You can create data for loading into your database with the Data Load utility in a CSV
formatted file. The easiest way to create this data is to download a sample CSV file to use as a
starting point.
Before you begin
Review the CSV format that is described in the following topic:
About this task
In your CSV file, you must specify the business object that you are loading information about and
include the object data that you are loading. To specify the business object, you must include a
keyword that associates your input file with a mediator that is used to load your data.
Procedure
-
Download a sample CSV file to use as your starting point. Save the sample CSV file with a new
name in a folder on your computer. If you are loading data for a business object type that does not
have a sample, create an empty file to include your CSV formatted data.
-
In a text or spreadsheet editor, open the CSV file that you downloaded or created.
- Optional:
Edit the first row in your file to specify a keyword that identifies the type of business
object that you are loading. The keyword is optional for the Data Load utility, but you are
recommended to include the keyword when one is applicable. By specifying a keyword, you can load the
CSV file with the Data Load utility or provide the file to business users to edit and use with the
Management Center Catalog Upload feature.
- Optional:
In the second row, edit the column headers that are mandatory for identifying the data for a
business object. Add or remove any optional column headings to match the data values that you are
loading.
For more information about the columns that you can specify for any supported types of
business objects, see the topics under the
Data Load utility CSV column and XML element definitions topic.
If you are creating a CSV file for a custom business object type, or loading multiple types of
business objects, the column headings must match the column mappings in your business object
configuration file.
-
Delete the sample data in the third row and all subsequent rows of data in your CSV file.
-
Starting with the third row, specify the values for your business objects in the mandatory and
optional columns.
If you are specifying a string that includes spaces or special characters as a column
value, enclose the string in the configured tokenValueDelimeter character. The tokenValueDelimiter
is used to indicate the beginning and the end of a string. The default tokenValueDelimiter character
is the double quotation mark ("). For example, the following string includes commas and white spaces
and is enclosed in the tokenValueDelimeter:
"Men's fashions for business, casual, and formal occasions"
For
more information about the tokenValueDelimeter, see
Configuring the CSV data reader.
-
Save your CSV file.
Results
The CSV file is created in a suitable format for use with the Data Load utility. When you
load the file, the keyword and the column headers are interpreted but are not loaded into the
database.