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      Import and Export Contract Data

      This article describes the process and steps required to perform a bulk export/import process against your contract repository.

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      Bulk exporting and re-importing contract metadata is a way to change values stored in your Gatekeeper contracts repository en-masse. You can create new records or update existing ones using the Gatekeeper ID as a unique identifier.

      ➡️ If no Gatekeeper ID is populated, the import function will infer that row is a new contract and create a new contract record.

      ➡️ If the Gatekeeper ID is populated, the import function will match the row to the existing record and overwrite the data.

      Export Contract Data

      Exporting your contract data makes it easier to update existing records during a bulk import.  To export your contract data:

      1. From the navigation menu, click Contracts.
      2. Click Export, then select the relevant option.

      Export Options

      There are several options available for exporting the data: 

      Export Option Description Notes
      CSV | All Pages All exportable data from all pages, ignoring any filtering and column configuration.  If you're using the data to bulk update your records later, the import file requires all metadata columns. Therefore, it's recommended to select one of these options.
      CSV | Current Page All exportable data from the current page, ignoring any filtering and column configuration.
      CSV | This View | All Pages All exportable data from all pages, using the current filtering and column configuration If you want to export vendor/supplier data that you have configured to show on the contract list view, then you must use one of these options
      CSV | This View | Current Page All exportable data from the current page, using the current filtering and column configuration

       

      Customise the Export File

      Prior to exporting, there are various ways to customise the data included in the file. 

      Filter by Status

      By default, Gatekeeper applies a filter of Pipeline & Live, so your export will only include these contracts.

      If you want to export records at a different status, expand the Status filter in the upper left, and select the relevant option:

      • Pipeline & Live Contracts
      • Pipeline Contracts
      • Live Contracts
      • Archived Contracts
      • All Contracts

      Filter your data

      If required, you can apply filters and configure your column views to export specific data sets.

      To narrow down the data set with filters: 

      1. Click the Persistent Filter icon in the top right.
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      2. Select the required filters using the dropdown lists.
      3. Click Save.

      Additionally, you can determine exported columns by configuring the list view columns. This allows for a customised field output containing both Core and Custom Fields. To do this:

      1. Click the Configure Columns icon in the top right.
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      2. Select all the fields you'd like to include in your export.
      3. Click Save. 

      Read Configure your Contract & Vendor Views for further details.

      Bulk Import Contracts

      The Bulk Import method is useful when you have multiple new contracts to be created, or existing records to update, and do not wish to use the UI to do this one-by-one.

      When performing a bulk import, you can either use a blank template (best for creating new records) or modify a previously exported file to update existing records.

      Import with a blank template

      1. From the navigation menu, click Contracts.
      2. Click Add, then select Bulk Import.
      3. Select Download Template to download a blank version of the template.
      4. Populate the file with the relevant data. Detailed instructions are available on the page within Gatekeeper, including field by field import rules.
      5. Return to Gatekeeper and click Choose File to locate your import file.
      6. Once your file has been chosen, click Upload.
      7. Review the Summary then click Import Data to finalise the import.

      Note: For new records, you must leave the Gatekeeper ID column blank.

      Import data with an existing file

      1. From the navigation menu, click Contracts.
      2. Click Add, then select Bulk Import. Detailed instructions are available on the page within Gatekeeper, including field by field import rules.
      3. Click Choose File to locate your import file, then click Upload.
      4. Review the Summary and click Import Data to finalise the import

      When editing existing records, you do not need to include all fields in your import file. You can add or remove columns based on your requirements, as long as the Gatekeeper ID column is included. However, for creating new records, all mandatory fields must be included and populated.

      Gatekeeper has some fundamental settings applied by default within all bulk import routines:

      • Each new contract is automatically assigned a unique Gatekeeper ID, allowing you to export contract data and update it via bulk import.
      • The import routines, instructions, and templates are all dynamically updated with any Custom Data you create within your contract data model.
      • Detailed error handling provides guidance for correcting data when needed.

      Manage Import Errors

      If the import file contains errors, you will be presented with a summary table that will assist you in fixing the errors. Please fix all of the errors in your spreadsheet before attempting to reimport.

      import error

       

      If you would like further support on getting your contract data into Gatekeeper, please reach out to your assigned Professional Services Consultant.

      If a bulk import fails, Gatekeeper will not perform any  of the metadata import. For example, if you have 1000 rows of data with only 1 error, that single error will block the whole import process. This is so you can correct errors from your import file and immediately re-import without having to remove correct rows.

      Troubleshooting

      Encoding Error

      This error generally occurs when the uploaded file isn’t in a UTF-8 format.

      If you have access to Google Sheets:
      1. Create a new Google Sheets document.
      2. Import your CSV file.
      3. Click File, then select Download As, and Comma-Separated Values to save the file to your device.
      This downloads the file in UTF-8 encoding.
      If you have access to Excel:
      1. Open and alter the import template in Excel.
      2. Save it as a CSV file.
      3. Open the CSV file in Notepad.
      4. Click Save As, then remove the .csv at the end of the filename, and select UTF-8 as the encoding type.
      5. Find the saved file and alter the .txt at the end of the filename to .csv
      6. Click OK on the warning about changing the file type
      7. Import the new file into Gatekeeper.

      Additional Learning