You can import large quantities of documents and their metadata properties to Meridian Cloud using import packages.
The import process requires the following steps to be performed in the order listed. These steps involve large amounts of data that can require significant time to import so plan accordingly. We also provide data migration tools to assist you with this process. Learn more about our Data Migration Tools.
You must be a member assigned to the Senior DC or DC Operations groups to perform this task.
For help with performing this import process, contact Accruent Support.
Step 1: Notify Support
Before you proceed, contact Accruent Support and provide the following information:
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Name of the tenancy to which the data will be imported.
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Estimated amount of time that you expect to be importing.
Step 2: Download the Metadata Spreadsheet Template
Download the metadata spreadsheet template for your Meridian Cloud account as described for the Import Profile option in Create an import package. You will use this in the next step to provide the document metadata for the imported files.
Step 3: Populate the Spreadsheet(s)
Populate one or more copies of the spreadsheet template with the required metadata for the documents to be imported. Specify relative paths to the document files that will be uploaded in a future next step.
Notes about Populating Spreadsheets
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The workbook must contain the worksheets and columns defined in the template that you downloaded in step 2. Custom properties will be automatically appended as additional columns.
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The columns in the Document worksheet must meet the requirements listed in the following table. The order of the columns is not important.
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Paths to source files must be less than 150 characters and cannot contain special characters. An alternative is to upload a folder instead, which supports up to 220 characters in the path and special characters.
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Thumbnail images will not be generated.
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References may point to any revision of items in the same import package. References may only point to the latest revision of items previously imported into the repository. In the latter case, placeholder references will appear as warnings in the import audit log as described in View the import audit log. An error will occur if multiple documents with the same value for Document Number are found for a single reference.
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Import of project copy references to previous master (Masters root folder) revisions is not supported. All project copy references will be to the latest revision of its master document.
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By default, documents will not be scanned for reference integrity. This can be enabled upon request.
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To export documents and their metadata from an on-premises Meridian Enterprise vault, see Archive documents.
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The MicroStation Reference Type used for MicroStation Model Reference is MicroStationModelReference.
Step 4: Create Source Archive Files (optional)
In most scenarios, you should upload the document content source files directly without any preparation. In uncommon scenarios, it can be more manageable to upload sets of source files contained in archive (ZIP) packages as follows.
Create one or more archive files that contain the source files that you want to import. The ZIP files should contain relative paths that you have specified in the metadata spreadsheet described above.
To import documents to the Archive root folder, in addition to creating a separate source archive file, specify values for the Archive Root and Archive Year columns in the metadata worksheets.
The Root_Archive column in the Masters Import spreadsheet is the same thing as ArchiveRoot. It is only used for documents to be archived. The Root_Archive usually contains the year in which the document was archived.
Step 5: Upload the Source Files
Upload the source files (ZIPped or not) via FTP to a staging location in Meridian Cloud where the Meridian Explorer package import process can access them. This is described in Upload Import Sources To Your Repository.
Step 6: Create the Import Packages in Meridian Explorer
In Meridian Cloud, use the standard import package functionality described in Import With Packages to create one import package for each combination of a metadata spreadsheet and its corresponding source files. Select the import profile that corresponds to the destination root folder of the source files as listed in the following table.
Disable the Use content from a folder option when you create the import package(s).
| Profile | Description |
|---|---|
|
Documentation Import |
Source archive files destined for the Documentation root folder. |
|
Masters Import |
Source files destined for the Masters root folder. |
|
Projects Import |
Source files destined for the Projects root folder. |
|
References Import |
For creating references between existing items in the repository. |
|
Tag Import |
Source files destined for the Tags root folder. |
We highly recommend that you test the metadata in the worksheets as described in Create an import package and resolve all discrepancies before you submit the import package(s). The import will start automatically.
For optimum results, we recommend that you only run one scan or import job at a time.
Step 7: Monitor the Results In Meridian Explorer
As each package is imported, you can monitor its progress as described in View and edit an import package. After each import package has finished you can view the results as described in View the import audit log.
Step 8: Report the Results
Report the results of the import to Accruent Support when the import has completed.
