Importing data into the Workplan
If you have planned a project outside EMDESK, for example in a proposal spreadsheet, you can import its activities (such as work packages and tasks), deliverables and milestones into the Workplan. The general rules for files, mapping and error files are described in Importing into EMDESK.
💡 Note:
- You need Manage rights to the Workplan or to the parent activity you import into (see Roles and access rights), and the latest plan version must be editable.
- Create the project first, and make sure your workspace has activity types (Settings › Customization) and the participants you want to name in the file.
Plan your levels: one file per level
A row can only be placed under a parent activity that already exists in EMDESK when you start the import. A parent that is in the same file does not count yet. This means you cannot import a whole structure, such as work packages with their tasks, deliverables and milestones, from one file.
Instead, split your plan into one file per level and import the files one after another, starting at the top:
| File 1 | The first level, e.g. all work packages. Leave Parent Activity empty: they are created directly under the project. |
| File 2 | Everything that belongs directly under a work package: tasks, deliverables and milestones. In Parent Activity, enter the work package each row belongs to. |
| File 3 | The next level, e.g. sub-tasks and the deliverables and milestones of tasks, with the task as Parent Activity. Continue like this for any further levels. |
Only start the next file when the previous one has been imported completely. For example:
File 1 (work packages):
| Type | Custom Identifier | Name | Parent Activity |
| Activity | WP1 | Project management | |
| Activity | WP2 | Requirements |
File 2 (tasks, deliverables and milestones of the work packages):
| Type | Custom Identifier | Name | Parent Activity |
| Activity | T1.1 | Coordination | WP1 |
| Deliverable | D1.1 | Project handbook | WP1 |
| Activity | T2.1 | User requirements | WP2 |
| Milestone | MS1 | Requirements agreed | WP2 |
(The other required columns, such as Activity Type and Plan Date, are left out here.)
Tip: Give each item a Custom Identifier in the file of its level, as in the example. You can then use exactly this ID as Parent Activity in the next file. Alternatively, use the ID that EMDESK shows in the Workplan after the import, or the exact name of the parent.
If a row refers to a parent that does not exist yet, this row is not imported. It is listed in the error file with Parent Activity marked red, and the other rows are imported as usual. Once the parent exists, you can simply import the error file again.
Columns of the file
Each row is one activity, deliverable or milestone. These columns are required:
| Type | Activity, Deliverable or Milestone. |
| Name | The name, e.g. Market research or Technical report. |
| Activity Type | Activities: the short name or name of an activity type of your workspace, e.g. RTD or Research. Deliverables and milestones: leave empty. |
| Plan Date | Activities: the start. Deliverables and milestones: the due date. Enter a date (YYYY-MM-DD) or a project month, e.g. M05. It must not be before the project start. |
| Duration (in months) | Activities: the duration in months, e.g. 24 (at least 1). Deliverables and milestones: leave empty. |
These columns are optional:
| Parent Activity | The activity under which the item is created: its ID, short name or name, e.g. WP1 or Project management. It must already exist in the project you import into (see Plan your levels). If empty, the item is created directly under the project. |
| Participant | The lead participant: ID, short name or name, e.g. P1, AUR or Aurelian University. |
| Further Participants | Other participants involved, separated by commas, e.g. P2,P3 or HELIX,CIVIS. |
| Description | The description. |
| Objectives | The objectives (activities only). |
| Tags | Tags, separated by commas, e.g. pilot,year1. |
| Custom Identifier | Your own ID, e.g. T4.3. If empty, EMDESK numbers the item according to your ID settings. |
Tip: The Sample spreadsheet in the import dialog contains all these columns with example rows from your workspace.
Importing step by step
- Prepare one file per level as described in Plan your levels. Start with the file of the first level, e.g. the work packages.
- Open Workplan and click + Import at the bottom of the table.
- Choose the project you want to import into and click Next. If the workspace has only one project, this step is skipped.
- Click Select or drop file and choose your file.
- Check the mapping: columns with matching headers are mapped automatically (green). Map other columns with the dropdown on the right; columns without a property are not imported.
- Click Import now. If a required column is missing, click Next first and enter a default value for it, e.g. a duration of 12 for all activities.
- When the message Import completed. appears, check the new items in the Workplan. If an error file was downloaded, correct it and import it again (see Result and error file).
- Import the file of the next level the same way (steps 2 to 7), e.g. the tasks, deliverables and milestones. Repeat until all levels are imported.
You can rearrange the imported items afterwards, see Create, edit and organise activities. Read further how to import participants, personnel cost rates, budget and expenses.