Upload files

Prepare and upload data

The first step of a data import is to prepare and upload the source data. Several tabular file formats are supported. Each data item needs geometry coordinates, Section references, or both to be matched to a Section in your Network.

Supported formats

Format	Extension	Geometry?	Section References?	Notes
MapInfo GIS	.tab	Yes	Optional (as attributes)	Upload the master file and all sidecar files together, e.g. .dat, .map, .id
ESRI Shapefile	.shp	Yes	Optional (as attributes)	Upload the master file and all sidecar files together, e.g. .dbf, .shx, .prj
CSV (geometry)	.csv	Yes	Optional	Coordinates can be point, line or WKT. Default coordinate system is OSGB (EPSG 27700)
CSV (no geometry)	.csv	No	Required	Requires a Section label column. Start/end chainages and Section length columns are recommended

Convert Excel to CSV

It isn't possible to upload Excel spreadsheets as .xls or .xlsx files. To convert them:

1. Open the file in Microsoft Excel.

2. For any columns containing numbers over three digits, right-click the header and choose Format Cells. Select the Number category and uncheck Use 1000 Separator. This prevents values like 1,000 being imported as text.

3. Select File > Save As. Change the type to CSV (Comma Delimited) (*.csv) and save.

Example CSV

The following table illustrates a basic CSV import. Each row is a data item. It includes columns for Section references, UKPMS codes, geometry and two condition parameters. The names and order don't matter, as they will be matched to Asset Strategy fields in the next step.

section	length	start_chn	end_chn	feature	xsp	geometry_wkt	rutting	texture
A576 036	50.27	0	11.83	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386600.5 405673.4, 386588.7 405673.9)	0	1.67
A576 036	50.27	11.83	26.61	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386588.7 405673.9, 386573.9 405674.4)	0	16.67
A576 036	50.27	26.61	41.4	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386573.9 405674.4, 386559.9 405673.9)	14	28.33
A576 036	50.27	41.4	50.27	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386559.9 405673.9, 386551.2 405672.4)	28	38.33
A576 046	89.55	0	23.13	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386863.5 405622.3, 386860.5 405623.2)	0	10
A576 046	89.55	23.13	43.56	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386860.5 405623.2, 386850.5 405626.4)	69	25
A576 046	89.55	43.56	64.04	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386850.5 405626.4, 386840.9 405629.3)	100	45
A576 046	89.55	64.04	89.55	CW	CL1	LINESTRING (386840.9 405629.3, 386830.5 405630.7)	65	45

Upload the file

1. In the Management toolbar, select Data Import and then Import Data.

2. In the next window, enter a name for the import and choose the Network to upload against.

3. In the next window, choose the correct Input Type for your file(s):

   • GIS - for .tab or .shp files.

   • CSV with geometry - for .csv files with coordinates.

   • CSV no geometry - for .csv files with only Section references.

4. Select Add File(s) and choose one or more files to upload:

   • For GIS imports, upload the master file and all its sidecar files at once (only the master will appear in the Files list).

   • For CSV imports, you can select multiple files at once if they share the same column format.

   When the upload is complete, select Close.

5. The Configure Fields window should open automatically. If not, select Configure Fields beside the uploaded file.