Bulk import projects if you need to avoid time-consuming manual data entry or migrate data from another system.

You can also update multiple projects at once, using sessions in Bulk Importer. For more information, see Update existing projects in bulk.

You open a new Bulk Importer session and download the Excel template from the Bulk Importer page in the Launchpad. You prepare data in the template and then you upload the template in the Bulk Importer page.

Where are the uploaded projects?

Once you upload projects, the data is available in the Projects app.

Workflow

Only System Admins can bulk upload Diligent One resources from Bulk Importer.

Note

  • Interface terms are customizable, and fields and tabs are configurable. In your instance of Diligent One, some terms, fields, and tabs may be different.
  • If a required field is left blank, you will see a warning message: This field is required. Some custom fields may have default values.

Open a new Bulk Importer session and download the Excel template

  1. Open Launchpad.

    Note

    If your company uses more than one instance in Launchpad, make sure the appropriate instance is active.

  2. Select Platform Settings > Organization.

    If you do not see Organization as an option, the account you used to sign in does not have Admin privileges.

  3. Under Bulk Importer, click Manage bulk resources.

    A new Bulk Importer session begins, with the session ID appended to the URL.

    Caution

    Always begin a new session to add new resources, else you may lose previously uploaded data.

    Note

    You can use previous sessions to update previously uploaded data. For more information, see Update functionality in the Bulk Importer.

  4. Under Select resource, select one of the following options in the resource type:

    • Projects > Project types To create projects by project type. The template is dynamic and has built-in configurations of the selected project type. Using this option, you can create multiple Diligent One resources (projects, frameworks, objectives, risks, controls, and mitigations), based on a project type.
    • All resources To bulk import all resources at once: projects, frameworks, objectives, risks, controls, mitigations, issues, actions, requests, entities, and compliance maps. The template is static and it takes some effort to complete, as you will have to figure out the configuration of the resources manually.
  5. Click Download .xlsx Template.

    The Excel template saves to your local machine.

Prepare data in the template

  1. Open the downloaded template and go to the Projects worksheet. If it is a dynamic template, the name of the worksheet is a combination of the resource and its project type ID. For example: Projects-85692.
  2. Copy and paste or enter your data into the template. For help with entering data, see Tips for preparing content.
    Note
    • If you use Add-In for Excel, ensure the ACL Add-In option is disabled before modifying the Excel template. To learn how to do it, see Configuring Add-In for Excel.
    • Do not change the name of the worksheet or the fields. These are case sensitive and must not be modified.
    • The maximum number of rows that can be uploaded at once is 2000 (including all the worksheets).
    FieldDescription

    referenceId

    mandatory

    Specifies a unique ID for the resource. This must be unique for each row in the worksheet.

    It can contain a combination of text and numbers, and the maximum length is 255 characters.

    This field is the primary key for each row in the template. You will need this key if you want to update this resource again.

    Important

    You can use reference IDs to associate resources to one another, on the fly. For example, you can create a new project and a new objective associated to that project in the same upload. You can do this by creating a link between the project and the objective by providing referenceId in the required field.

    To learn more about associating Diligent One resources in Bulk Importer, see Using reference IDs to link resources in Bulk Importer.

    Note

    Reference IDs are required when you add or update resources using the Bulk Importer. They are not available when you add / update resources from the user interface of Diligent One.

    name

    mandatory

    Enter a descriptive name for the project.

    The maximum length is 120 characters.

    For information about projects, see Creating projects 

    status

    Specifies current status of the project.

    Following are the available statuses.

    • draft
    • proposed
    • active
    • completed

    The default status is active.

    Note

    Use only English default values for this field. Custom English values and localized (non-English) values are not yet supported in Bulk Importer.

    For more information about project statuses, see Configuring project statuses.

    description

    Specifies detailed description of the project.

    Tip

    Use HTML tags to format text. For example: <b>, <i>, <ol>, <ul>.

    For information about projects, see Creating projects 

    background

    Specifies contextual circumstances of the project.

    budget

    		Specifies the total number of hours that have been allocated for the project.

    certification

    Specifies status of the Certifications feature for the project.

