AX3301

Executing imports

When you execute an import utility, data is queried from the source database or file, import steps are processed, and the resulting data is saved to the destination table. For more information on what occurs when an import is executed, see About imports.

Only administrators and users with Execute permission to the import file can execute an import.

NOTE: You can also use Scheduler to execute import utilities, using the Import ETL Package task.

To execute an import:

  1. Do one of the following to open the import for execution, depending on whether you need to access the full import settings:

    • Open the full Import Wizard: On the Axiom tab, in the Administration group, click Imports > ImportName > Edit. Then in the Import Wizard, go to the Execute tab.

      Using the Import Wizard, you can switch between the Execute tab and other tabs to view and edit the import settings as needed, and then run the import again.

    • Open in execute-only mode: On the Axiom tab, in the Administration group, click Imports > ImportName > Execute.

      This opens a special Execute Import dialog that only displays the import execution options and controls. Use this mode if you only need to execute the import and you don't need to review or edit any import settings. This is the only mode available to users who have execute-only permissions to the import.

    NOTE: In systems with installed products, these features may be located on the Admin tab.

    TIP: You can also open imports for execution using Axiom Explorer or the Explorer task pane. If you have read/write or read-only access to the import, the full Import Wizard opens. If you have execute-only permission to the import, then the Execute Import dialog automatically opens when you access the import from the Imports Library.

  2. Click Execute to start the import.

    The option at the top of the dialog, Execute in development mode, should only be used if you want to test or troubleshoot the import. When development mode is enabled, the import is executed, but the data is not saved to the destination table. For more information, see Executing imports in development mode.

  3. If the import uses variables, the Variables dialog opens so that you can to define values for the variables. For each variable, you can select a value from the drop-down list. Some variables may also allow you to type in a user-defined value.

  4. If the import uses a source file, you may be prompted to specify the location of the source file. In the Open dialog, navigate to the file that you want to use and then click Open.

    In this case, a copy of the specified file is uploaded to the application server for processing. Once the import is complete, the temporary copy of the file is deleted.

As the import is processed, status messages display in the Execution log box. If an error occurs, the error message displays in the log and the import is stopped. If necessary, you can copy and paste the text in the execution log—for example, to send the error to Axiom Support. To copy the log text, right-click inside the log and choose Select All, then select Copy.

TIP: If an import experiences an error and you need more information on the error, try running the import in development mode. The error messages in development mode may contain more detail.

If you want to stop the import while it is executing, click Stop. The import stops after completing the step that is currently in-process. You cannot restart the import at the same spot—when you click Execute, the import starts over from the beginning.

Import validation errors

If the import experiences import validation errors, then those errors are logged to a separate CSV file in addition to being displayed in the Execution log within the dialog. You can open this file separately to see exactly which rows of data were invalid within the context of the import data.

The error file includes the following information:

  • Lookup validation errors from Axiom Software's built-in validation against lookup columns.
  • Validation errors from any Custom Data Validation steps in the transforms.
  • Key validation errors such as blank keys or duplicate keys.

You can open the file from the Execute Import dialog by clicking the link in the Status area. The status will be either "failed" or "warning," followed by the text "click here to open errors in a spreadsheet." The status type depends on whether the option to Ignore lookup and key errors is selected.

Example link to open validation errors in a spreadsheet

The CSV file contains the import data, followed by one or more validation columns. Validation columns are labeled as follows:

  • Lookup and key validation messages are in a column named LookupColumnName Lookup Error. For example: "Acct Lookup Error" when looking up against the ACCT column.
  • Custom Data Validation messages are in a column named AXTRANSFORM_StepNumber, where StepNumber is the number of the associated transformation step. For example: "AXTRANSFORM_5" when the associated transform is step 5 in the list.

The error CSV files are placed in a system-maintained folder in the Imports Library named Import Errors. Access to the error files is automatically managed based on access to the import. You can access the error file directly later by using the Explorer task pane or Axiom Explorer.

Each execution of an import that results in a lookup error generates a unique error file (differentiated by a date/time stamp). These error files are not automatically deleted; you must manually delete them when you are finished investigating the error.

See also