Update Entity Data Using Metadata Export and Import

This article will walk you through how to update existing entity data using metadata export and import.

If you need to make a change to your Entities in bulk, you can use the Entities export and re-import process outlined below.

Step 1: Export Entities

1. Click on the Entities tab.
2. Click the three stacked dots located in the top right corner, and then click Export view.
   
3. Click Export.
   

Step 2: Update Entity Information in the Spreadsheet

1. Open the spreadsheet.
2. Make any necessary changes.
   
   NOTE
   You can delete any columns that you don’t want to update.
3. Save the spreadsheet.

Step 3: Re-Import the Entities

1. Click on the Entities tab.
2. Click the three stacked dots located in the top right corner, and then click Import entities.
3. Click New Import and upload your new spreadsheet.
4. Map your spreadsheet column headers to entity properties. If the column name matches a property, it is automatically mapped. Otherwise, you must manually map your columns during the import process.
   • Select the appropriate entity property for each column.
   • If a property is missing, add it via Entities Properties in Data Manager.
     
     Important

     • Map the entity name to the system “Name” property; otherwise, imported entities will be labeled “Imported.”
     • Map the "record ID" (ie. d307076a-6825-44d3-b25b-1494e4c4b144) to the system "ID" property. Mapping other IDs, such as the Ironclad  ID (ie. Entity -1) or an external ID may lead to an error.
5. Configure the Merge duplicates using drop-down.
   Choose a property to control which should be used as a reference between Ironclad and the spreadsheet when updating existing entities. This allows you to make sure the right entities in Ironclad get updated with the right data. The options include:
   
   • ID - This will use the entity identification number (ie. d307076a-6825-44d3-b25b-1494e4c4b144) to match the data in your spreadsheet to the entities in Ironclad.
     
     NOTE
     If any entities in your spreadsheet don’t have an ID listed, a new entity will be created.
   • Name (recommended) - This will use the “Entity name” to match the data in your spreadsheet to the entities in Ironclad.
     
     NOTE
     This is the best option if you want to ensure that you don’t have any duplicate entities with the same name.
   • Create all new entities - This will create all new entities.
     Note: Using this will not check for duplicates and will create new entities.