Importing CSV to EA

[Fernando da Veiga]

I have been working so far on the conversion of ArchiMate diagrams from EA into CSV files , in that I view the diagram as a list of its elements, copy this list and paste it in a notepad already as CSV with 4 columns: "Type", "Name", "Status" and "Modified".
The big problem now is, I cannot find a way to perform the opposite operation, which means, to take a CSV file and convert it to a ArchiMate diagram in EA. I have been struggling with this function Publish > Model Exchange > CSV > CSV Import/Export, but as a result there comes always the message "Number of available fields in record (4) less then required by specification (6)".
Can someone please explain, how can I convert my csv files to archiMate diagrams? In case I am using the right functionality, what exactly may I be doing wrong?

I thank you very much in advance for any attempt to help

[Geert Bellekens]

You can't convert CSV files into diagrams.
That would be the equivalent of "enhancing" an image in CSI on TV.

There simply is no diagram or relation information in the CSV.

What you can do is create a list of elements in EA based on the CSV.

What you need to do is check the CSV Import/Export specification, and make sure you have exactly that in the CSV as required by the specification.
If you want to import ArchiMate elements you probably want to include the stereotype and the fully qualified stereotype in your specification. Otherwise EA has no way of knowing which type of element to create.
In some cases EA starts guessing, which is not what you want (because sometimes it will guess wrong)

Geert

[Fernando da Veiga]

Hello, Geert

Thank you for replying my message.
However, you answered another question in 2017 (please see https://www.sparxsystems.com/forums/smf/index.php?topic=37792.0), in which you said, you had exported data to CSV, manipulated the data in excel, and then imported it back into EA. How do you manage to do this?

I have tried including "stereotype" and "fully qualified stereotype" in my specification, and created these two extra fields as empty fields in my CSV file, but it didnt work either.

[bknoth2]

The best way to figure out how to import information is to first create a package in EA and a few sample elements (just like  those you'll want to import). Then export that package so that it is the columns you will want to import. Replace the contents of that file with the information to import it and import that file, using the exported information as a guide.

- Bruce