How eRoom 7 project plans handle fields in imported CSV files

Field

Value taken from import file?

How eRoom handles the field

ID

no

Assigned after import, in the sequence that tasks are imported, beginning with the highest, never-used ID number in the project plan. Also see Predecessors.

Task_Name

yes

Required; any value acceptable. If none, user is returned to Import dialog with error: eRoom cannot import this file, because it has a record with no value for "Task_Name." Fix the file and try again.

Duration

yes

Parsed for first number greater than zero. If none, duration is set to zero (i.e. milestone).

Start_Date

no

Calculated after import.

Constraint_Date

yes

Imported only if validly formatted date found AND Constraint_Type matches "Start No Earlier Than." Supported formats include YYYY-MM-DD and M/D/YY. eRoom handles a blank or unknown Constraint_Date depending on Constraint_Type: (a) if type is unknown, error about type is returned [see below]; (b) if type is blank or matches "As Soon As Possible", date is left blank too; (c) if type matches "Start No Earlier Than", user is returned to Import dialog with error: eRoom cannot import this file, because it has a record with an unknown value for "Constraint_Date." Fix the file and try again.

Constraint_Type

yes

If "Start_No_Earlier_Than", and Constraint_Date has a valid date, eRoom attempts to import Constraint_Date (see above). If blank or matches "As Soon As Possible", Constraint_Date is ignored. Otherwise, user is returned to Import dialog with error: eRoom cannot import this file, because it has a record with an unknown value for "Constraint_Type." Fix the file and try again.

Predecessors

yes

Parsed for a number, or multiple numbers if enclosed in quotes and comma-delimited. eRoom maintains relationships among the tasks being imported. During importing, eRoom matches predecessor IDs to any tasks being imported; it ignores all others. It also ignores any relationships that loop on themselves. At the end of importing, eRoom remaps the original predecessor IDs with eRoom's own IDs.

Finish_Date

no

Calculated after import.

Category

yes

Entire field treated as one value. If not found, added to project plan's list of categories.

Percent_Complete

yes

Parsed for first number, with up to 2 decimal places, between 0 and 100 inclusive. If found, eRoom either creates an initial report with the current date and a comment "task imported," if reports or enabled, or uses the value to determine the "done" state, if reports are disabled.

Progress report date

no

See Percent_Complete.

Status

no

Calculated after import.

Omit from summaries

yes

If "yes" or "y" or "true" or "t" or 1 (case insensitive), field is true. All other values, including empty, mean false.

Resource_Names

yes

Any name (or multiple names, if enclosed in quotes and comma-delimited) that matches an eRoom member's display name, in "first middle last" format, is stored as that member.

Notes

yes

 

Description

yes

If "text is HTML" is turned on, the text is filtered to eliminate any tags that eRoom does not support.