Column Import Options

Entity Key Column

An entity must have a search key. A key can be composed of one or more fields. This key is used to retrieve corresponding information in the Net Change database.

In the Behavior section, check “Use the value to search or lookup” and “Also set this value in the entity” to create a new entity or to update an existing entity. If “Also set this value in the entity” is not checked for a create operation, certain entity types will create records without a known key value, and it will then be impossible to search for these records to update them afterwards. For other entity types, the records are not created and an error message is returned.

Collections

Do not check “Reset the collection” and “Remove element from the collection”. The Net Change process is designed to manage collection synchronization automatically.

Skip column if value is empty

To prevent the processing of fields where no value is provided, select Skip column if value is empty in the Behavior section.

Hierarchical entities such as Organization, Location, JobField, and Department, where root elements do not have a value in the parent column will be processed anyway.

Collection handling

When using the Skip column if value is empty option on a collection, it is important to understand and apply the following rules:

1. In the CSV file, the collection elements are not positional. Therefore it makes no sense to set the Skip column if value is empty option only on some columns of the collection.

2. The Skip column if value is empty option applies to the entire collection. It does NOT apply to an individual element of the collection.

3. A collection is empty when ALL its elements are empty.

Simple collection

A Candidate who has a collection of JobShifts.

Let say that in the CSV file we support up to three JobShifts:

Candidate, EmailAddress	JobShift 1. Code	JobShift 2. Code	JobShift 3. Code
[e-mail]	DayJob	OnCall

Rule 1:

In the CSV file, the collection elements are not positional. Therefore it makes no sense to set Skip column if value is empty only on some columns of the collection.

The following CSV file has exactly the same meaning as the one above:

Candidate, EmailAddress	JobShift 1. Code	JobShift 2. Code	JobShift 3. Code
[e-mail]	OnCall	DayJob

The point here is the DayJob value is not associated to the JobShift1.Code column. It is only an element of the JobShifts collection. The Net Change engine will load all the elements of the collection and then it will compare them with the one in its database.

Rule 2

The Skip column if value is empty option applies to the entire collection. It does NOT apply to an individual element of the collection.

First run:

Candidate, EmailAddress	JobShift 1. Code	JobShift 2. Code	JobShift 3. Code
[e-mail]	DayJob	OnCall

The engine will add the DayJob and OnCall job shift values in the JobShifts collection.

Second run:

Candidate, EmailAddress	JobShift 1. Code	JobShift 2. Code	JobShift 3. Code
[e-mail]	DayJob

Even if the OnCall job shift is no longer in the collection (empty) the entire collection in itself is not empty. The Net Change engine will generate a command to remove the OnCall job shift from the JobShifts collection.

Rule 3

A collection is empty when ALL its elements are empty.

The Skip column if value is empty option will be applicable only in the following scenario:

First run:

Candidate, EmailAddress	JobShift 1. Code	JobShift 2. Code	JobShift 3. Code
[e-mail]	DayJob	OnCall

DayJob and OnCall are added in the JobShifts collection.

Second run:

Candidate, EmailAddress	JobShift 1. Code	JobShift 2. Code	JobShift 3. Code
[e-mail]

When the Skip column if value is empty option is set of the JobShift1.Code, JobShift2.Code and JobShift3.Code columns, then the empty values are ignored (skipped).

Complex collection

Let say that in the CSV file we support two Studies:

Candidate. EmailAddress	Study1. Display Sequence	Study1. Institution. Description	Study2. Display Sequence	Study2. Institution. Description
[e-mail]	1	College A	2	University Z

Rule 1

In the CSV file, the collection elements are not positional. Therefore it makes no sense to set Skip column if value is empty only on some columns of the collection.

The following CSV file as exactly the same meaning as the one above:

Candidate. EmailAddress	Study1. Display Sequence	Study1. Institution. Description	Study2. Display Sequence	Study2. Institution. Description
[e-mail]	2	University Z	1	College A

Rule 2

The Skip column if value is empty option applies to the entire collection. It does NOT apply to an individual element of the collection.

First run:

Candidate. EmailAddress	Study1. Display Sequence	Study1. Institution. Description	Study2. Display Sequence	Study2. Institution. Description
[e-mail]	1	College A	2	University Z

The engine will add the 1, College A and 2, University Z study to the Studies collection.

Second run:

Candidate. EmailAddress	Study1. Display Sequence	Study1. Institution. Description	Study2. Display Sequence	Study2. Institution. Description
[e-mail]	1	College A

Even if the 2 - University Z values are no longer in the collection (empty) the entire collection in itself is not empty. The Net Change engine will generate a command to remove the 2 – University Z study element from the Studies collection.

Rule 3

A collection is empty when ALL its elements are empty.

With the following collection, the Skip column if value is empty option will be applicable only in the following scenario:

First run:

Candidate. EmailAddress	Study1. Display Sequence	Study1. Institution. Description	Study2. Display Sequence	Study2. Institution. Description
[e-mail]	1	College A	2	University Z

1, College A and 2, University Z are added to the candidate Studies collection.

Second run:

Candidate. EmailAddress	Study1. Display Sequence	Study1. Institution. Description	Study2. Display Sequence	Study2. Institution. Description
[e-mail]

If the Skip column if value is empty option is set on ALL the columns of the Studies collection (Study1.DisplaySequence, Study1.Institution.Description, Study2.DisplaySequence and Study2.Institution.Description), then the empty values are ignored (skipped).

The following collection is not considered to be empty:

Candidate. EmailAddress	Study1. Display Sequence	Study1. Institution. Description	Study2. Display Sequence	Study2. Institution. Description
[e-mail]	1

Note: If you set the "Skip column if value is empty" option to only one element of the collection, the Net Change engine will automatically set it on the other elements of the collection. So take the good habit of setting that option on all the elements of the collection the same way.

Ignore Column

When the customer system has a column that is known and used only by itself. An ignore column that is never processed can be specified. To define, click Add button, select “Add an ignore column”, and click OK.

Default Column Value

A default value can be specified for columns that have no value set in the customer CSV file. For example, to use English as default value for field User.CorrespondenceLanguage, set the default value to “en” in the column advanced options:

Note that “Default Column Value” processing is not done when “Skip column if value empty” is checked.

Non-Updatable Column

Some field values only need to be sent to the target application once, usually during the create operation. Once the column is defined as Non-Updatable, the field values contained in that column are not sent to the target application in an update operation.

This advanced option is Net Change specific. No other TCC functionality uses it. Set updatable value to false in the column advanced options:

When all columns are defined, save the input file and generate the CSV file.