Importing XML files

You can import issues, requirements, requirement documents, test cases, folders, users, customers, and test configurations from an XML file exported from another Helix ALM project.

Before importing XML files, make sure you review export and import limitations to understand how Helix ALM formats and validates data, which can help you prevent import errors. See XML export and import limitations.

1. Click Administration.

The Admin Home page opens.

2. Click XML Import.

The XML Import dialog box opens.

3. In the File to import area, click Browse to select the file to import or drag and drop the file in the box. The file must be .xml or .zip format.

To clear the selected file, click next to the filename.

4. Click Validate to validate the file.

During validation, Helix ALM checks data in the file to ensure it is used in the destination project and formatted correctly.

The XML Import Warning and Errors dialog box opens if any problems are found. Warnings indicate items can be imported but some information in them cannot. Errors indicate items cannot be imported. Click Save to save the information as a text file, which you can use to troubleshoot problems in the file or make changes in the project before importing to help eliminate data clean up later.

5. Make any changes to the XML file or project to ensure all data you need can be imported and then repeat steps 1-4.

6. Select an Imported Items Numbering option.

  • Assign the next available number automatically assigns the next available number to imported items.
  • Import number field information from the XML file imports number information from the file. If the number already exists, an error occurs and the item is not imported.

Tip:  Number import options may not be available depending on project options.

7. Select a Dropdown Field Handling option. This option only applies to dropdown fields, such as Priority, if they do not exist in the project and does not apply to user fields.

  • Add new dropdown field values to the project automatically adds values that do not exist in the project to the value list used by the field.
  • Use the default value if the value in the XML project is not in the project uses the default value set for the field in the project and ignores the value in the imported XML file.

8. Click Import.

The import starts and the status is displayed as items are imported. A success message is displayed if the import is successful.

If there are problems with the import, the XML Import Warnings and Errors dialog box opens. Click Save to open or download (depending on the browser) a text file that contains the warnings and errors (xml-import-errors.txt).