Documentation:GA:user:BulkOpt:DRAFT

Bulk Provisioning of Configuration Options

To create or modify the configuration options for an option, you can upload a comma-separated value (CSV) file containing new and/or changed options and values. You enter or modify options and values in the appropriate columns object. When uploaded to GAX, the options listed in the file are created or modified, based on the action to be taken as indicated in the Action column.

You can also use GAX to download (or export) information for selected options. If you want, you can use this download to create a "template" for the data upload.

This import/export of configuration options functionality is available for all object types.

Exporting Options

GAX allows you to export selected options into a spreadsheet. You can modify the spreadsheet as required, save it as a .csv or .cfg file, and upload it back into GAX. Or, you can remove the data (but not the column headers) from it, and use this "empty" template for present and future uploads of configuration options.

To export options, do the following:

1. In Configuration Manager, open the Options tab of the object from which you want to export options.
2. Select the sections and options to be exported.
3. Click Export in the More menu located above the option list in the right corner.
4. In the Export Options dialog box, select the format of the output file, either CFG or CSV, and click Export.
   The output file is created and downloaded to your browser, with a filename in the format
        <object type>_annex_<object DBID>.csv or cfg
   For example:
        CfgPerson_annex_6378.cfg or CfgPerson_annex_6378.cfg

Uploading a File

Before uploading bulk updates, you must enter the data into a spreadsheet and save it as a CSV file. Keep in mind the following recommendations:

• If most of your updates are adding new options to the object, create an empty template and fill in the appropriate values.
• If you are primarily making changes to existing options, export only the options that you are changing, and make the changes.

To upload the data into GAX, do the following:

1. In Configuration Manager, open the Options tab of the object into which you want to upload the options.
2. Click Import in the More menu located above the option list in the right corner.
3. In the Import Objects dialog box:
   1. Click Choose File and select the .csv or .cfg file with your changes.
   2. Select Overwrite existing options if you are sure that your file contains the accurate and most up-to-date current value for any options that may already exist in the object. Otherwise, leave it blank.
   3. Click Upload.
4. When the records have been processed, the Operation Concluded dialog box is displayed, showing a summary of the results. Click Close to return to the Options tab.

Source File

GAX uses .csv (comma separated value) and .cfg files for the import and export of configuration options. Both formats support only the import and export of string options. Other types of configuration options are ignored and not imported or exported. All strings in this file must be encoded in UTF-8.

Important

The contents of the file relates to only one object.

In a CSV source file, each line represents a single configuration option. The same option can appear in the source file only once. If the configuration options section does not already exist in the object's configuration, it is created. The unique identifier of the option in the scope of the source file is the combination of the Section and Key fields. There are three columns in the file—one each for the configuration option section, the name of the option (Key), and the option value, named by the entries in the first row of the file—Section, Key, and Value. The order of the columns is not important. A comma is inserted after each column entry. The source file contains the following information for each option:

Name	Type	Mandatory	Description
Section	String	Yes	The name of the configuration file.
Key	String	Yes	The name of the option
Value	String	No	The new value of the option.

In a CFG file, each section and option appears on a separate line, with section names in square brackets. Each section is followed by a list of options in that section, with the appropriate values, such as:

[section_name1]
option-name1=option_value2
...
option_nameN=option_valueN

[section_name2]
option-nameN+1=option_valueN+1
...

Example

The following data is to be uploaded to GAX to add two new options for an existing User object:

Section	Key	Value
gaxproperties	datemodified	1478163902397
htcc	roles	Agent

The CSV file for this would look like this:

Section,Key,Value
gaxproperties,datemodified,1478163902397
htcc,roles,Agent

Exported from GAX as a CFG file, the same information would look like this:

[gaxproperties]
datemodified=1478163902397
[htcc]
roles=Agent