The format for imported data is either text format or comma-separated value (CSV) format. CSV is the more powerful format. For example, if you are importing data elements, you can import data element names and descriptions, and the property values, such as length, storage class, and so on.

To determine what a valid CSV file should look like, use Dictionary > Export Definitions, and then inspect the output.

The CSV format comprises a series of fields, separated by a comma:

Each field contains one property value as defined in the Property Configuration Set. The end of each record is indicated by a carriage return/line feed.

The first line in the file is the header. It contains the property names, separated by a comma. This first line controls how subsequent lines are interpreted. The order of the properties of the first line does not matter; however, most users put the Name first.

Usually, each field is adequately delimited by a comma. However, if a field contains a comma (,), a carriage return, or a line feed, enclose the entire field in quotation marks ''. If there is an embedded quotation character, use double quotation characters ("").

When importing definitions that contain parenthesis in a LISTOF property value, they must be enclosed with quotations, for example:

Not doing so causes the import to fail, and this error is included in the log panel:

The following strings are treated the same when imported and the option Update single fields - clear field if no data is specified.

Both strings are handled as if the values after "b" are omitted. If there were three fields in the above example and you wanted the last field to be empty, specify a double quotation mark to indicate an empty field, for example:

or add an extra separator for example:

The CSV file format is supported by Microsoft Excel and other programs.

When importing data in CSV format, choose from these options:

For information about the import options for CSV files, see Import options.