Report: Import data in Excel format

Use

The report can create models, objects, and connections and specify the defined attributes. Assignment relationships are represented, as well. If you do not use the Model structure worksheet, object definitions and connections are created in the database with the attributes defined. Since connections are defined by the objects they connect, they are not created unless they occur between objects in models. In that case, no models are generated.

Only items contained in your current method filter are included. If objects with the same names already exist, they will be imported. It is advisable to consolidate these objects afterwards.

The import is based on an Excel template that you output using the Create template for data import report.

Enter the required information in the tables in this template in the database language you will be using to log in for the data import. To display instructions on this page for completing the columns, click the various links. The names of the worksheets and column titles have not been adapted in the template. The names of the templates in this description are in parentheses. Please do not change them in the template. Otherwise, the data cannot be imported.

On the Model structure (Model_Structure), Model attributes (Model_Att), Objects (Objects), and Connections (Cxns) worksheets, you define the items to be created in the database. Depending on whether you want to create models or only object and connection definitions, you may not have to fill out all of the worksheets. Ensure that empty cells really do not contain any characters, for example, spaces. If spaces exist the report will not run without errors.

On the Assign model types (Mapping_Mod), Assign object types (Mapping_Obj), Assign symbol types (Mapping_Sym), Assign connection types (Mapping_CXN), and Assign attribute types (Mapping_Attr) worksheets, you assign the corresponding ARIS Method to each of your own terms.

Model structure (Model_Structure)

Use this table to define the structure of the models that will be created in the database.

In the example shown, the models created are Lending products of the Product tree type and Banking organization of the Organizational chart type. In addition, object definitions are created, and occurrences of the objects are inserted in the models and linked with the specified connections.

Example: Model structure

Specify the following columns:

Model type (M_TYPE)

Symbol (SYMBOL)

Connection type (CXNS)

Model name and 1st level object (Object_name)

2nd level object (Object_name)

nth level object (Object_name)

Model attributes (Model_Att)

Use this table to define the model attributes in the language you will be using to log in for the data import.

In the example shown, the Description and Person responsible attributes are specified for the Lending products, Credit cards, and Banking organization models. The Person responsible attribute is specified for the Credit banking business organizational chart.

You can specify any number of attributes. Because of the limited number of columns in an Excel table, you can specify a maximum of 250 attributes in each table.

If you require more than 250 attributes, you can insert additional connection tables. Note that the name of each connection table must be unique and begin with the prefix Model attributes_(Model_Att_).

Example: Model attributes

Specify the following columns:

Model type (M_TYPE)

Model (NAME)

<Attribute> (Attribute1-n)

Objects

Use object tables to define the objects to be generated. Only objects that are unique with regard to their name and object type will be created in the database. Objects with identical names but of a different type are permitted, but must be included in the Connections (Cxns) worksheet.

You can specify any number of attributes. Because of the limited number of columns in an Excel table, you can specify a maximum of 250 attributes in each table.

If you require more than 250 attributes, you can insert additional connection tables. Note that the name of each connection table must be unique and begin with the prefix Objects_(Objects_).

In the example shown, the Digit attribute is specified for the General lending and Personal lending objects, the Cost center attribute is specified for the Banking organization object, and the E-mail address attribute is specified for persons.

Example: Objects

Specify the following columns:

Symbol (SYMBOL)

Object type (O_TYPE)

Object (NAME)

<Attribute> (Attribute1-n)

Connections (Cxns)

Use connection tables to define the connections to be created between each source object and target object. If the method does not allow a connection to be created in this direction, the connection will be drawn from the target object to the source object if that is possible. If no connection type has been entered in the mapping table or if the connection type is not valid, a connection is only created if precisely one connection type between the source and target objects is defined in the method.

You can specify any number of attributes. Because of the limited number of columns in an Excel table, you can specify a maximum of 250 attributes in each table.

If you require more than 250 attributes, you can insert additional connection tables. Note that the name of each connection table must be unique and begin with the prefix Connections_(Cxns).

After you have filled in the Connection type (Cxns) column on the Model structure worksheet, you do not need to edit the Connections (Cxns) worksheet unless you want to specify connection attributes.

In the second table on this worksheet, you can enter the object types for the respective source and target objects as well as their names, if required. Use this table if you create objects of different object types but with identical names. If all of the object names are different, use the first table.

Connections can only be created if you have defined the source objects and target objects to be used on the Objects (Objects) worksheet, and occurrences of the objects already exist in models. If you define connections between objects without occurrences in models, the connections cannot be drawn.

Example: Connections

Specify the following columns:

Connection type (C_TYPE)

Object type (source object) (SO_TYPE)

Object type (target object) (TO_TYPE)

Source object (SOURCE)

Target object (TARGET)

<Attribute> (<AttributeA-N>)

Assign model types (Mapping_Mod)

In this allocation table, you must assign the API names from the ARIS Method to the model types you specified in the Model type (M_TYPE) column on the Model structure (Model_Structure) and Model attributes (Model_Att) worksheets.

Model type (column A)

API name (column B)

Assign object types (Mapping_Obj)

In this allocation table you must assign the API names from the ARIS Method to the object types you specified on the Model structure (Model_Structure) and Objects (Objects) worksheets.

You do not have to edit this table if you have filled in the Symbol (SYMBOL) columns in each of the worksheets.

Object type (column A)

API name (column B)

Assign symbol types (Mapping_Sym)

In this allocation table you must assign the API names from the ARIS Method to the object symbols you specified on the Model structure (Model_Structure) and Objects (Objects) worksheets.

Symbol type (column A)

API name (column B)

Assign connection types (Mapping_Cxn)

In this allocation table you must assign the API names from the ARIS Method to the connection types you specified on the Model structure (Model_Structure) and Connections (Cxns) worksheets.

Connection type (column A)

API name (column B)

Assign attribute types (Mapping_Attr)

In this allocation table you must assign the API names from the ARIS Method to the attribute types you specified on the Model attributes, Objects, and Connections worksheets.

Attribute type (column A)

API name (column B)

Context

The report is run as a group report – all items are created within this group. This means that the objects can also be imported multiple times and consolidated subsequently, if required.

Output

When the report is run, the following errors are logged in a document:

Errors that may occur during data transfer are written to a log file as text, including a specification of the sheet name, row number and column number.