The following table describes the valid values for each standard property column in the metadata spreadsheet. Some properties are not present in all templates. Custom properties may be added.
|
Column |
Required |
Description |
|---|---|---|
|
<CustomPropertyInternalName> |
Configurable |
Internal name of custom properties that are defined in Meridian Cloud. |
|
# |
Yes |
Unique sequence number. Sort order for revisions instead of Revision Number as described below. For import only, not stored in Meridian Cloud. |
|
AlternativeID |
Configurable |
One or more alternative reference identifiers, for example, assigned by an external document creator. |
|
AlternativeRevisionID |
Configurable |
Alternative revision number or letter, for example, assigned by an external document creator. |
| ApprovalDate |
Configurable |
Date when the last reviewer approved the document. |
| ApprovedBy |
Configurable |
Name(s) of the last reviewer(s) who approved the document. Multiple values delimited by the asterisk character (*). For example, *User1* for a single user or *User1*User2* for multiple users. |
| ArchiveRoot |
Yes |
Destination folder in the Archive branch of the Meridian Cloud repository. When importing archived documents only. |
| ArchiveYear |
Yes |
Year when the documents were archived. When importing archived documents only. |
| BuildingLevel2 |
Configurable |
Building identifier within the specified plant. |
| BuildingLevel3 |
Configurable |
Floor identifier within the specified building. |
| BuildingLevel4 |
Configurable |
Room identifier within the selected floor. |
| BusinessUnit |
Configurable |
Division within the organization responsible for the facility. Should be a value from the lookup defined in Meridian Cloud for the property Business Unit. |
| Classification |
Yes |
Category (label) within the engineering discipline. Can be used to specify a distribution list, for example, of recipients of review packages. Should be a value from the lookup list defined in Meridian Cloud for the property Classification. When the provided value does not match the values in a destination lookup list (for example, Classification), the value is imported but not added to the lookup list. The respective provided value for Organization ID, DisciplineCode, or ClassificationCode will not be imported. |
|
Created By |
Configurable |
Full name of the user who created the document. |
|
CreateDate |
Configurable |
Date when the document was created. |
| Discipline |
Yes |
Engineering discipline (label). Can be used to specify a distribution list, for example, of recipients of review packages. Should be a value from the lookup list defined in Meridian Cloud for the property Discipline. When the provided value does not match the values in a destination lookup list (for example, Classification), the value is imported but not added to the lookup list. The respective provided value for Organization ID, DisciplineCode, or ClassificationCode will not be imported. |
|
Document Name |
Yes |
File name and extension. Does not need to be unique. New documents are automatically assigned a value that is used to calculate the file name together with the file extension in this column. New revisions are assigned this value as the filename. We recommend using Document Number plus the file extension. |
|
Document Number |
Yes |
Unique identifier to group revisions of the same document. Rows with the same value in this column will be imported as revisions of the same document (ordered by #). We recommend this be the value of Document Name without the file extension. Rows with the same value for Document Number and for Revision Number will be imported as hybrid documents. Meridian Cloud will attempt to match incoming documents to existing documents in these locations in the order listed: \Archive\<Year>\Projects\<Project Type>\<Project> \Archive\<Year>\<not Projects> \Projects\<Project Type>\<Project> \<not Projects> Document Number must only be unique within each of these locations. |
|
Document Type |
Yes |
One of these values depend on the import profile used: Masters Import profile: FacilityDocument, TransmissionDocument Projects Import profile: FacilityDocument, ProjectDocument, TransmissionDocument Documentation Import profile : GenericDocument For import only, not stored in Meridian Cloud. |
| ESignature | No |
Allows you to set an e-signature for migrated or legacy data. If an e-signature is mapped in the spreadsheet, one of two things will happen:
|
|
Importance |
Yes |
One of these values: Critical, High, Low, Medium, None |
|
Intellectual Property |
Yes |
One of these values: Critical, High, Low, Medium, None |
| Library |
Yes |
One of these values depending on the import profile used: Tag Import profile: Tags, Archive Masters Import profile: Masters, Archive Projects Import profile: Projects, Archive Documentation Import profile: Documentation, Archive Reference Import profile: any |
|
LocationLevel0 |
No |
