--- title: "About CSV Import" canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/MAG8/912293935/About%20CSV%20Import" format: markdown --- Use **CSV** **Import** to import IPAM data (networks, network containers) through Grid Manager. You can use this feature to migrate or add new data, overwrite existing data, or merge new data with existing data. Only superusers can perform CSV imports and exports. To import new data, you must first prepare a data file (include all required fields and follow the proper syntax), and then start an import through Grid Manager. You can also export existing data to a data file, modify the data, and then import the modified data to the database. You can either overwrite existing data with the modified data or merge new data with the existing data. For more information abut CSV import, refer to the *Infoblox* *CSV* *Import* *Reference*. To import a data file: 1. Create a data file if you do not already have one, as described in [Creating a Data File for Import](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MAG8/pages/912293935#AboutCSVImport-CreatingaDataFileforImport). 2. Configure import options. For information, see [Configuring Import Options](#). When you submit multiple CSV imports, the appliance puts the import jobs in queue and executes them one at a time in the order they are submitted. When a job is being executed, it is in the **Import** **in** **progress** state. When a job is in queue for execution, it is in the **Import** **pending** state. You can import multiple CSV files at a time, but at any given time you can execute only one single task. Note that only one task at a time will be in the **Import** **in** **progress** state, while the others are in the **Import** **pending** state. You can view the status of each import job through **CSV** **Job** **Manager**. To access **CSV** **Job** **Manager**, from the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar and select **Jobs** **Manager**, click **CSV** **Import** in the IPAM Task Pack. You can do the following in **CSV** **Import**. See [Configuring Import Options](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MAG8/pages/912293935#AboutCSVImport-ConfiguringImportOptions) for details. - Add, override, merge, or custom data through the imported CSV file. - Verify the content in the CSV file. - View a list of CSV import jobs. - Add and start CSV import jobs, upload data files, stop CSV imports, or edit the options of the uploaded file. - Delete uploaded jobs. - Download the following: imported files, import errors, import results, or snapshots. - Select a pending or saved job, and then click the Cancel icon to cancel the job. - Click the Refresh icon to refresh the **CSV** **Job** **Manager**. --- **Note:** The list of CSV import jobs are not restored when you restore a backup file or when you promote a master candidate. --- # CSV Import Limitations Ensure that you understand the following limitations before you start an import: - You can import multiple CSV files at a time, but at any given time you can execute only one single task. The import tasks are queued. Note that only one task at a time will be in the **Import** **in** **progress** state, while the others are in the **Import** **pending** state. - Do not use UTF-8 characters in the CSV file name. - When you perform a CSV import that includes objects that have scheduled changes or updates associated with them, the import fails. - When you stop an import, the appliance completes the import of the data row it is currently processing before it stops the import. You cannot resume the import from where it stopped. - You cannot roll back to previous data. - Only editable data can be imported. - When you promote a new Grid Master during an import, the import stops; and it does not restart on the new Grid Master. When a failover occurs during an import, the import stops on the old active node, and it does not restart on the new active node. - When a CSV import starts, the appliance validates the first 100,000 rows of data in the CSV file. If the file contains more than 100,000 rows of data, the appliance validates the rest of the data as the import progresses. - The appliance supports up to one million rows of data in each CSV import. - Use the delete function to delete import jobs that are uploaded. You can delete the content of a CSV file that you have imported to the database. Note that you cannot delete jobs that are already imported. - If you upload a file and preview the file using the **Preview** option, and later update the content of the same CSV file, and then try to view the edited file using the same *Preview* wizard, you may not be able to see the changes. Infoblox recommends that you start a fresh CSV import to upload the edited file and navigate to the *Preview* wizard to preview the file. # Configuring Import Options You can import CSV files and perform various operations to update the data in the database. You can choose from several import options: add, override, merge, and custom. You can add new rows from the imported file to the database, overwrite existing rows in the database, append rows to the existing rows in the database, delete existing rows in the database, or replace the existing rows in the database. You can verify whether the data in the imported file is appropriate using the **Test** option before you import the file to the database. You can also view the results and progress details of the operation. To import a CSV file, complete the following: 1. From the **Data** ** Visualization** tab, click **CSV** ** Job ** **Manager** from the Toolbar. 