Import or Update System Membership from MS-Excel

From dRofus 2.17 and later, you can set and update the system membership for existing and new occurrences using Excel. This makes it easier to link large numbers of occurrences to existing systems and keep system assignments in sync with design changes.

Note: This feature updates the relationship between occurrences and existing systems. Systems must already exist in the project before you can import/update occurrence system membership.

1. Prepare the Excel file

You can either:

• Export an Excel file from dRofus to use as a starting point, or

• Create a new Excel file that includes the required columns.

Exporting a starting point (recommended)

1. Use export found in Reports and Exports -> Occurrences to export a list of Occurrences that includes:

   • Unique identifier for occurrences (ID, Number or IFC GUIDs)

   • Item identification fields (e.g. Item number, Item ID) - if you import new occurrences

2. Add the system-related columns to this file.

   • Unique identifier for Primary system in dRofus (ID or Number)

   • Unique identifier for Additional System (ID or Number) (if the occurrences should have more than one system memberships)

This approach ensures you have all the required identifiers to safely update existing occurrences.

Tip: If you already use an export dedicated to updating occurrences (for example “Import and update of Occurrences from MS-Excel”), reuse the same identifying columns and simply add the system columns described below.

2. Access the import/update command

To import or update the occurrence system membership:

1. Open the Items module.

2. Go to the Import/Export tab in the ribbon.

3. Select Import/Update Occurrences.
   (This will open the standard Import/Update Occurrences window used for Excel-based occurrence imports and updates.)

For more information about the general workflow and options in this window, see:
Import and update of Occurrences from MS-Excel
Import and update of Occurrences from MS-Excel

3. Map Excel columns to dRofus fields

When the import window is open:

1. Select your Excel file.

2. In the Field mapping step, map:

   • The columns that identify your occurrences (Occurrence ID / Room + Item identifiers).

   • The new system membership columns:

     • Map System ID column → System ID field in dRofus

     • Map System name column → System name field (if available)

     • Map System code column → System code field (if available)

If you have created custom headers in Excel, they do not have to match exactly the dRofus field names, but they must be mapped correctly in this step.

6. Import vs update options

As with other import/update operations, you can choose to:

• Update existing occurrences only

• Import new occurrences only

• Import and update in one operation

Note: System membership is only updated for rows where:

• An existing occurrence can be identified, and

• A valid system value is provided.

If your intention is to only update system membership for existing occurrences, choose an option that does not create new occurrences.

7. How system membership is updated

When you run the import, dRofus will:

1. Identify the occurrence based on your chosen identifier(s).

2. Resolve the system using the system columns in the row.

3. Update the occurrence’s system membership according to the following rules:

• Valid system value

  • If the value(s) in the system column(s) match a single existing system, the occurrence is linked to that system.

• Empty system value

  • If the system columns are left empty for an existing occurrence, the current system membership is left unchanged.

  • (If your project uses a specific convention to clear system membership via import, document it here.)

• Unknown system

  • If no system can be found that matches the provided value(s), the row is flagged with an error for system membership and the occurrence’s system link is not changed.

• Ambiguous system

  • If the provided value matches multiple systems (for example, system name is not unique), the row is flagged with an error and the system membership is not changed for that occurrence.

Other occurrence fields included in the import (e.g. quantities or comments) will be updated according to the standard rules for Import/Update Occurrences.

8. Preview, validation, and error messages

Before committing the import:

1. Use the Preview step to review the column mapping.

2. Pay attention to:

   • Warnings for ambiguous matches (e.g. multiple systems with the same name).

   • Errors where:

     • The occurrence identifier does not match any existing occurrence.

     • The system identifier does not match any existing system.

Rows with system-related errors can be corrected in Excel (for example, by using a unique System ID) and re-imported.

Tip: Start with a small subset of rows to verify that system membership is updated as expected before running a large project-wide update.

9. Version information

System membership import and update for occurrences is available from:

• dRofus 2.17 and later

In earlier versions of dRofus, occurrence system membership can only be managed manually in the Systems and Rooms modules and is not available through the Excel import/update.

10. Related topics

• Import and update of Occurrences from MS-Excel
  Import and update of Occurrences from MS-Excel

• Import and Update Data
  Import and Update Data

• Import and synchronize Occurrences
  Import and synchronize Occurrences

• Import or Update Occurrences in Rooms or Templates (parent page)
  Import or Update Occurrences in Rooms or Templates