Table of Contents

Importing and exporting elements

Note

For more information on importing and exporting elements, services, etc. using .dmimport packages, see Exporting and importing packages on a DMA.

Importing elements from a CSV file

Tip

See also: Rui’s Rapid Recap – Bulk editing via CSV import on DataMiner Dojo Video

  1. Either open the card of the view where you want to import the elements and click the hamburger button in the top-left corner, or right-click the view in the Surveyor.

  2. In the menu, select Actions > Import.

    Note

    If you do not have the Config permission for a particular view, export and import actions will not be available for this view.

  3. In the lower left corner of the Import window, select Import comma-separated file.

  4. In the Import file dialog box, select the CSV file you want to import, and click Open.

Note
  • If DataMiner detects invalid data when elements are imported, a notice will be generated. This can for instance be the case when you import a new element and data is missing, or when something is wrong with the formatting.
  • Only import CSV files that have been created by DataMiner during a previous export. See Exporting elements to a CSV file.
  • For more information on how you can modify an exported CSV file for later import, see Altering an exported CSV file in a third-party application.
  • For more information on how DataMiner checks for duplicate names, see Duplicate name check.
  • As CSV separator settings may have changed in DataMiner 10.0.0/10.0.2, before you import a CSV file that was exported using a version of Cube prior to 10.0.0/10.0.2, make sure to check the separator used in that file.
  • For elements communicating via SNMPv3, some fields in the CSV file have a different meaning. See Altering an exported CSV file in a third-party application.

Duplicate name check

When you import elements via a CSV file, DataMiner checks for duplicate names.

Name checks are case-insensitive. This means that for instance “element1” is considered identical to “ELEMENT1”.

  • Check for duplicate element names in the CSV file: If several lines in the CSV file contain the same element name, none of the lines sharing that same name will be imported. For each of those lines, an error message like the following one will be generated:

    Import elements failed. Line 7 contains existing element name (in import file).(MyElementName)

  • Check for duplicate names in the DataMiner System: If a line in the CSV file contains an element name that already exists within the DataMiner System, that line will not be imported and an error message like the following one will be generated:

    Import elements failed. Line 1 contains existing element name (DMS). (MyElementName)

Exporting elements to a CSV file

Note

To export element information to a printer or to the clipboard, you can also follow this procedure.

  1. Either open the card of the view from which you want to export the elements and click the hamburger button in the top-left corner, or right-click the view in the Surveyor.

    Note
    • To export all elements in a DMS, use the root view.
    • If you do not have the Config permission for a particular view, export and import actions will not be available for this view.
    • From DataMiner 10.0.9 onwards, you can select multiple elements in the list on a view card (using Shift or Ctrl) and right-click them to export those elements only.

  2. In the menu, select Actions > Export.

  3. In the lower left corner of the Export window, select Export to comma-separated file (*.csv), clipboard or print.

    Prior to DataMiner 9.6.3, select the option Export all elements to CSV.

  4. In the WHAT section of the Export window, select what is to be included in the export:

    • All data (i.e. the full list, with all columns included),

    • The data displayed in the element list of a view card,

    • Only IDs, with or without view IDs, or

    • Only IP addresses with hostnames, with or without DMA IP addresses and polling IP addresses/Serial Gateways.

  5. In the HOW section of the Export window, select what kind of export you want to make:

    • export to CSV: exports the element information to a CSV file, which can be used for an import in DataMiner.

    • copy to clipboard: makes a copy of the element information to the clipboard.

    • print: exports the element information to a printer.

    Note

    Private information, such as SNMPv3 authentication and encryption passwords, will not be exported for security reasons.

  6. Click Export.

  7. Depending on the type of export you selected, you will still need to:

    • Indicate where the file is to be saved and optionally specify a custom file name, for an export to CSV;

    • Click OK in a confirmation message, for a copy to clipboard; or

    • Determine the printing settings, for an export to a printer.

Altering an exported CSV file in a third-party application

When altering an exported CSV file in a third-party application like Microsoft Excel, in order to import the altered file into a DMS afterwards, take the following into account:

  • After an import operation, an element will be restarted if relevant information related to that element has been changed.

  • When changing existing elements, do not change the DataMiner ID or the element ID.

  • You cannot delete existing elements by importing a CSV file.

  • When you import a CSV file into MS Excel, remember that tabs will be automatically removed. MS Excel does not support the use of tabs inside cell values. If you want tabs to survive an import operation, replace each tab by \t.

  • For elements communicating via SNMPv3, some fields in the CSV file have a different meaning:

    Field name SNMPv3 parameter
    Parity Authentication algorithm (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512)
    Data Bits Username
    Stop Bits Security level and protocol (noAuthNoPriv, authNoPriv, or authPriv)
    Flow Control Encryption algorithm (DES, AES-128, AES-192, or AES-256)
    Get Community Authentication password
    Set Community Encryption password

  • Import operations are asynchronous. The DataMiner client will send the imported file to the DMA to which it is connected. That DMA will then process the file when appropriate. To check the progress of an import operation, consult the list of information events.

  • The ProtocolType column in the CSV file contains a numeric value that corresponds to the communication type that is defined in the protocol XML. When there are multiple connections defined in the protocol, the values are separated by a comma. This is the mapping:

    Protocol Type Description
    0 Undefined
    1 SNMP
    2 Serial
    3 Smart-serial
    4 Virtual
    5 GPIB
    6 OPC
    7 SLA
    8 SNMPv2
    9 SNMPv3
    10 HTTP
    11 Service
    12 Serial-single
    13 Smart-serial-single
    14 Smart-serial-raw
    15 Smart-serial-raw-single
    16 Websocket
    17 Virtual-function
    18 Auto-generated
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