from a project.

File limits

• An Excel file (.xlsx) of 5 MB or less. Other file types, such as .xls or .csv, can't be uploaded.
• Up to 2,000 rows. The header row isn't counted, and blank rows are ignored.
• One sheet per run. Only the sheet you select is read.

Preparing the spreadsheet

Put one row per task or milestone, with a column for each field. A row of column headings at the top makes mapping easier. Mapping is by column position, so keep the columns in the same order each time the integration is run.

Columns required to create a task

• Parent Initiative — the initiative the task is added to.
• Name — the task's name, of up to 120 characters. A longer name stops the row.
• Start Date and End Date — the task's dates.

The mapping doesn't allow create until every one of these is mapped. Tasks take their classification from the initiative, so there is no classification column.

Column required to update a task

A column holding each task's Task ID or ID, mapped as an Identifier Lookup. See Updating tasks later.

Optional columns

• Type — Task or Milestone. Any other value shows a warning. See Milestones.
• Progress — the task's progress as a percentage. Format the column as a percentage in Excel.
• Owner — the user who owns the task.
• Display on Dashboard — whether the task is shown on dashboards.
• Assigned Resources — the users working on the task, separated by commas in one cell.
• Stage-Milestone Mapping and Benefit-Milestone Mapping — see Milestones.
• Custom fields — one column for each custom field.

Dates and progress

• Dates — any date format Excel or Amplify can read as a date, such as a date cell or 05-Jul-2026. A date that can't be read shows "Not a valid date. Row will be skipped." The end date can't be earlier than the start date.
• Progress — between 0% and 100%. A value outside that range shows a warning and is set to 0%.
• Milestones — last one day, so the end date is set to the start date. A milestone's progress is 0% or 100%.

Milestones

A milestone is a task with the Type Milestone. Two columns link a task to something else in Amplify. Where your instance calls benefits Impacts, these labels read Impacts instead.

• Stage-Milestone Mapping — each cell holds the name of a stage in the stage gate process of the initiative's classification. The task becomes the milestone for that stage, and its type is set to Milestone. Only one task on a schedule can be mapped to a stage. Where the stage is already mapped, the cell shows that it can't be remapped through an import. Where the initiative has no stage gate process, it shows that the process isn't configured.
• Benefit-Milestone Mapping — each cell holds a benefit. The task becomes a milestone for that benefit. The benefit must belong to the initiative or be linked to it, or the cell shows that it isn't assigned to the initiative. A benefit that is archived is still mapped, but the mapping isn't visible until the benefit is restored.

What the import doesn't do

• No task hierarchy — every new task is created at the top level of the initiative's schedule. There is no column for a task's place in the outline, and an update doesn't move a task.
• No dependencies — predecessors and successors can't be imported. Use a schedule file instead. See Importing and Exporting Schedules.
• No deleting — tasks that aren't in the file are left as they are.
• The top task of a schedule — the task that stands for the initiative can't be updated. A row matched to it fails with the message "The root task of the schedule cannot be updated".

Creating the integration

To create the integration:

1. Open the initiative to set the integration up on.
2. Navigate to Tools > Integrations. The initiative's integrations are listed.
3. Click New Integration. The new integration form opens.
4. Enter a Name for the integration.
5. Select Schedule/Tasks as the Import Data Type.
6. Click Create.

The Adapter is always Excel.

Uploading the spreadsheet

To upload the spreadsheet:

1. On the initiative's integrations, click Run... next to the integration. A window opens.
2. Where the integration has been run before, select Upload New, or Use Previous to use the last file again.
3. Choose the file.
4. Check Header? where the sheet's first row holds column headings.
5. Select the Sheet that holds the tasks.
6. Click Continue. The import session opens and shows the rows from the sheet. A preview runs automatically, and nothing is saved.

Upload New replaces the stored file, so only the last file is kept. A file over 5 MB, or one that isn't an .xlsx file, is refused. Where the sheet is over the row limit, a message says so and Continue stays disabled.

Mapping the columns

Each column is mapped to a field. The mapping is saved on the integration as you go, by column position, and is used again the next time the integration is run. A file with its columns in a different order needs the mapping changed.

To map the columns:

1. Click Edit Mapping. Mapping fields appear for each column.
2. Select the Type for each column.
3. Where Match on Attribute appears, select what the cells hold, such as Name or ID.
4. Where Attribute appears, select the field the cells go into.

