Import New Business Budget from Excel: Process Overview

The following is an overview of the process for using this utility to upload new business budgets from Excel to the New Business Budgets application.

There is a prerequisite for the New Business Budget work breakdown structure (WBS) to already exist before budget data can be uploaded. You need to create the WBS ahead using the New Business Budgeting application before importing the budgets from excel. The import process will not create the WBS. See Create the Work Breakdown Structure for a New Business Budget for more information and instructions.

Step 1: Download and complete the Excel template

The template (available from the Excel Template subtask) includes column headings that correspond to fields within the New Business Budgets application. The completed template must be saved in the .xml format.

If you are unfamiliar with saving in the .xml format, see the Excel online help.

If you are a System Administrator and have not yet configured Costpoint to accept this format, add the .xml format to the File Upload Limits table of the Admin » System Administration » System Administration  Controls » Configure System Settings screen.

Step 2: Select Processing Settings

In the Import New Business Budgets from Excel screen, you select settings for handling duplicate project budgets, as well as error report settings.

Step 3: Select and Upload the File

Use to select the .xml file for upload and processing.

The .xml must be saved to a pre-configured location within Costpoint, referred to as an Alternate File Location. When you save the template as an .xml file, you must either save it to the Alternate File Location, or copy it to that location using File Upload on the Process menu.

If you do not know the Alternate File Location, check with your System Administrator.

If you are a System Administrator and have not yet configured the Alternate File Location, see online help for Administration » System Administration » File Management » Manage Alternate File Locations.

After the file is selected, click the Upload File button to upload and process it.

Step 4: Review Results

Depending on validation settings, the new business budgets that did not contain errors are either uploaded immediately to the New Business Budgets application as budgets with a "Working" status , or all the new business budgets fail if any errors exist.

You can review error messages on the Error Report subtask. The Upload Report subtask displays the new business budgets that were successfully uploaded. From that same subtask, you can also commit selected new business budgets, and in the New Business Budgets application, the status of the uploaded new business budget changes from Working to Incomplete.

Step 5: Correct Errors and Rerun the Process

Using information on the Error Report subtask as a guide, you can make corrections to your original entries in the Excel template, and then re-run the process until you have successfully imported all new business budgets into the New Business Budgets application.