Fast - Load Tasks

You can use integrations to bulk upload tasks to your project schedule.  Data that will be imported include:

• task name, task ID, start and date, name of the owner
• linked stages for milestones.
• Linked benefit milestones by specifying the benefit ID or name.
• custom fields

This article covers:

• Data Preparation
• How-to Steps

Data Preparation

Use the Configuration and FastLoad Spreadsheet as a template to create a new upload file. Click here to download this file. Add the following columns information into the Tasks and save the template.

• Parent External ID or Amplify ID - Add the external ID  or Amplify ID for the parent project here (ensure that the Enable External ID classification setting should be enabled for the parent classification). You can import tasks for multiple initiatives.
• Task Name 
• Type - Enter 'milestone' when you want to import a milestone and 'task' when you want to import a task.
• Start Date  
• End Date
• Task Owner 
• Progress - Enter the task progress as a % value.
• Display on Dashboard
• Custom Field - Add the custom field name as the column's header and values in the cells. You can import multiple custom fields. Add a separate column for each field. 
• Stage- Milestone Mapping: process milestone associated with the stage
• Impact - Milestone Mapping: the link between task and benefit.

You are free to fill in data in any columns listed in the template. The columns listed above are required to be filled in. Please refer the template to find information on other columns that can be included. If you want to see the attributes to which each column needs to be mapped, please refer to data mapping specifications.

Steps

To fast load tasks:

1. Navigate to Tools > Integrations page on an initiative.
   
2. Click New Integration.
   
   The New Integration form displays.
   
   
   
3. Type in a relevant name for this upload in the Name field.
4. Select Import Data Type as Schedule/Tasks.
5. Click Save.
6. Click Run.
   Ensure that the excel template is ready with valid data. All required columns should be present and filled with data before uploading.
7. Select Upload New.
8. Click Choose File, then select the Excel file containing the data to be imported. 
   • Select Use Previous if you have the used the excel template previously for this integration. When you select an existing file for the same integration instance, you do not need to map the attributes again; Amplify remembers the previous mapping done for this file. However, if you have included additional columns in the excel template since last integration, it is best to select Upload New and choose a new file.
9. Select the Header option if you want to see the column titles within your Excel file displayed as headers on the mapping interface. 
10. In the Sheet drop-down field, select the sheet within the template where the data is stored. 
    
11. Click Continue to proceed. Clicking Cancel will cancel the entire operation.
12. The mapping interface displays. The first row in the excel sheet displays as the header row on the mapping interface. Values included in your excel sheet are listed below header rows. Your next step would be to map each row to a corresponding schedule attribute. 
13. Click Edit Mapping.
    A new row displays (under the header rows if you have enabled headers).
    
    This drop-down field lists all available attributes of tasks. Select an attribute that matches row values in the excel sheet. For example, Parent External ID or Amplify ID in the excel template could be mapped to Parent Initiative in the Type column. 
    
    Some field types, when selected, prompts you to match on the attribute. For example, Parent Initiative could be mapped to an ID, a name, or an external ID. Select this value based on the data that is present in the excel sheet. If you have added Parent initiative's ID in the excel sheet, select ID here. You can verify the excel sheet values listed in the row below the mapping fields before choosing an attribute type.
    
    A green tick mark indicates that mapping has been done correctly. If you see yellow or red signs, it means that the mapping is incorrect. Hover over the header to view a short error description.  To correct a wrong mapping, you'll either need to select a different attribute to match or edit the Excel file data.

14. Locate matching values in the Type field and map all excel columns, as appropriate. See the Data Mapping specifications for more information.

    If you do not want to map a column, select No Action in the Type drop-down. This is useful when you are updating imported data, and you do not want to update most of the fields, except for certain selected fields.
    Selecting Attribute Assignments in the Type field will show additional mappable properties of tasks.

    
    
    

15. Click Preview when you have mapped all columns. The Preview shows mapping mismatches, if any, without actually importing data into Amplify.  You can cancel the import at this point, by clicking on End Session.

16. Re-map faulty columns and preview until all mappings are correct. The Import button will not be enabled until all errors are corrected. In addition to errors, you may see warnings. Warnings are indicated by orange symbols. Warnings do not block the import process; you can proceed if you are ready to overlook them.
    
    
    
    Mismatches between values present in the excel sheet and values expected by the database are the most common reason for mapping errors. The Excel sheet contains the ID of parent initiative, but the mapping attribute selected is 'name'. To fix this, select ID in Map on Attribute field.
    If the Parent Initiative ID specified in the excel sheet does not exist in Amplify, you can instruct Amplify to Fallback to Default Initiative. Selecting this option brings up a selectable field, where you can specify the fallback initiative. This option is available for other fields, such as Classification,  and Owner. 

17. Click Import...when all mismatches are corrected, the green tick mark shows against all mapped rows.
18. Click Confirm on the confirmation message that displays.
    
    
19. Click End Session when the message All rows successful is displayed at the top of the interface.
    Tasks in the excel sheet will be available at the nominated hierarchical level within Amplify.