Until the mapping includes every column needed to create or update, a message says the minimum requirement hasn't been met, and Import... can't be used. A tooltip on the row's create icon lists the columns still missing. Identifier Lookup, Owner, Parent Initiative, and Stage-Milestone Mapping can each be used on one column only.

Type options

• No Action — the column is ignored.
• Attribute Assignment — the column goes into one field, chosen in Attribute: Name, Start Date, End Date, Progress, Type, Display on Dashboard, or Assigned Resources. Fields marked Required: with a plus icon are needed to create a task. For Assigned Resources, Match on Attribute says whether the cells hold the users' names or IDs.
• Identifier Lookup — finds an existing task to update, matched on Task ID or ID.
• Owner — the task's owner, matched on Name, Email, or ID.
• Parent Initiative — the initiative the task is added to, matched on Name, ID, or External ID.
• Custom Field — a custom field, chosen in Custom Field. Match on Attribute says whether the cell holds the option's value or its label.
• Stage-Milestone Mapping — links the task to a stage, matched on Stage Name.
• Benefit-Milestone Mapping — links the task to a benefit, matched on ID, Name, or External ID in Match on Benefit Attribute.

Matching on Name in Parent Initiative searches only the initiative the integration is set up on, and the initiatives beneath it. Matching on ID or External ID still refuses anything outside it.

Fallbacks

Where a value isn't found, a fallback applies a default instead and shows a warning on the cell. Fallbacks are available for:

• Fallback to Default Initiative — adds the task to the Default Initiative. The default must be within the initiative the integration is set up on.
• Fallback to Default User — uses the Default User as the owner.
• Fallback to Default Benefit — links the task to the Default Benefit where no benefit matches.

With Fallback to Default Benefit on, every task whose benefit cell is blank is also linked to the Default Benefit, not only the rows whose benefit isn't found. Turn the fallback on only where every task in the file should be linked to a benefit.

Previewing and importing

Preview checks the mapping against every row without saving anything. The preview runs when the session opens. Changing the mapping doesn't run it again, so click Preview after each change.

Reading the preview

• Each row shows a plus icon where it will create a task, or a pen icon where it will update one. Hover over the row number for the action, the row's status, and any errors and warnings.
• A red icon on a cell means the cell couldn't be applied. Hover over it for the reason.
• An amber icon means a warning. The row can still import.

Where rows fail, a banner such as "3 rows were unsuccessful." appears. Click View these rows only. to show just those rows, and Show all rows. to show them all again. Fix the mapping, or fix the file and upload it again, then preview again.

Importing the tasks

Import... is disabled while a preview or import is running, while the mapping is invalid, and until the mapping includes the columns needed to create or update. Rows with errors don't stop it. To import:

1. Click Import.... A confirmation opens.
2. Click Confirm.
3. Click End Session once the import has finished.

Rows with errors aren't imported, but every other row is. To import the failed rows, fix them, and import a file that holds only those rows. Otherwise, the rows already imported are created a second time.

Until the session is ended, the integration shows Terminate in place of Run.... Click Terminate to end a session left in progress.

Updating tasks later

An integration can update tasks already in Amplify. Include a column that identifies each task, and map it as an Identifier Lookup matched on Task ID or ID.

• A row whose value matches a task updates it.
• A row whose value doesn't match a task creates a new task, where the mapping has every column needed to create one. Otherwise the row fails. Where the match is on Task ID, the new task is given that Task ID. Where it is on ID, the cell is ignored.
• A row with no value always creates a new task. A task created without a Task ID is given one that begins with IntegrationTask_.
• A task outside the initiative the integration is set up on, or beneath it, fails with a message that it doesn't belong to the hierarchy.
• Archived tasks aren't matched.

Only the mapped columns are updated. Set every other column to No Action, so its values are left as they are.

Parent Initiative can't be changed by an update, and shows a warning that it was skipped. The type of a summary task can't be changed either.

Things to know

• Initiative dates — after an import, an initiative's start and end dates are widened to cover its tasks, in whole months. They are never shortened.
• Resource effort — each user in Assigned Resources is given 100% effort on the task.

There is no undo for an import. Preview before importing, and test the import with a few rows first. Corrections are made by importing again with an Identifier Lookup, or by editing or deleting the tasks by hand.

For an overview of all the imports, see Importing Data.