2. In the *CSV* * Job* * Manager* wizard, select **CSV** ** Import** and click the New CSV import job icon. 3. In the *New* * CSV* * Import * *Wizard*, complete the following: **Type** **of** **Import** **For all supported objects** - **Add**: Select this to add new rows from the imported CSV file to the database. NIOS updates the database with the new data that you have added to the imported CSV file and retains the rows that do not have any changes. - **Override**: Select this to overwrite the existing data in the database with the data from the uploaded file. You cannot add new rows or delete existing rows. If you want to overwrite values in the required fields, you must include the required fields and the corresponding _NEW_XXXX fields in the data file. - **Merge**: Select this to add values from the imported CSV file to the existing columns in the database that do not have any data. It does not overwrite the existing data, even if the data file contains new values for certain fields. If you want to overwrite values in the required fields, you must include the required fields and the corresponding _NEW_XXXX fields in the data file. - **Delete**: Select this to delete the rows in the imported CSV file from the database. - **Custom**: Select this to apply custom import actions for individual data rows in your CSV file. When preparing the CSV file for import with the **Custom** option, add an **IMPORT-ACTION** column to the file and specify a custom import action for each data row. Use the following abbreviations for import actions: 'I' (INSERT), 'M' (MERGE), 'O' (OVERRIDE), 'IM' (INSERT+MERGE), 'IO' (INSERT+OVERRIDE), 'D' (DELETE). **Note:** The replace operation might affect system performance if you try to replace a zone with a lot of changes. Infoblox recommends that you perform the replace operation for large import files (more than 10,000 rows of changes) during non-peak hours. This operation ignores _*new_XXX* fields in the imported CSV files. - 4. Click **Next** to import the CSV file. 1. **Import ** **Type**: Displays the type of import option you have selected. 2. Select the CSV file that you want to import and click **Choose**. **On** **Error:** Select one of the following to tell the appliance what to do when it encounters an error during an import: 3. **Stop** **import**: Select this to stop the data import once it encounters an error in the uploaded file. Grid Manager displays the row number at which it stops the import when it encounters an error. NIOS saves the changes made to the CSV file before an error occurs. For example, if there are 100 rows of data and you select this option, and there is an error in row 90, the appliance displays **90** **of** **100** **completed,** **1** **error**. 4. **Skip** **to** **the** **next** **row** **and** **continue**: Select this to skip over errors and continue the data import. You can download an error report to identify the erroneous data. NIOS displays the total number of rows it has processed by skipping over. For example, if there are 100 rows of data and you select this option, the appliance displays **100** **of** **100** **completed,** **1** **error**.      5. Click **Next** to preview your CSV file. In the File Preview table, Grid Manager displays the header row, the first six rows, and up to 15 columns of the imported data. You cannot edit the data here. Field names with asterisks :yellow_star: indicate required fields. Note that you must define these fields in the imported file. If any of the required fields are missing, the appliance generates an error during the import operation. You can do the following in this wizard: 1. **Import ** **type**: The type of import option you have selected. 2. **File** **name**: The name of the CSV file you have selected. 3. **Separator**: Select a separator for your CSV file from the drop-down list. The default value is **Comma**. 4. **On ** **Error**: The option you have selected.       6. Click **Test** to verify the content in your CSV file. Click **Yes** in the *Test* * CSV* * Import* * for* * Replace* * Operation* dialog box to verify the content or click **No** to cancel the operation. NIOS automatically analyzes the data in the imported file for any syntax errors or other violations. You can also view a detailed report of the file that you are importing. Note that you can run the test as a background task. This report also displays information about the number of deleted, updated and added files. It also displays error messages, if any. NIOS generates a results file listing the file name, action performed, date and time, result, and the number of failures at the end of the validation. You can view the results file only after the replace operation is complete. --- **Note:** The **Test** button is enabled only when you select the **Replace** operation and is disabled for other import options. ---      7. Click **Import** to import the CSV file to the database. Click **Yes** in the dialog box to import the CSV file or **No** to cancel the operation.      8. You can view the progress and results of your import operation in the *CSV * *Import* * Progress* wizard. This wizard displays the following information: 1. **Import** ** type**: The type of import option you have selected. 2. **File** **name**: The name of the CSV file you have selected. 3. **Separator**: The separator you have selected for your CSV file. The default value is **Comma**. 4. **On ** **Error**: The option you have selected when the import operation encounters an error. 5. **Current ** **status**: If an import is in progress, this field displays its current status. Otherwise, it displays the date and time of the last import. 6. **Last** ** action**: Displays the last operation and the admin who initiated it. 7. **Rows** ** Completed:** The number of rows of data the import has processed. Depending on the import options, Grid Manager displays either the row number at which it stops an import when it encounters an error or the total number of rows it has processed by skipping over the erroneous data. For example, if there are 100 rows of data and you select "On error: Stop importing," and there is an error in row 90, Grid Manager displays **90** **of** **100** here. If you select "On error: Skip to the next row and continue," Grid Manager displays **100** ** of** ** 100** here and displays **1** in **Rows** ** with** ** Errors**. 