Importing Equipment Information
Equipment information is imported from the Import tab of the Import and Export Equipment window. The import action is not limited to the context currently selected on the Equipment tab.
 |
Administrators and Controls Engineers can import equipment into all contexts. Maintenance Managers require additional permissions to perform imports.
|
To import equipment information:
1. Download the template spreadsheet (if needed), or export your existing equipment information and download the exported spreadsheet.
2. Input or update the information into the spreadsheet, and save the spreadsheet. Keep in mind the following:
◦ Only assets, or equipment types that derive from assets, can be included in more than one context. If more than one context is specified in the Context column on the General Information tab for a non-asset piece of equipment, that equipment is invalid for import.
◦ If you are creating equipment using import, any optional values (noted in the template spreadsheet) can be left blank. If you are updating equipment using import, the values specified in the spreadsheet overwrite any values currently specified on that equipment.
Refer to the comments on each column in the template spreadsheet data tabs for more information.
3. From the Equipment tab, click 
to open the Import and Export Equipment window.
to open the Import and Export Equipment window.4. On the Import tab, select Structure and Equipment to import both the equipment information and the equipment structure definitions, or select Structure Only to import only the equipment structure.
5. Click Choose File to navigate to and select the spreadsheet. Click Upload.
6. Click Validate File and review the Validation Results table. You can still proceed with the import if there is invalid data present, but any invalid data is skipped.
7. Click Import. Depending on the amount of information being imported, the process can take some time to complete.
8. If the import is completely successful, a success message displays. If there was any invalid data, the Import Results table displays, detailing the actions completed on the import. You can view the details for why certain data was invalid in the script logs by clicking View logs.
| | If you have added new thing shapes or thing templates used by equipment that you want to import, you need to configure those entities for import. For more information, see Configuring New Thing Shapes and Thing Templates for Import. |
Understanding the Validation and Import Results
The counts displayed on the Validation Results and Import Results tables are explained in the following table. This information is also provided on the Additional Info tab of the template spreadsheet.
Column | Explanation |
|---|---|
Total | Total number of rows on the tab that contain data. |
Valid | Number of valid rows on the tab. |
Invalid (To Be Skipped) / Invalid (Skipped) | Number of rows on the tab with invalid content. These rows are skipped during import. |
Already Exist | • For the General Information tab—Number of rows matching equipment that is already present, as defined in the system. • For the Equipment Structure tab—Number of rows where the specified relationship already exists in the system. • For the Properties tab—Number of rows where the specified property already exists, as defined in the system. |
To Be Created / Created | • For the General Information tab—Number of rows specifying equipment that is not already present in the system. The equipment is created on import. • For the Equipment Structure tab—Number of rows with a valid relationship that is not already present in the system. The relationship is created on import. • For the Properties tab—Number of rows where the specified property is not already present in the system. The property is created on import. |
To Be Updated / Updated | • For the General Information tab—Number of rows that match existing equipment, where some attributes are modified. The equipment is updated on import. • For the Equipment Structure tab—Number of rows matching an existing relationship, where the parent is modified. The relationship is updated on import. • For the Properties tab—Number of rows matching an existing property for which a value is changed. The property value is updated on import. |
Additional Permissions for Maintenance Managers Performing Imports
Maintenance Managers require additional permissions to be granted before they can perform imports, and must be granted permissions in the spreadsheet itself for any equipment being imported.
Before a Maintenance Manager can perform imports, an Administrator or Controls Engineer needs to take the following actions in ThingWorx Composer:
• The Maintenance Manager performing the import must be granted write (Write) permission on the context specified for each piece of equipment in order for the equipment to be valid for import. The context permission must be granted before the current user performs the import.
• If any user group is specified in the Property Read, Property Write, Service Execute, Event Execute, and Event Subscribe columns on the General Information tab of the spreadsheet, the Maintenance Manager performing the import must be granted visibility permission on that user group. Navigate to the > page for the specified user groups, and add the PTC.Factory.MachineVisibility organization, or another organization or organizational unit to which the Maintenance Manager belongs, to the Visibility table. Click Save.
• If any optional visibility settings are specified for equipment in the spreadsheet:
◦ The Maintenance Manager must be granted the Service Execute runtime permission on all organizations specified in the Visibility column of the spreadsheet. This permission can be granted either to the individual user, or to a user group of which the user is a member, such as the Maintenance Manager user group. Navigate to the > page for the organization, and add the appropriate user or user group to the Run Time table. Click Save.
◦ The Maintenance Manager must be granted visibility to all organizations that are specified in the Visibility column in the spreadsheet. Navigate to the > page for the specified organization, and add the PTC.Factory.MachineVisibility organization, or another organization or organizational unit to which the Maintenance Manager belongs, to the Visibility table. Click Save.
On the spreadsheet itself:
• The Maintenance Manager performing the import must be granted read (Read) and write (Write) permissions in the spreadsheet for all equipment that is being created or updated. Otherwise, any equipment for which the Maintenance Manager is not granted permission is invalid for import. These permissions must be granted in the spreadsheet by ensuring that the Maintenance Manager performing the import is included in the Property Read and Property Write columns on the General Information tab for each piece of equipment, either explicitly (for example: User/Jsmith/true) or by being a member of a specified group (for example: Group/Maintenance Manager/true).