Project Import (System Administration)

The project to be imported must have been exported from a ProjectDox site with the same primary version, i.e. ProjectDox 9.0 export to import into a ProjectDox 9.0 system. You cannot import an exported 8.x project into a 9.0 system. Projects that can be imported must first be exported from an existing ProjectDox site into a designated export folder within the organization's server network.

When the system exports a project, it applies the following naming convention to the folder/zip: project name-date-time. For example: AVS-071682 - 12-13-17-15-23- 31

When importing these projects back to the site, the full path entered into the import tool must be an exact match, and the PD_USR account for ProjectDox must have READ/WRITE permissions to the folder. If the path is incorrect, or READ permissions are lacking, the system will indicate that the “File does not exist.”

During the import process, the system uses your established default project template for the basis of importing and re-creating the project.  Any configuration in the default system template that is not in the imported project structure will be included on import.

This applies to:

• Folders

• Files

• Markups

• Groups

• File metadata

• Roles

• Permissions

• Users

• Discussion Board

For example, you have selected to import a previously exported project.  The project you are importing has three folders as part of the package: Drawings, Documents and Approved.  Your system’s default project template has the following folders: Drawings, Documents, Approved and Test 1.  When the import of the selected project is complete, your newly imported project will have the following folders:

• Drawings

• Documents

• Approved

• Test 1

Project Import Steps

1. Acquire the folder name of the exported project you wish to import into the site.
2. From the Admin dropdown list, select Project Import.
3. In the Include in Import section, select the items you would like to include in the import. If an item is selected that was not part of the original export, values will be inserted based on the setting of the system default project template.  For example if you selected to include groups and users, but did not include that data in the export of the project, the system will use default data to meet the selection for import.  Selection options are:

4. Enter the UNC path to the designated folder that contains the exported project and click Import.

5. Once the Import button is clicked, the following message will be received:

If an error occurs as part of the import process, the application will note the error in the Import status field, indicating a log file is available.  This log file will be located within the server environment in the designed import\export directory.

Project Import Notes

• You cannot import a project template. A project can be imported and then a template created for that project.

• You cannot import a project from an exported zip file.

• A project cannot be imported if there are no user groups assigned to the project. At least one group has to contain one user.

• If selections made for import do not exist in the exported folder, ProjectDox will use the default system project template to meet the requirement (groups, roles etc.). 

• If a highly populated Project Template is designated as the default template, you will produce an imported project with more specifications than desired. That is why it is advised that the default template always have the least amount of specifications.

• A project with the same project name can be imported multiple times.  When an existing project is imported again, a GUID number is added after the last character of the original project name to ensure the project names remain unique in ProjectDox.

• When a project is imported for the first time, a GUID is not added. Any subsequent imports will have a GUID attached to the project name.