8. **Rows ** **with** ** Errors:** The number of rows of data the import has detected errors. Click **Download** ** Errors** to download the CSV file that contains the fields and the rows of erroneous data. You can use this report as a reference to update the data file before you import the file again. To cancel the import operation, click **Stop** **Import** before the operation is complete. To close the wizard and execute the operation in the background, click **Close** **&** **Run** **in** **Background**. When the operation is complete, you can click **Download** **errors** to download and view the errors. The **Download** **errors** button is enabled only if the operation encounters errors. Click **Save** **&** **Close** to save the operation and close the wizard. # Viewing CSV Import Jobs You can view the status of import jobs. To view the status: 1. From the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar. 2. In the **CSV** **Job** **Manager** wizard, click **CSV** **Import**. Grid Manager displays the following information about the import jobs that were submitted in the past 30 days: - **User** **Name**: The admin user who submitted the CSV import. - **Status**: The current status of the import job. The status can be one of the following: - **Import** **successful**: The import is completed without errors. Check the **Message** field for information about the import. - **Import** **unsuccessful**: The import is completed, but with errors. Check the **Message** field for information about the error message. - **Import** **pending**: The job is in queue for execution. - **Import** **in** **progress**: The job is being executed. - **Import** **stopped**: The job has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the import. - **Test** **successful**: Test is completed without errors. Check the **Message** field for information about the test. - **Test** **unsuccessful**: Test is completed, but with errors. Check the **Message** field for information about the error message. - **Test** **pending**: Test is in queue for execution. - **Test** **in** **progress**: Test is in progress. - **Test** **stopped**: Test has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the import. - **Saved** **file**: The data file has been uploaded, but the import has not started. **Note:** After a product restart, which can be caused by a failover, all **Import** **in** **progress** jobs go into **Import** **stopped** state; all **Import** **pending** jobs continue to be queued for execution. **Submitted**: The timestamp when the job was submitted. - **Completed**: The timestamp when the job was completed. This field is blank if the job has not been completed yet. - **File** ** Name**: The CSV data file name. - **Message**: This field displays the number of rows of data that have been processed and the number of rows of data the import has detected errors. Depending on the import options, Grid Manager displays the row number at which it stops the import when it encounters an error, or the total number of rows it has processed by skipping over the erroneous data. For example, if there are 100 rows of data and you select "On error: Stop importing," and there is an error in row 90, the appliance displays 90 of 100 completed, 1 error. If you select "On error: Skip to the next row and continue," the appliance displays **100 ** **of ** **100 ** **completed,** ** 1 ** **error**. - **File** ** Size**: The size of the imported CSV file. # Modifying CSV Import Jobs You can modify the options of the CSV file that you have already uploaded, delete the jobs that are uploaded, or download uploaded file or error file. After you configure the import options, you can select a data file and start an import operation or upload a data file. For more information about configuring import options, see [Configuring Import Options](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MAG8/pages/912293935#AboutCSVImport-ConfiguringImportOptions). .To edit the options of a file, complete the following: 1. From the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar. 2. In the *CSV* *Job* *Manager* wizard, select **CSV** **Import** and select the import job that you want to update, click the Action icon and select **Edit**. 3. In **Edit** **-** **CSV** **Import** **Job**, select a type of import and perform the operations mentioned in [Configuring Import Options](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MAG8/pages/912293935#AboutCSVImport-ConfiguringImportOptions). 4. Click **Download** to download the uploaded file, snapshot file, or the results file. For more information, see [Configuring Import Options](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MAG8/pages/912293935#AboutCSVImport-ConfiguringImportOptions). 5. Click **Save** **&** **Close** to save the changes. # Deleting Uploaded Jobs You can delete import jobs that are uploaded. You cannot delete jobs that are already imported. You can delete the content of a CSV file that you have imported to the database. Note that the CSV import files and the backed up files are saved for a period of 30 days, but the size limit is set to 1 GB. If these files increase in size, NIOS removes the older files from the Grid. NIOS generates a syslog message if it encounters an error when generating the backup file. --- **Note:** When you delete a parent object from the CSV file, the child objects associated with the parent objects are also deleted. --- To delete uploaded jobs, complete the following: 1. From the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar. 2. In the *CSV* *Job* *Manager* wizard, select **CSV** **Import** and select the import job that you want to delete, click the Action icon and select **Delete** or click the Delete pending job icon. 3. Click **Yes** to delete the uploaded job or **No** to cancel the operation in the *Cancel* *Import* *Job* wizard. # Downloading Files You can download various types of files based on the import operation that you have selected. You can download the following files: uploaded, error, results, and snapshot. Superusers can download the original imported file. ## Downloading Uploaded or Error Files You can download CSV files that are already uploaded or download error files to check the errors that