Import Your Data via Audit Template

Import Your Data into the Audit Template

How to populate an audit template with your own data using the CSV importer

Contents

• 1. Introduction & Context
• 2. Key Features & Functions
• 3. Requirements
• 4. Step-by-Step Guide
  • Step 1: Set up an audit template (Admin)
  • Step 2: Build your template
  • Step 3: Export and populate the template
  • Step 4: Create your audit and import your data
• 5. Common Issues & Troubleshooting
• 6. Related Articles

1. Introduction & Context

If you have an audit and want to populate its audit template with your own data, you can use the CSV importer instead of entering every row by hand. Once your data has been uploaded, you can review it directly within the audit template.

Who is it for? Users working with the Audits module who have data prepared in a spreadsheet and want to bring it into an audit quickly. The one-off template setup in Step 1 is an administrator task.

What does it impact? The importer creates and updates data within your audit sections. It builds the rows for you from the CSV, so the audit is populated from your file rather than by hand.

2. Key Features & Functions

• Audit templates: a reusable audit structure that works like a replica of your spreadsheet, so your import lines up with the columns you already use.
• Flexible column types: build a template from a range of column types (date, lookup, number, text, and more) so it closely matches your existing spreadsheet.
• Export a template file: download the template as a CSV in the expected structure, ready for you to populate with your own data.
• Import into audit sections: upload the populated CSV to create and update the data in your audit sections in one step.

3. Requirements

Before you start, make sure you have:

• The Audits module enabled.
• An audit template available. If you do not have one yet, follow Step 1 below to create one. The template setup is an administrator task.
• Your data saved in CSV UTF-8 format. Other formats will not import correctly.

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set up an audit template (Admin)

This is a one-off setup step. If an audit template already exists, skip to Step 2.

1. Go to Admin > Clone Templates.
2. Create a workflow status called Template. This allows an audit to be used as a pre-existing audit template. On the clone template, set Purpose to Templating and the Status Filter to Template.
   

   The clone template set to Templating, filtered to the Template status.

3. Save your changes, then add a clone relation called Audit Sections.
   

   Adding the Audit Sections clone relation.

Step 2: Build your template

1. Create an audit where you want to prepare your audit template. This is what pulls in the audit columns, and works like a replica of your spreadsheet.
2. Add a section and give it a title.
   

   Adding a section to the audit template.

3. Add as many columns as you need, choosing from the available column types (see the table below).
   

   Adding columns to a section.

Templates support the following column types, so a template can closely match the structure of your existing spreadsheet:

Step 3: Export and populate the template

1. Once you are satisfied with your template, download it as a CSV.
2. Populate the downloaded CSV with your own data.
3. Move the audit into the Template status.

Step 4: Create your audit and import your data

1. Create an audit by clicking Add, then select the relevant audit type if more than one is available.
2. In the top right corner, select the audit template you want to use.
   

   Selecting the audit template on a new audit.

3. Click the CSV button on the audit and select the file you want to import. You can use Export Template in this dialog to download the expected structure, and set the Modebefore importing.
   

   The Import CSV dialog on the audit.

5. Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Best practices:

• Export the template first and populate that exact file, so your columns line up with the expected structure.
• Match the column types to your spreadsheet when building the template, so values import cleanly.
• Always save as CSV UTF-8 before uploading.
• Review the imported rows within the audit template to confirm everything came across as expected.

6. Related Articles

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