By importing data into the asset management system, you are effectively using a batch operation to register from another system. Provided you are working in a system environment that allows you to log in to Asset Information Manager, you can import data from any location.

You can use the Import window to import data from a CSV file.

The figure below shows the Import window.

Figure 2-1 Import window

To import data, you must first create conditions, and then import the data according to the conditions. A sample is provided for the import conditions for each information type. For details about these sample asset types, see 4.10.2(1) Selecting the asset type in the Administrator's Guide.

The procedure below describes the workflow for importing information managed by another system into the asset management database. This example assumes that Machine No. (a unique value assigned to each asset), Name, PC Status (Used/Unused), and MAC Address are being managed.

Figure 2-2 Workflow for importing information regarding devices managed by another system

To import information managed by another system:

1. Create a CSV file.
   Only CSV data can be imported into the asset management database. As such, you must first create a CSV file containing the data you want to import. You can use any character string for the item names in the CSV file. For details about the CSV file format, see 4.10.1(1) CSV file format in the Administrator's Guide.
   The following figure shows an example of a created CSV file.
   

   Figure 2-3 Example of a created CSV file

   

2. Change the Used and Unused character strings under PC Status.
   To match legacy operation of Asset Information Manager, you must change instances of Used and Unused under PC Status in the CSV file to Active and Stock.
   To inherit the pre-transfer names, use the Code window to change the status character strings. For details about how to use the Code window, see 4.8.2 Changing a code's display value in the Administrator's Guide.
   
3. Create import conditions.
   To register data into the asset management database, create import conditions and assign item names in the CSV file to the managed items. To create import conditions, first click the Pattern button in the Import window to display the Select Category dialog box. After that, select Device information in the Category column. Next, click the Browse button for the managed items to display the Setting Assignment dialog box. Set the assigned items from this dialog box. The following figure shows the Setting Assignment dialog box.
   

   Figure 2-4 Setting Assignment dialog box

   

   The following table shows the settings for the assigned items when the conditions are created:
   

   Table 2-1 Settings for assigned items when the conditions are created

   Managed items	Setting for assigned items
   Asset information.Asset No.	Specify Machine No. for CSV items.
   Asset information.User name	Specify Name for CSV items.
   Asset information.Usage management	Specify Used for Constant value.
   Asset information.Status	Specify PC Status for CSV items Select the Assigned items check box, and choose Active.
   Asset information.Reg. date	Specify 2006/01/01 for Constant value.
   Hardware information.MAC address	Specify MAC Address for CSV items.

   The following lists important points to keep in mind when you are creating conditions:
   
   • Always specify item names that have a star ().
   • By assigning a unique value to each asset as its asset number, you can manage values managed by other systems as asset numbers. If you do not register any values, asset numbers are provided automatically.
   • When you import MAC addresses, the inventory information collected from JP1/Software Distribution is assigned as the information of the imported devices.
   For details about how to create import conditions, see 4.10.2 Creating import conditions in the Administrator's Guide.
   After you save the conditions, click the Back button to return to the previous window.
   
4. Import the data.
   In the Import window, specify the created conditions, and import the data. For details about how to import data, see 4.10.3 Executing imports in the Administrator's Guide.
   
5. Check the import results.
   In the Result Import window, check the results of the import operation. For details about how to check the import results, see 4.12 Checking the import results (Result Import) in the Administrator's Guide.
   
6. Manage the devices.
   By using the Device Totals window, you can total the number of owned devices, change device information from the Batch Update window, and perform other device management activities.
   

Repeat steps 1 to 4 of the import procedure until you have imported all of the information.

By creating conditions in advance for filtering items to be exported, you can export only the information that you want to export. By specifying conditions that you have created, you can also easily limit the items to export when you back up the asset management database.

The Export window is used to export data to be backed up.

The figure below shows the Export window.

Figure 2-5 Export window

To export data, first create conditions, and then export the data according to those conditions. Samples of export conditions are provided for each type of information. You can use these samples to export all items. For details about these sample categories, also known as asset types, see 4.10.2(1) Selecting the asset type in the Administrator's Guide.

The procedure below describes the workflow for exporting device information in CSV format.

To export device information to a CSV file:

1. Create export conditions.
   Begin by creating export conditions for making backups. To create export conditions, first click the Pattern button in the Export window to display the Select Category dialog box. After that, select Device information in the Category column. Next, set the items to be exported to the CSV file.
   The following lists the export items to set when creating conditions:
   
   • Asset No. (Asset information)
   • User name (Asset information)
   • Status (Asset information)
   • MAC address (Hardware information)
   For details about how to create export conditions, see 4.11.1 Creating export conditions in the Administrator's Guide.
   Save the conditions, and then click the Back button to return to the previous window.
   
2. Export the data.
   In the Export window, specify the conditions created in step 1 and export the data. If you want to export only information from managed groups or otherwise filter the data being exported, click the Filter link to display the Set Condition dialog box, where you can filter the number of items. For details about how to export data, see 4.11.2 Executing an export operation in the Administrator's Guide.
   
3. Specify a file name, and then save the data.
   We recommend that you specify a file name that makes it easy to determine the date the file was exported and the contents of the file; for example, 060701_device-info.csv.
   
4. Check the exported data.
   Check the data to make sure the export executed normally.
   

To make use of the export functionality when you make regular data backups, repeat steps 2 to 4 using the export conditions created in step 1.