Importing Data

Intermapper can import data from a text file to update information about devices on a map, or information about Users or Groups. Some reasons you might want to import data:

  • you want to import the devices/probe types from another monitoring system (or information that's already present in a spreadsheet or other format) into Intermapper.
  • You make frequent updates to existing devices on maps.
  • You frequently add new devices to maps. For example, you might want to enter information about new customers to a database, then export the new device information to a file that can be bulk-imported into Intermapper.
  • You want to make systematic changes to your maps. You can export the Intermapper map as tab-delimited data, edit columns in a spreadsheet or database, then re-import, letting Intermapper merge the new information onto the existing devices. This is useful for wholesale label changes, switching IP addresses, etc.
  • You want to import a list of users from another source for authentication purposes.

To import data:

  1. Create an import file as described in Creating an Import File.
  2. In the Map List window, click to select the server to which you want to import map data, or open a map on that server.
    NOTE: The import file contains the name of the map. If the map does not exist, it is created automatically.

  3. From the File menu's Importsubmenu, select Data File. A standard file dialog is displayed.
  4. Select the file you want to import and click Open. If the map data is valid, devices are added or updated on the specified maps as appropriate. If the specified map does not exist, one is created automatically.
    NOTE: You can automate the importing of map data by sending commands to Intermapper RemoteAccess through its command-line interface or through the HTTP API. This allows you to interact with Intermapper through your own scripts. For more information, see Command-line options for Remote Access.

    When importing data in Tab/CSV/XML formats, foreign characters must be presented in the same way as the output of the Export command:
    • Characters with values less than 255 can be directly imported.
    • Character values greater than 255 must be escaped using the standard XML format (&#[character code]).