Region level in the Facility Document and Transmission Document type hierarchies. Geographical area (label) where the facility or system is located (eg. EU - Europe). |
|
LocationLevel1 |
Configurable |
Plant level in the Facility Document type hierarchy. Name of the facility or system within the selected Region. Type level in the Transmission Document type hierarchy. System type within the selected Region. |
|
LocationLevel2 |
Configurable |
Area level in the Facility document type hierarchy. Geographical space within the selected plant. Sub-Type level in the Transmission Document type hierarchy. Sub-type within the selected Type. |
|
LocationLevel3 |
Configurable |
Unit level in the Facility Document type hierarchy. Physical unit within the selected Area. Transmission ID level in the Transmission Document type hierarchy. Line within the selected Sub-Type. |
|
LocationLevel4 |
Configurable |
System level in the Facility document type hierarchy. Functional system within the selected unit. Component level in the Transmission Document type hierarchy. Component within the selected Transmission ID. |
|
OrganizationDescription |
Yes |
Organization (label) that created the document. Should be a value from the lookup list defined in Meridian Cloud for the property Organization Description. When the provided value does not match the values in a destination lookup list (for example, Classification), the value is imported but not added to the lookup list. The respective provided value for Organization ID, DisciplineCode, or ClassificationCode will not be imported. |
| Page Layout | No | The view within the source document to render. |
| Page Orientation | No | The orientation of the page to render to: Landscape (default) or Portrait. |
| Page Size | No | The size of the page to render to. The default page size is A0. |
| Pen Settings File | No | The Pen Settings File associated with the document. |
| Print Quality | No | Print quality to use with PDFTron. You can enter a value between 1 and 15. Higher values result in higher quality, but takes longer to render. Values between 3 and 6 are suitable for most purposes. Beyond 6, quality increases by diminishing amounts. If no value is set, the default value of 1 is used. |
|
Project Phase |
|
Selected from a lookup list, which has the following values as default:
|
|
Project Number |
No |
Text that identifies the destination project folder. This is matched with the Project Number Property specified as described in Create an import profile. |
|
PurchaseOrderID |
Configurable |
Financial system reference ID. |
|
ReleasePurpose |
No |
Intended purpose of a specific revision. Should be a value from the lookup defined in Meridian Cloud for the property Release Purpose. |
| Render Color | No | The color depth to render to: Color or Black and white (default). |
|
Rendition Path |
No |
Relative path to the PDF rendition. For import only, not stored in Meridian Cloud. |
|
ReviewDate |
Configurable |
Date when the lead reviewer(s) reviewed the content. |
|
ReviewedBy |
Configurable |
Name(s) of the lead reviewer(s) who reviewed the content. Multiple values delimited by the asterisk character (*). For example, *User1* for a single user or *User1*User2* for multiple users. |
|
Revision Number |
Configurable |
Text field to accept any revision numbering scheme. Because this cannot be reliably sorted, specify the order of revisions in the # column instead. Rows with the same value for Document Number and for Revision Number will be imported as hybrid documents by default. If you will be importing rows with the same value for Document Number and for Revision Number that are distinct revisions but not hybrid drawings, provide an index prefix with the Revision Number value in the form n::<RevisionNumber> where n starts at 1, is applied to the first duplicate revision and is incremented for successive revisions. For example: First revision=A Second revision=1::A Third revision=2::A And so on. |
|
RevisionPurpose |
Configurable |
Reason for a specific revision. |
|
Root |
Yes |
Destination root folder in the Meridian Cloud repository: Objects, Masters, Documentation, Projects, or Archive. For import only, not stored in Meridian Cloud. |
|
SheetCount |
No |
Total number of sheets in the set. |
|
SheetNumber |
No |
Up to 10 characters that represent the ordinal number of the document within the sheet set. |
|
Source Path |
Yes |
Relative path to the content file. Must be unique only if reference scanning is enabled. For import only, not stored in Meridian Cloud. |
|
Title |
Yes |
Short subject description. |
|
Title2 |
Configurable |
Short subject description. |
|
Workflow State |
No |
We recommend leaving this column empty. By default, the document will be imported as Released. For import only, not stored in Meridian Cloud. |
| XOD Resolution | No | A value at which to view and generate renditions with PDFTron. Lower values may lack sufficient clarity. Higher values may cause slower viewing and publishing. |