the import operation encountered. The download options are valid for all import operations, except replace. To download the file, complete the following: 1. From the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar. 2. In the *CSV* *Job* *Manager* wizard, do one of the following: - Select **CSV** **Import** and select the import job that you want to download, click the Action icon and select **Download**. - In the *CSV* *Job* *Manager* wizard, select **CSV** **Import** and select the import job that you want to download, click the Action icon and select **Edit**. Click the arrow beside the Download option and select one of the following: - **Uploaded** **File**: Select this to download the uploaded CSV import file. - **Error** **File**: Select this to download the error file. This option is enabled only if the import operation encountered an error. You can export these files to your local system. # Creating a Data File for Import If you are migrating new data into the database, you must prepare the data file using the correct format and syntax before you can import it successfully. You must include all the required fields and understand the dependencies among some of the fields. You can create one CSV file to update data of multiple object types (Network and Network Container), as shown below. In this example, you define the field names you want to modify for the two object types in rows 1 and 2. You then include the corresponding data as shown in rows 3 to 4. For detailed information about CSV Import, refer to the *Infoblox* *CSV* *Import* *Reference*. ## *CSV File Example * | | **A** | **B** | **C** | **D** | **E** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **1** | **HEADER-MGMNETWORK** | **GRID*** | **NETWORK_VIEW*** | **ADDRESS*** | **CIDR*** | | **2** | **HEADER-IS_Container** | **DISABLED** | **COMMENT** | **EA-** | | | **3** | NETWORK | SubGrid | Default | 10.176.80.255 | 24 | | **4** | True | True | | EA-Site1 | | # Exporting New CSV Jobs You can use the *Global* *CSV* *Export* *Wizard* to export multiple objects at once. You can export network containers and networks to a single CSV file through Grid Manager. To export network containers and networks data: 1. From the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar. 2. In the *CSV* *Job* *Manager* wizard, click **CSV** **Export**. Click the New CSV Export job icon and specify the following in the *Global* *CSV* *Export* *Wizard*: - **Separator**: Select a separator from the drop-down list: **Comma**, **Semicolon**, **Space**, and **Tab**. - **All** **Objects**: The checkbox is selected by default. When you select this checkbox, all networks are selected by default. - **Network**: Select this checkbox to select all networks and network containers that are listed. 3. Click **Export** **Data** to start the export process. In the *Start* *global* *CSV* *Export* dialog box, click **Yes** to confirm or click **No** to cancel the process. 4. Grid Manager displays the CSV export progress and results in the *CSV* *Global* *Export* *progress* dialog box. It displays the following information: - **Separator**: The separator used in the CSV file. - **Approximate** **number** **of** **objects** **to** **be** **exported**: Indicates the total number of objects to be exported. - **Number** **of** **objects** **exported**: Indicates the total number of objects that are exported. - **Current** **status**: Indicates the current status of the export process. 5. Click **Close** to exit. # Managing CSV Export Jobs You can view the list of CSV export operations using the **CSV** **Job** **Manager**. 1. From the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar. In the *CSV* *Job* *Manager* wizard, click **CSV** **Export**. 2. Grid Manager displays the following information: - **User** **Name**: The admin user who submitted the CSV export. Only superusers can view this column. - **Status**: The current status of the export job. The CSV export process runs in an asynchronous mode similar to the CSV import. The status can be one of the following: - **Export** **pending**: The job is in queue for execution. - **Export** **running**: The job is being executed. - **Export** **stopped**: The job has been stopped. You can select the job and restart the export. - **Export** **completed**: The export is completed without errors. Check the **Message** field for information about the export. - **Export** **failed**: The export is completed, but with errors. Check the **Message** field for information about the error message. - **Submitted**: The timestamp when the job was submitted. - **Completed**: The timestamp when the job was completed. This field is blank if the job has not been completed yet. - **Failed** **Description**: The appliance displays the error message in the **Failed** **Description** column if the CSV export fails. You cannot start a failed CSV export task. - **File** **Size**: The size of the generated CSV file. Completed CSV export jobs are deleted 30 days from the date of submission. You can also perform the following operations: - Select a completed CSV export task and download the exported file. - Cancel or stop a pending CSV export task using the **Delete** option. - Purge all export tasks after an upgrade or restore. - Start a new global CSV export job. # Modifying CSV Export Jobs You can cancel an export job that is in progress or download an exported job. You can also schedule new export jobs. The appliance deletes the CSV jobs that are completed after 30 days from the date of submission. To update an exported job or delete one: 1. From the **Data** **Visualization** tab, click **CSV** **Job** **Manager** from the Toolbar. 2. In the *CSV* *Job* *Manager* wizard, click **CSV** **Export**. 3. Select the export job that you want to update, click the Action icon . Click **Cancel** to cancel the export job that is in progress. You can also click the **Cancel** **job** icon to delete the file. Click **Download** **file** to download the exported file. 4. Click the New CSV Export job icon to export a new job. 5. Click **Close** to exit.