Content:
1. How to access the Import tool in Kanbanize?
2. How to format your Excel Spreadsheet for a successful import?
3. How to import cards and Initiatives into multiple Boards and Workflows with a single import?
4. How to import new cards and link them to existing items?
5. How to import cards and initiatives with historical metrics data?
6. How to create a parent/child relation between existing cards or Initiatives using Excel?
7. How to link multiple cards with a single operation using Excel?
8. How to import new Timeline Initiatives using Excel?
Importing cards and initiatives using an Excel spreadsheet is the quickest way to populate your Kanban board, without having to create cards manually.
With this functionality, users can easily import cards from external systems as well as update existing boards and cards. Users can also export cards from the Kanban boards to import them on other boards within the account or transfer them to other systems.
1. How to access the Import tool in Kanbanize?
Open the board where cards and initiatives will be imported and go to the Board Sidebar, located to the right side of your Board -> select the Import icon (img.1).
Note: The system allows users to import items both to the Cards Workflow and to the Initiative Workflow. Make sure that the column names in the different workflows are not the same, otherwise, the items will be imported to the Cards Workflow.
Img.1
Once in the Import tab -> click the "Browse…" button and choose the xls or xlsx file from your computer. Check out how to format your Excel spreadsheet for a successful import (p.2 below).
When the file is uploaded, the system will validate your data for compatibility and the validation status will be displayed. Columns marked in red are not recognized as card fields and their values are not imported. For example, the image below (img.2) displays the Tag column mistyped (it should be Tags) and highlights the incorrect column in red. If you have two Boards with the same name, the respective column gets colorized too.
Canel the import by closing the import window and correct the mistake in your Excel file.
Then upload the updated file again and select "Import".
Img.2
You will get a System Notification message: "Your import has started and you should see the cards appearing on your board. After the import is completed, you will receive an email with the status for all cards." -> click OK.
Note: If you do not specify a column where cards to be imported, they will become available in the Backlog column or in the column/swimlane set as default in your Personal Board settings.
2. How to format your Excel spreadsheet for a successful import?
Step 1: Create an xls or xlsx file that needs to be properly formatted, so that your data can be matched to the cards' fields in Kanbanize. In the spreadsheet, give descriptive names (column headers) to the columns matching any of the following Kanbanize card properties:
'Title', 'Description', 'Card ID', 'Custom Card ID', 'Priority', 'Assignee', 'Color', 'Size', 'Tags', 'Deadline', 'Ext link', 'External link', 'Template', 'Type', 'Type name', 'Column', 'Column name', 'Lane', 'Lane name', 'Comment', 'Parent', 'Creation date', 'Board name', 'Board ID', 'Workflow name', 'Links', 'Planned Start', 'Planned End', 'Start Date', 'End Date'.
Select the properties in accordance with your specific needs.
Note:
- The allowed date formats are as follows: MM/DD/YYYY, DD-MM-YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD
Important:
- Make sure that each column header in the Excel file is typed correctly, otherwise, you will not be able to import the values of that column.
- The card field “Title” is mandatory for a successful import. All other fields are optional.
- If you want to specify the position of the new items you create using the import, do not forget to define those properties that indicate location such as 'Workflow name'; 'Board Name', etc.
Step 2: Insert the respective properties' values in each of the columns.
Take a look at the file below to see what an example of an Excel spreadsheet file should look like.
3. How to import cards and initiatives into multiple boards and workflows with a single import?
The system allows you to:
-
Add new cards and Initiatives into multiple boards with a single importWhen formatting the Excel file, you need to add a column header “Board Id” and input the ID values of the respective boards. After the import, each card/initiative will be created in the corresponding board. If this column is not added or the Board ID values are not entered, the items will be created in the Board from which you execute the import.
Note: You can see your board ID as the final part of your URL in the browser address bar or when you hover on a Board name in the Dashboard.
