Data Import Basics

For data imports, the required file type for data is CSV - that is, comma separated value files that can be generated from Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. See Creating CSV Files for details on this. There are also a number of other restrictions and requirements for data imported via these CSV channels. These include;

Date Format

Within your CSV file, any date values must be formatted as DD/MM/YYYY. For example; 24/10/2023 represents the 24th of October, 2023. It should be noted that the time of day will always be set to 00:00AM for imported data.

Spatial Format

The supported spatial format is ‘WKT’ (Well Known Text). This is a text string that represents a valid geometry definition. See Create WKT Geometries using QGIS for more details on this.

File Size

The maximum support CSV file size is 20MB. If your CSV file exceeds this limit, consider splitting it into two or more smaller CSV files.

Header Row

The header row of the csv file must be restricted to row 1 of the file. Also, the header row must not contain any spaces or special characters (such as carriage returns, or line feeds). The header row is mandatory.

Blank Cells

Throughout the CSV file, if any data row cells are blank, they will be ignored by the importer. This means that, when updating existing data, setting a CSV cell to blank will NOT delete the corresponding data from the system.

Effective Date

Where supported, users can include the effective_date column to stipulate when the new record, or updated data, should be considered effective from. This can be useful in setting a residual life value as at a particular point in time.

Avoid Special Characters

When constructing your CSV file, avoid special characters in both your header row and data rows. These include, but are not limited to:

• Commas within a cell’s content
• Carriage returns or Line feeds
• Other non-ascii characters that are not part of a standard keyboard layout.

CSV Files do not support Formulas

When using a product such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, the program will allow you to utilise cell formulas whilst working on your data. As soon as you save and close the file however, the formulas will disappear, and only the results will be saved.