You can import data from CSV files into MX Deposit using the import module.
How it Works
The steps to import your data are:
- Prepare your CSV files for import
- Click the Import module in the main navigation pane
- Select the Type/Project/Activity that you are import data for
- Browse to the CSV file(s) to import
- Map the CSV files to the header/tables in MX Deposit
- Click Import
The system will perform a series of validations and report back any issues that were found. If there are any validation errors, the import will stop and you must correct them before you can continue. Once the import files have all passed the validation process, the import process will begin.
The current import module requires that your import file matches what's in MX Deposit. This means that all the column headers in the CSV file need to be named exactly as they appear in MX Deposit. There is currently no option to map columns in the import file to Deposit columns, this will be added in a future release. Because of this, a good practise is to first run an export from MX Deposit and use the exported CSV files as a template for your import files. The column headers in the export files will be formatted exactly how they need to appear for the import.
You can limit your import file to only the columns that you want to import, and the column order in the import file does not matter. You can import more than one file at a time, making sure the header (collar) file is imported first.
If a drill hole (or group) is assigned out to a user, you can't import data for that drill hole/group. The system will inform you if a hole you are trying to import/update data for is currently assigned out.
Data is imported into a project AND activity. This is what determines what tables you can import into, and what validation rules to apply.
You must specify what date format any date values are in. The default date format is based on your browser language settings, and you can change the format if the date format of the data is different. All dates in the import file must match this specified format.
Header & Coordinates
The header is the first file that will be imported, as it establishes the "key" that will be used to link the data in the other tables (e.g. hole number, point number). As mentioned above, the easiest solution is to run an export first - then use the Header export file as your import template.
NOTE: If you do follow this approach, the export file contain both the "coordinates." and "converted.coordinates." columns (as described in the Export article). If you are using this export file as your import template, you must delete the "converted.coordinates." columns as these are added by the export. Otherwise, the import validation will not find a matching column.
All columns in the header import file must match exactly how they appear in MX Deposit. One exception to this is coordinates. If you are also importing coordinate data, then those columns need to be prefixed with "coordinates." (e.g. "coordinates.grid", "coordinates.northing", etc.).
The default header behaviour when re-importing the same file is that it will update the data in MX Deposit with the data in your import file, using the [Hole Number] (or [Point Number]) as the "key". That means you can use the import to bulk update existing data. One exception to this is coordinates. Every import of a header file will create a new row in the coordinates table.
Tables
Once the drill hole or point is in Deposit (either by manually adding it, or by importing the header), you can now import data into the various tables. You can only import data into the tables that you have access to, and you can only import into tables that are not assigned out to any user.
The default behaviour when re-importing the same file into a table is that it will append the data (as new rows) in the import file into the table. If you are looking to update the data already in Deposit with the data in your import file, you must first export your data using the "Include ID column" (as described in the Export article). If your import file contains the ID values, then the import process will update those rows in Deposit with the data from your import file (as opposed to the default append behaviour).
Table Views
Since table views are made up of multiple tables, every column in the import file must contain a table prefix so that the system knows what columns to import the data into. An exception to this rule is the [Hole number], [Point number], [From], [To], [Depth] columns. These are associated to all tables in the table view, so do not require a table prefix.
Again - follow the practise described above and run an export of a table view to see how the file is formatted.
Samples
The import module is only used to import sample definitions (e.g. sample id, interval, type, etc.) and not sample results. Sample results are imported through the Assay & QAQC module, through a prescribed import process. You must import (or insert) the sample definitions before you can import sample results.
There is a specific validation in the sample table that checks the sample number, to ensure that you do not import samples that are already in the database. Sample numbers are unique within a project.
When importing "control" samples (standards, blanks) - you must set the [Sample Type] value as "Control", and then populate the [Control Type] value with the code of the standard or blank (as it appears in the activity config).
When importing "duplicate" samples - you must populate the from/to values of the duplicate with the same from/to values of the "parent". You must also populate the [parent sample number] column with the sample number of the "parent" sample. The [Sample Type] value then needs to be set as the duplicate sample type (as it appears in the activity config).
To import data:
- Open the import module.
- Select the Object you are importing (drill holes or points).
- Select the Project you are importing into.
- Select the Activity you are importing into.
- Click the "Browse" button to select the CSV files to import.
- If date values in the import file are in a different format from what is showing in the [Date format] field, then set the desired format.
- Once the files are selected, click the "Map files" button.
- The files you selected will appear in the "Files for import" section (to the right), and the tables for the selected activity will appear in the table list.
- Drag each file from the "Files for import" into each corresponding table. Make sure you are dragging each file into the correct table, otherwise the table structure will not match.
- Once you have mapped all the files for import, click the "Import" button.
- The system will perform a series of validations and report back any validation issues.
- If there are any validation issues, the import will be cancelled.
- If there are no validation issues, the import will proceed.
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