IMPORT ITEMS (ORACLE)  

This is the help for Oracle databases. Click here to open the help for Microsoft SQL Server databases.

The Import Items preprocessor is an add-on product that you can use to upload item information (parts, services and goods) from flat ASCII text files into Costpoint. This preprocessor also updates item information for existing rows if the input file references an existing item/revision. However, if an input file field is null, the existing database columns in Costpoint that apply are not deleted or changed to null. You can specify the network location and name of the input file, and the application performs all necessary database and business rule validation.

This preprocessor application is a separately licensed product for Deltek Costpoint. You must obtain a license from Deltek and have a properly configured Oracle database platform supporting Costpoint to use this application. Please contact your Deltek account manager or Deltek Support for more information.

If you select the Separate Items By Company check box in the Corporate Settings block of the Configure Product Definition Settings screen, Costpoint assigns your company ID to your newly processed items and saved parameters, based on the company logged into when the process was executed. Users logged into other companies cannot modify or delete these items or parameters. If you select the Separate Items by Company check box, you can have two item records in the database with the same ID (and revisions, if you also selected the Allow Multiple Revisions for Each Item check box on the Corporate Settings block of the Configure Product Definition Settings screen), as long as the items are linked to different companies. If you are modifying or deleting an item, item record, or its related data, the company ID must be the same for both your user ID and the item ID.

If you do not select the Separate Items by Company check box, all items in the database are available to users in all companies, and two items cannot coexist with the same item ID (and revision, if you also selected the Allow Multiple Revisions for Each Item check box) in the database.

Select the Plan MRP by Company check box (in the Corporate Settings block of the Configure Material Requirements Planning Settings screen) to enable MRP planning by company ID.

You must set up any necessary master table data records (such as Unit of Measure, commodity code, and industry classification) before you run this preprocessor.

There are two ways to work with input files in Costpoint

If you decide to use the first option, click in the File Location field to select an alternate file location. If you choose the second option, leave the File Location field blank and use the File Upload Manager to upload the input file to the Costpoint database.

Identification

Use the fields in this block to create a new parameter ID or to retrieve a previously saved parameter ID. A parameter ID represents a set of screen selection parameters. After you have saved a parameter ID and its related parameters, you can retrieve them using Query.

You can use the retrieved parameters to produce reports and run processes more efficiently and with greater consistency. The saved parameters are also useful and necessary when you want to run the process as part of a batch job. Many users save a unique set of parameters for each different way they run a report or process. When you select a previously saved parameter ID or parameter description, the associated saved screen selection parameters automatically display as selection defaults. The page setup and print options are also included in the saved parameter ID if there are any. You can change any of the associated selection defaults as necessary.

Parameter ID

Enter, or click to select, a parameter ID of up to 15 alphanumeric characters. Choose characters for your parameter ID that help identify the type of selections you made in the screen, such as PERIOD or QUARTERLY.

When you save your record, all the selections made in the screen are stored with the parameter ID. Later, you can retrieve the parameter using Query.

You can use the parameter to run the process more efficiently because you can select the parameter ID with its previously defined screen selections. After the default selections display in the screen, you can override the defaults.

Description

Enter, or click to select, a parameter description of up to 30 alphanumeric characters.

Options

Input File

File Location

Enter the location of the input file you are importing. There are two ways to do this:

or

File Name

Enter, or click to select, the name of the ASCII text file to be uploaded. The file cannot have an extension of .ERR. The .ERR extension is reserved for the error file.

You can process only one input file at a time. The file being processed can contain different line types. Only the Item Line is required for inserting new items. All other lines are optional. The order of the lines is inconsequential.

All user ID columns in the Costpoint database contain a maximum of 20 characters. However. the input file limits the user ID field lengths to 18 characters to accommodate existing fixed-length input files from previous Costpoint databases.

International users: The data can contain non-English characters, provided they are in the ASCII character set. Before creating an ASCII text (.TXT) file, be sure that your keyboard language is set to EN (United States English) to prevent the application from generating errors.  

We recommend the use of .TXT and .CSV file-naming conventions.

File Format

Use the drop-down list to select the file format. Valid options are:

For example, if the Item (ITM) record format's maximum line length (that is, the entire input file) is a total of 451 characters and the last character of meaningful data is in position 113, you do not need to add the remaining 338 spaces. However, let's say that the Commodity Code (beginning at position 114 on the input file) is only five characters long. You must include the Commodity Code plus three additional spaces before entering the Hazardous Material Flag in position number 122. Please refer to the Processing Details section for additional information.

File Delimiter

If you selected Delimited in the File Format field, use the drop-down list to select a file delimiter. Valid options are:

The default is Comma. To use another delimiter, select the Other option and enter a single character in the Other Delimiter field.

The delimiter cannot be embedded in any of the input fields, such as item description. When the program encounters the declared delimiter, it interprets it as the end of the input field. For this reason, Deltek recommends using a delimiter type other than the comma, if you are loading item descriptions.

Other Delimiter

If you selected Other in the File Delimiter field, enter the delimiter here.

Error Handling

If errors are encountered on the input file:

Use this drop-down list to determine how validation errors are handled. Errors occur if the input file record is not valid or a condition is not met for a field that is being processed in an input file record. Valid options are:

In either case, an error report listing all validation errors is produced along with an ASCII error file (if the Generate Error File check box is selected). The error file has the same filename as the original input file but for the suffix, which is .ERR, and the file contains all input rows that are in error. You can then correct this error file, rename it, and reprocess it until all rows are processed. The TIMESTAMP field at the end of each record indicates the date on which the file was created.

Generate Error File

Select this check box to produce an ASCII error file listing the input file records not processed.

Import Items

To execute the application and import the items, click the arrow to the right and select one of the following options:

PROCESSING DETAILS

ERROR MESSAGES