Similarly, you can use the name of the board, instead of the Board ID to add cards and initiatives into multiple boards. All you need to do is to create a column with a header "Board Name"
and enter the respective Board names. If this column is not added or the Board name is not entered, the items will be created in the Board from which you execute the import.
Note: If two boards in your Kanbanize account have the same name, you will get an error message during the import.
- Add cards and Initiatives into different Workflows with a single import
You can format your Excel file and create a column with a header "Workflow name".
Once you enter the names of your Workflows and make the import, all work items will be distributed accordingly. If you additionally specify the column name in a dedicated Excel column, your work items will be created right there. Otherwise, they become available in your Board Backlog.
4. How to import new cards/initiatives and link them to existing work items?
If you want to import cards using Excel and at the same time link them as child cards to existing cards or Initiative, your Excel file should have a column header “Parent”.
When formatting the Excel file, users need to provide the 'Card ID' value or the 'Custom ID' value (of an existing card or initiative) as a unique identifier in the Parent column.
After a successful import, the newly created card will be in a parent/child relationship with the item corresponding to the ID from the file.
Note 1: Warning messages alert users for the following conditions during the import.
- > If other card items have the same 'Custom ID', the uploaded file will create more than one parent/child link.
- > When some of the cards matching by Custom ID in the 'Parent' column are on another board. 
Note 2: Custom fields can be imported if they have been assigned to the board prior to the import. The column headers in your spreadsheet need to match the name of the Custom field you wish to import.
For Example: The column headers in Table 2: Sign off by; Version; Severity and Customer are custom fields that have been created and added to the board prior to the import.
Table 2
5. How to import cards and initiatives with historical metrics data?
Up until version 8.1, it was not possible for users to import cards and initiatives with historical metrics data and therefore replicate their previous work items' data when migrating from another tool.
The built-in import tool now allows for this scenario by enabling users to use below card properties as designated columns in their excel file in order to specify the exact dates on which a card was created, moved along the workflow according to the process and finally archived.
- Creation date - date on which the card was created
- Start date - date on which the card was moved to the 'In Progress' area
- End date - date on which the card was moved to the 'Done' area
- Archivation date - date on which the card has been archived
*Note: Timeline initiatives have 2 additional time-related properties - the Planned Start and Planned End dates.
Planned Start date would be required if the initiative has not been started i.e. there has not been any Start date value explicitly specified.
Planned End date would be required if the initiative has not been finished i.e. there has not been any End date value explicitly specified.
If the Start / End dates have been specified, the import logic is as follows:
If the initiative has been imported with a 'Creation Date' but no Planned Start date was specified, the Planned Start date value will be taken from the Creation date field.
If the initiative has been imported with an 'End date' but has no Planned End date explicitly specified, the Planned End date value will be taken from the End date field.
The time spent each of the respective sections will be calculated as follows:
Creation date - Start date = Time spent in the 'Requested' area
End date - Start date = Time spent in the 'In Progress' area
End date - Archivation date = Time spent in the 'Done' area
Please note that the above properties are of type 'datetime' and can be used with the following format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS where the Time value is optional - if no such value is explicitly stated, cards will be imported with a value of 00:00:00 for the according dates.
For more precise metrics, users can set an exact date/time value e.g. Creation date = 2021-01-01 09:00:00 and Start date 2021-01-01 10:00:00 which would create a card that has spent 1h in the Requested area.
***Note: If you would like to recreate the history for a card prior to importing it, your Excel file must be formatted in a way so all dates are in the past and all of the above date fields follow the below sequence in chronological order:
Creation date-> Start date-> End date and Archivation date (if applicable).
If there is a mismatch in the dates e.g. Start Date is before Creation Date, a detailed error message will be displayed inside the import window, prior to performing the import action.
Based on what date values are set for the above fields, the import tool can determine in which column to position the card, even if it has not been explicitly specified.
For example, if the file contains values for have "Creation date", "Start date" and "End date", but there is no 'column' value for that row, the card will be created in the first column of the "Done" section (as it has a value for the "End date" column).