    • True: Enabled.
    • False: Disabled.

    The default is false.

    For more information, see Creating certification programs.

    managementResponse

    Specifies management's response to the overall rating of the project.

    maxSampleSize

    Specifies the total sample size, split among testing rounds, defined in the project.

    The default is 0.

    This field depends on project type, which is dependent on workflow. For more information, see Executing procedures and testing controls.

    numberOfTestingRounds

    Specifies the number of testing rounds performed in the project.

    The default is 0.

    This field depends on project type, which is dependent on workflow. For more information, see Executing procedures and testing controls.

    opinion

    		Specifies the final rating of the project outcome.

    opinionDescription

    Specifies a formal statement about the project outcome, including remarks or recommendations.

    purpose

    Specifies the intended results, aims, or goals of the project.

    startDate

    mandatory

    Specifies the date when the project is scheduled to begin.

    Date must be in YYYY-MM-DD format.

    targetDate

    mandatory

    Specifies the date when the project is scheduled to be completed.

    Date must be in YYYY-MM-DD format.

    projectTypeId

    mandatory

    (static template only)

    Specifies the project type associated with the project.

    The project type ID is available in the URL when you navigate to that project type.

    For example:

    https://stark.projects.highbond.com/audit_types
    /36245/description    , where 36245 is the project type ID.

    For more information, see Workflows and project types.

    scope

    Specifies things that are covered by the project.

    For more information, see Planning projects 

    controlPerformance

    Specifies the status of the Control Performance feature for the project.

    • True: Enabled.
    • False: Disabled.

    The default is false.

    For more information, see Scheduling control performance.

    riskAssurance

    Specifies the status of the Risk Assurance feature for the project.

    • True: Enabled.
    • False: Disabled.

    The default is false.

    For more information, see Getting started with assurance for risk.

    entities

    Specifies entity IDs of the entities that are tagged to project items.

    You can find entity ID in the URL when you navigate to an entity.

    For example: 

    https://stark.projects.highbond.com/
    auditable_entities/33055    , where 33055 is the entity ID.

    You can provide multiple IDs separated by commas.

    Note

    Alternatively, in this field, you can provide reference ID of a new entity that you have added in the current template. This will associate the project with the entity when you upload the template.

    To learn more about associating Diligent One resources in Bulk Importer, see Using reference IDs to link resources in Bulk Importer.

    For more information about entities, see Setting up entity tagging.

    tagList

    A comma separated list of tags associated with the project. For more information, see Tagging projects.

    Note

    If a value begins with a square bracket or contains a comma, semicolon, or a line break, enclose the value in double quotation marks (" ").

    customAttributes_1_term - customAttributes_n_term

    Specifies custom attribute fields 1 through n.

    The custom attributes in the Excel template depend on the type of template, as follows:

    • Projects > Project types: By default, the template will contain the custom attribute fields defined in the project type.
    • All resources: You have to manually check and enter the custom attribute fields, both the term and the value. The template will have one pair of custom attribute term and value, and you can add nine more pairs if required. To add, follow the same naming convention by adding a counter, for example: customAttributes_2_term, customAttributes_2_value, etc.

    The custom attributes of a project, framework, and their components are defined in the project type. For more information about custom attributes, see Customizing terms, fields, and notifications.

    customAttributes_1_value - customAttributes_n_value

    Specifies custom attribute values 1 through n.

    The custom attributes in the Excel template depend on the type of template, as follows:

    • Projects > Project types: By default, the template will contain the custom attribute fields defined in the project type.
    • All resources: You have to manually check and enter the custom attribute fields, both the term and the value. The template will have one pair of custom attribute term and value, and you can add nine more pairs if required. To add, follow the same naming convention by adding a counter, for example: customAttributes_2_term, customAttributes_2_value, etc.

    The custom attributes of a project, framework, and their components are defined in the project type. For more information about custom attributes, see Customizing terms, fields, and notifications.

