Excel import - using unique ID (or calculcated field) for relation
Hi,
I feel it would be very helpful if the import wizard would allow us to map items on Unique ID. I see the case when we have data in Podio and have to import new data to another app - referencing the existing ones. I would then love to easily map the reference by simply one field - the Unique ID.
Say I have a project app and every project has a unique id. Now I need to import large number of tasks or timesheets to that - in Excel I could easily have the unique ID and then safely match on that. The "first field in item" is not necessarily unique (especially when it is about people names, company names,...) and why introduce another "unique field" when there is already the internal?
What would also be possible - allow calculated fields in the mapping. I could then have a (temporary) field that does only reference the unique ID - or build up some artifical unique key.
Hope this makes sense?
Andreas
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just for reference:
The proposed workaround to solve it in the meantime would be to have a textfield holding a copy of the unique ID (export items and then re-import to fill it). Then use it to match references.
The use case was made clear and will be brought to the product team attention. Hopefully we will get it sometime.
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I misunderstood how complicated the workaround is .... I assumed I could use a calc field to create a copy of the unique ID and then match against it. But it appears that calc fields aren't recognized by the import tool.
If a text field is used, how would one export say a few hundred items and then reimport while preserving all of the history? The excel part is easy, the unique ID will be in the exported file, then copy the value into the text field, but you're still left without a way to uniquely associate the reimported items to the existing items.
I hope I'm missing something obvious here... I'm considering using Tags, but a reqt is that I can import several hundred items and apply specific tags in a bulk operation. -
@Rich: glad I am not the only one :)
If you only want to bulk edit one app (setting tags on items) you should be fine, then you can just use the Unique ID when re-importing. The pain point I described here is just for mapping of related apps on import as you can select fields of the related app but not the Unique ID and no calculated fields.
For the described workaround: if you want to import and match App A (e.g. invoices) with reference to App B (e.g. customers) you would first have to make the dummy textfield on the customer. Then export customers and re-import them to fill the unique ID into the textfield. Now you prepare the Excel for invoices setting the customer ID where you need it. When importing invoices Excel to Podio you can now map the Customer ID with the dummy textfield on the customer app (make sure to use the key button).
So would still be superb if we could directly access the unique ID of the related item!
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@andreas I'm still missing something .....
Here's what I did (keep in mind I'm still playing with import to see what is possible):
a) I chose a random app, and exported it (the app has tags enabled)
b) I added an existing tag to a few rows in the spreadsheet, and then wanted to import it and have Podio simply add the new tag to those rows
c) During the import process I don't see the true unique ID in the field list at left, and even if I did I don't see a place to drag it on the right side
Now in this app I do have a calc field where I do '@unique id', so it does show in the list in incoming fields, and it's of course in the exported spreadsheet also.
So how exactly can I associate the incoming rows? Keep in mind that in this test I had maybe 95 fields that were unchanged, and I left them in the spreadsheet. I could have removed them, but I was hoping they just would be ignored. -
@andreas I found the problem. In the test app I chose I hadn't turned on the Unique ID (app settings, advance, show unique ID) and therefore during import the Unique ID field wasn't an option. I just turned it on and my test import worked as expected, where only the items with tags were updated, nothing else. Thanks for helping guide me here, much appreciated...
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Rich or Andreas I would be so grateful to speak with you. Do you have WhatsApp or Skype?
Jonathan Asbell www.propertyunderthepalms.com
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