Whether you’re performing a backup, running custom reports, or simply preferring batch processing your data, Aimsio provides a convenient way of getting your data out and back into your account.
Master Data - How to Export Billable Items
Aimsio will notify you whether you can Import or Export data of the page you’re on by placing download and upload icons on the far right.
Master Data is always exported in a .csv file. Click on the icon pointing down, highlight csv and select.
CSV stands for Comma Separated Values and is a file format supported by Excel.
A download will be prepared for you. Once you have the csv on your computer, open it with your spreadsheet software of choice.
There are a few things to note here, starting with GUID (Column A).
This entire column can remain untouched. Aimsio assigns a Globally Unique Identifier to each item by default.
If you are adding new items to this sheet, leave Column A blank. Aimsio will take care of creating a GUID for this item at the time of import.
When adding to your Billable Items list, be sure to include:
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A Type (Column B) - Equipment, Labor, Material, Accommodation, Service, Unit Billing, Per Diem, or Mileage.
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At least 1 Default Price and Default Rate Type (Columns G & H)
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A TRUE or FALSE statement for all Equipment Classes and Labor Trades (Columns I & J)
If you’re curious what all this means, we explain it in more detail here: How to fill out the Master Data Playbook
How to Import Billable Items
Once you’re finished with your edits (or additions), save the file as a copy. You’ll always want the option to revert, so do not overwrite the file you took out of Aimsio.
Aimsio provides two options for importing: csv and csv (Flexible Import).
We always recommend using a regular a csv import if the file you’re using was originally generated by Aimsio. Aimsio will assume that your file structure is identical to that of an exported csv and attempt to update all existing entries.
A Flexible Import is a little different. Let’s say you already have a pre-existing dataset, like your own Excel sheet, or a csv from another software, Aimsio will attempt to read the file and provide you the flexibility to map your existing columns with an Aimsio column.
Be mindful of what you’re trying to force through. As mentioned earlier, certain fields require strict values (ie: Type will only accept one of your 8 Billable Item Types).
If your import is successful, you’ll be presented with the option to add or update your billable items on multiple Price Books too.
Troubleshooting Errors
If Aimsio has any trouble importing your file, an Error window will pop up and direct you to the issues, and offer possible solutions. Any rows (lines) in your spreadsheet that contain an error will be skipped, so make your best attempt to resolve the issues and give the import another try.
How to Export and Import other Master Data Pages
The process of exporting and importing various Master Data categories (Price Books, Equipment, Employees, Contacts etc.) is similar to what we outlined above. Each category will have its own set of fields that are required for a successful import.
We’ll always ensure you have data in your account before you are using Aimsio, so the best way to understand how each csv should be formatted would be to perform your own export and take a look!
How to Export Form Page Data
Many of form pages accessed from Aimsio’s sidebar, including Timesheets, Purchase Orders and Tickets, will provide authorized users the ability to export data to Excel or PDF format. These exports will take into account any active filters used to display a particular set of tabular data.
To export form data on the web, use the export icon located on the far right of the page and select csv, xls or pdf. A detailed csv will contain many of the hidden fields used by our technical teams to identify form activity.
How to Export Jobs
On the Jobs page, a Raw Data option will also be provided, which will export the field contents of each Job form in a format called JSON.
JSON is a common way to store large datasets and can generally be read by most language libraries. If the goal is to extrapolate the data and prepare it for import to another system, this should work as a compatible solution.
How to Export Timecard Configurations
Authorized users will have the ability to export and import data from our Timecards → Configurations tab by clicking on the cloud download icon on the right.
Timecard configurations can be imported to another Aimsio instance.
