CSV File Format
The following column separators are permitted in the CSV file.
Name | Character |
Comma | , |
Semicolon | ; |
Colon | : |
Tab | \t |
Pipe | | |
Preventing duplication of existing stickies during multiple CSV Imports:
IF you want to update existing sticky notes when performing a second CSV-import, you need to make sure that the ALM-Key is included in the CSV import file.
IF you do not have an ALM-Key set for the sticky, it will create a duplicate sticky note instead of updating the existing sticky note with the corresponding ALM-Key.
ART Backlog Board - File Format and CSV Template
To import work items onto the ART Backlog Board via a CSV file, the following must be true:
The data in the CSV file has to follow the format of the table below.
The data in the CSV file must be formatted with UTF-8 encoding.
board-type | sticky-type | text | alm-issue-id | WSJF | art-name | alm-issue-id-link |
backlog | Feature | This is the Sticky Note text | RT-100 | 5 | ACME-ART | US-100 |
backlog | Feature | This is the Sticky Note text | RT-101 | 2 | ACME-ART | US-10, US-12 |
backlog | Enabler | This is the Sticky Note text | RT-105 | 1 | ANOTHER-ART |
|
Download the ART Backlog Board CSV Import Template for PI Session with a single ART PI Session here: backlog-board.csv
Download the ART Backlog Board CSV Import Template for a Solution Train PI Session (w/ multiple ARTs) here: backlog-board-ST.csv
ART Backlog Board CSV Template Column Definitions
board-type: Do NOT change. This value needs to bebacklogif you want to import the work items onto the ART Backlog Board.sticky-type: Must be one of the sticky types that are defined on the #5 ART Backlog Board tab in the PI Session.text: Text which is displayed on the sticky-notealm-issue-id: Optional. It can be empty, but the column has to exist in the CSV file. If an existing sticky-note on the ART Backlog Board already has the same alm-issue-id, the import will perform an update operation and update the other properties of this sticky, instead of creating a duplicate. TIP: Include the ALM-Key if you are importing pre-existing work items from the ALM tool.WSJF: WSJF value displayed on the sticky-noteart-name: Required for importing items into a Solution Train PI session. Name of the specific ART is needed when you import it into a Solution Train session.alm-issue-id-link: Optional. Will create a link to any other sticky-note in that same PI session. For example, ability to link the ART Backlog Item to child User Stories that already exist in the PI Session. Accepts a comma separated list of values.
Team Board - File Format and CSV Template
To import work items onto the Team Board via a CSV file, the following must be true:
The data in the CSV file has to follow the format of the table below.
The data in the CSV file must be formatted with UTF-8 encoding.
board-type | team-name | sticky-type | text | alm-issue-id | story-points | iteration-number | alm-issue-id-link |
team | Roma | Story | Sticky Text | ROM-01 | 2 | 0 | RT-101 |
team | Lyon | Story | Sticky Text | LYO-12 | 1 | 1 | RT-101 |
team | London | Bug | Sticky Text | LON-18 | 3 | 2 |
|
Download the Team Board CSV Import Template for PI Session with a single ART PI Session here: team_template.csv
Download the Team Board CSV Import Template with ability to import links between sticky-notes: team_template_links.csv
Team Board CSV Template Column Definitions
board-type: Do NOT change. This value needs to beteamif you want to import the work items onto the Team Board.team-name: The value is to be one of the Teams in the PI session. The value must match the Name value in the RTE Cockpit > Organization > Teams object.sticky-type: Has to be one of the names you gave a sticky-type of the backlog board (in setup.piplanning.io)text: Text that is to be displayed on the sticky-note; maps to the ALM Issue Name field.alm-issue-id: Optional. This column can be empty, but the column has to exist in the CSV file. If an existing sticky-note on the Team Board already has the same alm-issue-id, the import will perform an update operation and not a create operation. This is to avoid creating a duplicate. TIP: Include the ALM-Key if you are importing pre-existing work items from an ALM tool so future imports will perform updates and not create duplicate sticky-notes.story-points: Story Point value; it can be empty, but the column must existiteration-number: Integer value to match the number of Iterations in the PI Session. Zero (0) matches the first Iteration. For example: If you have 5x (five) Iterations in the PI Session, then the integer values are 0,1,2,3,4.alm-issue-id-link: Optional. Will create links to any other sticky-note in that same PI session. For example, ability to link the ART Backlog Item to child User Stories that already exist in the PI Session. Accepts a comma separated list of values
FAQs
Q: I get the message No stickies imported at all or something about Invalid start byte, how do I resolve this issue?
A: Please make sure the data is formatted in UTF-8 encoding. You can check that if you open the CSV file in a text editor tool like Notepad.
Q: Why is UTF-8 encoding important or why do I have issues even when saving the file in the CSV file format?
A: MS Excel does not export in UTF-8 encoding, even though you may select the option Export As UTF-8. Instead it exports it as LATIN1. This is a known bug in Microsoft-Excel.
Note: MS Excel does not export as UTF8 even tough the user selects the export as 'UTF-8'. Instead it exports it as LATIN1. This is a known bug in Microsoft-Excel.
Q: How to format a CSV file to UTF-8 in MS Excel (for Windows OS)?
A: Follow the following steps if you are using MS Excel on a Windows machine:
Open the CSV file with the text editor program Notepad
Choose File→Save As; and most importantly select the
UTF-8as the file encoding
Q: Links between sticky-notes do not appear even though the optional column alm-issue-id-link is in the CSV file.
A: The reason is likely due to the Order of Operations; the linked sticky-notes must exist already in the PI Session. Please import the CSV file a second time, because of the way the import works, it can be that links are not created as the linked sticky-notes are not yet created (via the imports on either the ART Backlog Board or Team Boards).