Kindly refer to below sample screenshot showing how a file should be formatted properly to cover the scenarios described in the cards' titles:
When loaded into the import tool, the file would look like this:
After the import has been performed, the last card from the file (row 5) would look be imported with the following metrics data (calculated according to the above mentioned formulas):
6. How to create a parent/child relation between existing cards or Initiatives using Excel?
The import allows users to link two existing cards or initiatives by 'Internal ID' or 'Custom ID'
Format the Excel spreadsheet and create two columns 'Parent' and 'Card ID'.
Enter the 'Internal ID' or 'Custom ID' of two existing items. After the import, there will be parent/child relationships between them. Parents become those items, which values have been entered in the respective column.
7. How to link multiple cards with a single operation using the spreadsheet?
With this release, the system allows users to create all types of links: parent, child, successor, predecessor, relative, using the import.
If you wish to link multiple cards using the Excel spreadsheet, you need to add a column Header "Links".
Input the ID values in the following format, where xxxxxx can be either an internal Card ID or a Custom ID:
- Parents: xxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxx;
- Children: xxxxxx, xxxxxx;
- Successors: xxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxx;
- Predecessors: xxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxx;
- Relatives: xxxxxx;
- Parents: xxxxxx; Children: xxxxxx; Successors: xxxxxx; Predecessors: xxxxxx; Relatives: xxxxxx;
When the import is executed, the cards in Kanbanize will be linked accordingly. Note that you cannot change the existing relations using this functionality. You can only create new ones.
Use Cases:
Row 2: This import will create parent/child relationship between Card ID 491456 and Card ID 48059.
Row 3: Use the semicolon to separate the different types of relations within a cell. This import will create Parent/ Child relation between Card ID 566774 and Card ID 472883 and will also make Card ID 472883 and Card ID 491456 Relatives.
The example below aims to show how this functionality works with cards having Custom IDs.
The import will create a "New card" in the specified board and will link it as a child card to Card Custom ID "Test 1".
8. How to create new Timeline Initiatives using the import?
The system allows import operations with Timeline initiatives. Using Excel spreadsheet, you can now create new Timeline Initiatives. When formatting the Excel spreadsheet, you need to add column headers that correspond to the Timeline Initiatives properties and position, such as:
Time - related properties: ‘Start date’; ‘End Date’, ‘Planned Start’, ‘Planned End’.
Position: ‘Board Name’(you need to specify the Board), ‘Workflow name’(you need to specify the Workflow), ‘Column Name*’ (you need to specify the past, present or future status), ‘Track’(optional).
Initiative Title - mandatory.
Notes:
1) * The ‘Column name’ values specify if the Timeline Initiative is in the Past (“Done”); currently “In Progress” or not started yet “Requested”. If a ‘Column name’ value is missing, the Timeline Initiative gets created in the “Backlog”.
- To create a Timeline initiative " In progress", you need to specify the Actual start date and Planned end date. The reason for this is that the Initiative need to have an actual start date in order to be considered "in progress".
- To create a Timeline initiative in "Requested", you need to specify the Planned start and Planned End dates.
The allowed date formats are as follows: MM/DD/YYYY, DD-MM-YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD
2) The ‘Track’ number specifies the Timeline track where your new Initiative is to be created.
- If the track number is not specified, the new Initiative will be created in the next available track.
- Note that the system considers if there is a limit on the number of tracks. In case that there is a limit, you will not be able to create a concurrent timeline initiative using the import.
- The counting of the timeline tracks starts from "0" i.e. if you have a timeline with three tracks, you need to insert "0" for the first track; "1" for the second one and "2" for the third one.
Related articles:
To learn how to update & move cards or initiatives using Excel, please check the following dedicated article.
To learn how to export cards from Kanbanize, check the dedicated article.
To learn how to import and export cards using the "Kanbanize for sheets" add-on, check the dedicated article.