System Architect enables definitions to be imported and exported from files that are in text format or comma‑separated value (CSV) format. This facility is accessed by selecting Dictionary > Import Definitions or Dictionary > Export Definitions.

A design represented by a diagram in System Architect consists of two basic components: the graphical diagram and the underlying symbol definitions. You can import or export only the definitions, not the graphical components of the diagrams.

System Architect provides other facilities for importing and exporting definitions to and from an encyclopedia, which include both the definitions and the graphical components of diagrams. This includes merge/extract between other System Architect encyclopedias.