Job Management Partner 1/Asset Information Manager Administrator's Guide

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4.10.1 Creating a CSV file to be imported

Create a CSV file to be imported, such as a CSV file output by another system or a CSV file containing exported data that has been edited.

For import processing, you specify a type of information (asset type), such as Device information or Software information. For details about the items that are imported for each category, see 14.4 Items to be imported or exported using a job menu in the Planning and Setup Guide.

For details about each item, see 14.2 Lists of properties for object classes in the Planning and Setup Guide.

Organization of this subsection
(1) CSV file format
(2) Items for which information managed in the asset management database has precedence
(3) How to create CSV files

(1) CSV file format

In a CSV file, the first line describes the item names in comma-separated format, and subsequent lines describe the item values.

Item names can be expressed as any character string. Make sure that each specified item name is unique in the CSV file because it is used for assignment with a managed item.

If there is more than one value for a particular information item assigned to the same asset, such as when multiple IP addresses are assigned to one PC, enter the information on separate lines, making sure that information items other than the information for which different values exist remain identical.

Note
If you open a CSV file with Microsoft Excel, the leading zeros are automatically deleted from numeric values, such as codes and IDs, and the contents of the file might be changed from the original information.
Reference note
You can also omit the creation of an import condition by setting the item name in the CSV file to the same character string as the managed item. For a condition, specify the provided sample condition. The sample condition is created by the default settings for each category. Either create a condition according to the item name in the CSV file or edit the CSV file using the sample condition, whichever is suitable.
When you edit a CSV file, use the exported data in the following procedure for convenience:
  1. From the Export job menu, select the same category as the information that you want to import, and then export the information using the default settings.
  2. Set the item names in the output CSV file to the item names in the CSV file that is to be imported.
If you are not exporting, see 14.4 Items to be imported or exported using a job menu in the Planning and Setup Guide to match the item names.

(2) Items for which information managed in the asset management database has precedence

When you import information about group, user, role, and official authority, the corresponding Group name, User name, Role name, and Official authority name are registered from the group, user, role, and official authority information in the asset management database on the basis of the values of Group ID, User ID, Role ID, and Official authority ID specified in the CSV file.

If a combination of ID and name does not match the information in the asset management database, information in the asset management database with the matching ID takes precedence over the value in the CSV file.

(3) How to create CSV files

When you create conditions to update data in the asset management database using a CSV file that contains the values to be assigned to the existing data, you must set the correct assignment items.

This subsection describes how to create a CSV file to add or update data for each asset type. Notes about creating import conditions also apply to CSV file creation. When you create import conditions, also set each item according to the CSV file creation method.

How to create conditions for updating existing data
When you update existing data, you must create conditions, paying attention to the items that are assigned to data in the asset management database.
For assignment of data in the imported CSV file and existing data, the values of IDs, such as Asset ID and Group ID, take precedence, followed by the values that correspond to the IDs, such as Asset No. and Group name.
The following figure shows how existing data is updated by assigning data using an example of importing device information.

Figure 4-28 Example of data assignment and updating during import of CSV files

[Figure]
  1. This example assigns existing data with Asset ID:000001 and uses the value in the CSV file to update Asset No. to 000001.
  2. The value of Group ID:11000000 in the CSV file is assigned to the location information, and Group name that corresponds to Group ID is updated to IT Management Dept.

As demonstrated in this example, if an item is managed by ID, and its ID and name do not match the values in the asset management database, the value in the asset management database that corresponds to that ID is updated.

(a) Device information
(b) Installed software information
(c) Installed software list
(d) Software information
(e) Software list

If you are updating pre-existing information, you must specify one of the following:

If you are updating existing information, make sure that you specify a combination of Software list ID or Software name and Software type. Also for the condition, set the assigned item according to the specification in the CSV file. If both are specified, assignment is by Software list ID, and Software name is changed by the value in the CSV file. If assignment is to be by Software list ID, specify only the new value in Software name. You can omit any value that remains unchanged.

(f) Group information

Note
If group information is to be deleted during import operation and a group in a higher hierarchy is specified in the CSV file, all the groups and users under that hierarchy are deleted. For example in Figure 4-29, if a group in a higher hierarchy and its subordinate groups are specified, the information that is moved to the trash is also deleted during a single import operation. In such a case, not only the groups but also the users belonging to those groups are completely deleted and become unrecoverable.
The following figure shows an example in which the groups and users that belong to the deleted group are also deleted from the trash.

Figure 4-29 Example in which the groups and users that belong to the deleted group are also deleted from the trash

[Figure]
  1. Sales Department is deleted from the asset management database and its subordinate groups and users are moved to the trash.
  2. Sales Division 1 and the users belonging to Sales Division 1 are deleted from the trash.
  3. Sales Division 2 and the users belonging to Sales Division 2 are deleted from the trash.
(g) User information
(h) Location information
(i) Maintenance contract information, Rental contract information, Lease contract information, Volume contract information
(j) IP group information
(k) Device catalog information
(l) Problems
(m) Assigned license information
(n) Patches

If you are updating existing information, make sure that you specify Asset ID or Asset No. For the condition, set the assigned item according to the specification in the CSV file. If both are set, assignment is by Asset ID. If assignment is to be by Asset ID, you can omit Asset No.

(o) Virus definition

If you are updating existing information, make sure that you specify Asset ID or Asset No. For the condition as well, set the assigned item according to the specification in the CSV file. If both are set, assignment is by Asset ID. If assignment is to be by Asset ID, you can omit Asset No.

(p) Related asset information

If you are adding information, make sure that you specify one of the following:

For the condition as well, set the assigned items according to their specifications in the CSV file. If both Parent asset ID and Parent asset number (or both Child asset ID and Child asset number) are set, assignment is performed based on Parent asset ID (or Child asset ID). When assignment is performed based on Parent asset ID (or Child asset ID), you can omit Parent asset number (or Child asset number).

(q) Division information
(r) Division assignment