File-Based Data Import (FBDI)

Use FBDI to import data into Oracle Fusion Cloud Maintenance.

The steps for importing data into Oracle Maintenance using FBDI are:

1. Download the appropriate Microsoft Excel spreadsheet templates from your source and enter the required data.
2. Run macros in the template to generate the comma-separated values (CSV) files that are used during the import process.
3. Combine the CSV files into a compressed (ZIP) archive so that they can be imported together.
4. Upload the ZIP archive to the designated location.
5. Load the data into the application tables.

All the data is validated during the import to ensure its integrity. Review the field instructions for defining data based on the object type being defined or updated.

Key Feature: Create Object Data

Best Practices

File-based import is a great way to migrate data during implementation and to create incremental data over time.

You can get the best results and performance from your imports by adhering to these best practices:

• Review the data model design of each object, understanding the parent and child relationships of each entity. It's also important to understand the data model validations between parent and child entities. The spreadsheet column descriptions will generally provide guidance across columns and tabs.

• Identify the scope of data to be imported. Note that for each parent record, there might be one or more child records defined by each tab in the spreadsheet.

• Review examples in the spreadsheet template, if provided. Define and process test data sets to model each of the desired data combinations to verify the validations and allowed combinations of attributes.
• Create unique import batches to separate the processing and error handling of imports into logical groups. For example, when processing large volumes of data, grouping into unique batches of 10,000 records or less will be more efficient and will allow easier triage of import errors.
• Plan strategies for data migration and the ongoing update of each object over time

Constraints

Large volumes of records in a batch will have performance issues. Therefore, it's recommended to run one batch of 10,000 records at the time, confirm any errors, and then submit the next batch for processing.

Key Feature: Maintain Object Data

Best Practices

• Incremental updates to existing objects are generally supported. This includes updating/adding parent data and adding or updating child data.
• Note that some objects will only allow updates of certain attributes based on their use in downstream processes. For example, you only can disable a maintenance program, and not delete it, if it has created at least one work order.

Constraints

• Review each spreadsheet for guidance about the capabilities, validations, and dependencies of updating existing object data. For example, deleting of parent or child records might be supported sometimes, but not after related object data is created in the system. Therefore, a parent or child object might only be disabled sometimes.
• Take care when updating existing object data as it might fundamentally change the use of the object in downstream processes. For example, deselecting the Allow work orders checkbox in an asset will block work order creation. Changing a day-based maintenance forecast to a meter-based forecast, while allowed, might result in a different cadence of preventative maintenance work and confusing work order history.

Entities in Oracle Maintenance with FBDI Support

Entity	Description
Import Installed Base Assets	Imports the installed base assets details along with its child entities, including parts list, charges, and assets group associations. You also can create and update asset relationships.
Import Meter Readings	Imports the meter reading history for both asset and subscription-based meters. Incremental imports allow you to load new meter reading history routinely.
Import Product Genealogy	Bulk import of genealogy instances and structures.
Maintenance Program Import	Efficiently imports the maintenance programs definitions, including item and asset. You also can update existing programs to add new work requirements, end date exiting work requirements, and include or exclude assets.
Work Definition Import	Import Work Definitions along with its child entities, including operations, materials, and resources.
Work Order Import	Import Work Orders along with its child entities, which includes operations, materials, and resources. Note: Work Order history for a preventative maintenance program can be imported, however, it won't be referenced or respected by the maintenance forecast.

Error Handling

During creation, the import process will generally start with parent entities and then move to child entities. If an error is encountered at the parent, the child entities are skipped, and the next parent record is processed. Depending on the object, the parent record might or might not be flagged for deletion at the end of the process.

Errors occurring in child entities, especially multiple level child entities like a maintenance program's work requirements, might error out either the entire requirement or create the requirement without creating its child entity (for example, a work definition). Check the error log for details.

Therefore, it's important to understand error handling and remediation for each import. You can use more imports or UX data entry to fix the errors and enrich existing data to correct import issues.

Import Record Purge

If errors occur at parent or child entity levels during import, then data for a common batch will be stuck for a batch in the interface tables and can't be reprocessed. Therefore, routine purging of these records is recommended to support the reprocessing of a batch and to generally empty the interface tables.

For more information about purging maintenance records, see the Purge Maintenance Records from Interface scheduled process in the Scheduled Processes for SCM guide.