    Note
    • If a value begins with a square bracket or contains a comma, semicolon, or a line break, enclose the value in double quotation marks (" ").
      For example: "[2021]", "First, second asset", "This is important; this too".
    • For a multiple choice field, you can add multiple values by separating each value with a comma.
    • For a dropdown list or a multiple choice field, ensure the values are exactly the same as provided in the options.
    Note

    In the dynamic template, for a dropdown field, the options in the dropdown list appear only for the first row. To get those options for more rows, copy the first row and paste it to the rows required.

  3. Save and close the template.

Tips for preparing content

Preparing content involves:

  • copying and pasting your source data into the Excel template
  • entering data, where applicable, in the Excel template
  • saving the template in preparation for bulk upload

Using reference IDs to link resources in Bulk Importer

Reference ID is a field in the Bulk Importer Excel template. It is the first field in all the worksheets and is available for all the resources. It is a unique identifier for each record in the worksheet.

Using reference IDs, you can associate Diligent One resources to each other, on the fly. For example, you can create a project and an objective that is associated to the project in the same import. You can do this by providing referenceId in the required field.

Upload data

Do one of the following:

  • Drag and drop the template into the browser window.
  • Click Choose from your computer and select the updated template from your computer.

    Only one Excel template can be uploaded at a time (each file is validated separately).

    • Result A success or failure message appears depending on the outcome of the process, and the latest session is updated in the Sessions table.

Sessions in Bulk Importer

A session in the Bulk Importer is a series of user interactions to import Diligent One resources. Each user session is recorded in the Sessions table.

The Sessions table contains the following information.

Field Name

Description

Web Sessions

Shows the list of web sessions.

A web session refers to a session completed using the Bulk Importer user interface. A new session begins each time you open the Bulk Importer page.

API Sessions

Shows the list of API sessions.

An API session refers to a session completed using an API platform such as Postman, etc.

Refresh

 Reloads the Sessions table.

Session ID

Session identifier.

In Web Sessions, you can click on the session ID to go to a particular session, and the session ID is appended to the URL.

For example: https://stark.bulkimporter.highbond.com/import/bcc1e04e-4cd3-46d2-a8be-0b9083baccdc, where
bcc1e04e-4cd3-46d2-a8be-0b9083baccdc is the session ID.

Note

Session IDs of both the web and API sessions look similar, ensure not to interchange the IDs to avoid any errors.

Date

Shows the date and time of the session. You can sort the date in ascending or descending order.

Uploaded By

Shows the name of the user.

Status

Shows the status of the upload, if it was successful or not.

You can click on the status to view the complete import details.

File Name

Shows the name of the uploaded template / error log. For example: HighBond_Template.xlsx, ErrorLog.xlsx.

Template You can click and download the template to correct any previously uploaded data.

Error log An error log is generated when an upload fails. You can check the error log to rectify the errors and re-upload the template.

Note
  • The template and error log are available for download for up to 18 months from the date of upload.
  • The link to download the template is available for the Bulk Importer sessions beginning May 13, 2022. You cannot download the template for the sessions prior to this date.

You can update multiple items at once in Bulk Importer using sessions.

Note

You can only update resources that you have uploaded using Bulk Importer.

You can download and check the error log from the Sessions table. Understand common bulk upload errors and learn how to fix errors.

The following table provides a list of possible errors that may occur when uploading the template.

Error Solution(s)
There may be more than 2000 rows in the uploaded file (including all the worksheets). Remove the extra rows from the template and re-upload.
Mandatory fields may be blank or missing in the uploaded file. Ensure that all mandatory fields (marked with red and orange column names in the template) are completed.
Note

If you do not provide data in the mandatory fields, the row is not processed.
Data format may be incorrect.

Ensure that data in text fields is valid and does not exceed the maximum field length: 255 characters.

Rich text fields do not have a character limit.

Data values may be invalid or may not match the dropdown values.

For example: The value for received and sendRecurrentNotifications fields in the Requests sheet must be True or False.
Invalid fields in the template.
  • Do not add new fields to the template.
  • Do not remove fields from the template.
Template may not be in expected format.

Ensure the file format is .xlsx.
Invalid worksheet names.

Do not change the name of the worksheet.
Session may have expired.

Refresh the page and try uploading again.
Session ID may be invalid. Ensure you are using a web session ID.