Create Business Objects From a File

You can create new business objects by importing spreadsheet files and .csv files using the Import New Business Objects wizard.

The files that you upload are analyzed to determine the business objects that can be created. You may upload comma-separated value text files (.csv) or Excel spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx). When using .csv files to create business objects, one business object is created for each file, and the name of the business object is based on the file name. When using .xls or .xlsx files to create business objects, one business object is created for each worksheet in the file, and the name of the business object is based on the worksheet name. If the worksheet contains one or more tables, a business object is created for each table based on the table name, and the worksheet name is ignored. The first row of .csv files, worksheets, and tables must be a header row, and the column headers are used to determine the names of the fields. The data in each column is parsed to help determine the data type for the field, but you should confirm the suggested data type is correct in the Fields step of the wizard.

To upload multiple files, you need to create a ZIP archive containing the files you want to import.

To create business objects in the Import New Business Objects wizard:

1. Click Menu in the Business Objects pane and select Data Manager.
2. On the Data Manager page, click Import Business Objects to open the Import New Business Objects wizard.
3. In the Upload File step of the wizard, drag the file from your local system into the wizard, or click in the upload box and locate the file on your local system.

   Note:

   It is recommended that you keep the size of the file you upload small, representative of your entire data set and only what's required to create your business object model. Once your business object model is created, you can always import all your data, even large datasets, as described in Import Data From a File Using the Data Manager.

   The default character encoding format for an imported file is UTF-8. If a value isn't specified in the Character Encoding field or if the specified value is invalid, the default is used. See https://www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets/character-sets.xhtml for a list of encoding formats you can use.

   Click Upload. After the upload is complete, the wizard displays a list of the business objects and records found in the upload.

   
   
   Description of the illustration bo-datamgr-import-new.png
   

   Click Next.

4. In the Business Objects step of the wizard, select the business objects that you want to create.

   The wizard displays a list of the business objects that can be created and the files in your upload that they are based on. You can select which business objects you want to create, and edit the display labels and names of the new business objects.
   
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   Click Next.

5. In the Fields step of the wizard, click the business object name to edit the names and types for each of the fields in the business object.

   The wizard displays tabs for each new business object. Each tab displays the fields that will be created in the business object, and a sample of the values stored in the field. You can edit each field name, display label, its data type, and specify whether it is required.
   
   Description of the illustration bo-datamgr-import-new-fields.png
   

   To change the data type, click the Type icon for each field to open a pop-up box where you can modify the type. For Reference fields, you can select the related business object from an existing business object or from those that you are importing, and select the field in the related object to display.
   
   Description of the illustration bo-datamgr-import-new-type.png
   

   If your business object's definition contains a field to uniquely identify each record (the primary key field), you can use that field as the key instead of the system-generated id field. To change the primary key field, select the Key icon for the field you want to use. This option is enabled only for non-blank data containing numeric fields. Once you switch, the default id field will no longer be selected; you can then safely delete this field after the business object is created.
   
   Description of the illustration bo-datamgr-import-new-key.png
   

   Click Finish.

   The wizard displays a list of the new business objects that were successfully imported.
   
   Description of the illustration bo-datamgr-import-new-done.png