• If you are unsure of the format to use for your import spreadsheet, export a spreadsheet that has the required information or review a sample template. For more information and links to sample Excel files, see Best Practices for Using Excel to Export and Import Product Data.

• When importing parts, product structures, part related documents, replacements, AML/AVL relationships, and documents into the system from Excel, each row is sequentially loaded in Windchill, this results in some limitations in what changes are allowed, especially for product structure importing.

• A preference determines if an empty attribute value remains blank or if the value from the previous iteration is used. The default is to use the value from the previous iteration. Navigate to Utilities > Preference Management > Create and Edit to view the Empty Values When Importing from Spreadsheet preference.

• You can import an Excel file with multiple worksheets. You can combine multiple BOM sheets with part sheets and AML/AVL sheets in one spreadsheet.

• The order of the worksheets in the workbook is not important. The system first imports part sheets, and then BOM sheets.

• The order of columns in the spreadsheet is not fixed.

• In Row 1, the first cell contains a string that defines the type of data to be imported:

◦ For parts: ImportSheetType=PART

◦ For documents: ImportSheetType=DOCUMENT

◦ For a BOM: ImportSheetType=BOM

◦ For replacements: ImportSheetType=REPLACEMENTS

◦ For an AML/AVL: ImportSheetType=AXL

◦ For part related documents: ImportSheetType=PARTRELATEDDOCUMENTS

• Import from Spreadsheet does not support worksheet of type PLANT_INFORMATION or REDLINEBOM. Worksheets of these types will be excluded on import.

• If you want to exclude one or more worksheets from import, leave the first cell of the worksheet empty or change the value for ImportSheetType, for example, set it to ImportSheetType=NONE. A worksheet that does not include a valid type (PART, BOM, PARTRELATEDDOCUMENTS, REPLACEMENTS, AXL, DOCUMENT or REDLINEBOM) will be excluded on import. This is a good technique for troubleshooting a file if it has more than one worksheet.

• Rows 2 through 5 of each worksheet are reserved for comments. If you have previously exported the spreadsheet from Windchill PDMLink, row 5 may contain the display names for the attributes included in the spreadsheet. The display names of attributes are shown only if they have been previously defined in Windchill.

• Row 6 is required and contains column headers. For attributes, Row 6 will contain the logical ID for the attribute which may be a system generated name. For example, for the display name “color,” the logical ID may be xje256.

• Rows after Row 6 contain the data to be imported.

• You can create parts or documents in the product from which the import action is launched. You cannot create parts or documents in any other products. You can, however, update parts or documents in other products.

• The Import from Spreadsheet action is not available for custom parts or custom documents.