WebSphere brand IBM WebSphere Sensor Events, Version 6.2

Importing assets

Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere® Sensor Events supports bulk importing of assets from asset management systems. Currently the CSV format is supported. Users with asset management permission can perform this task.

Before you begin

Before importing, the item type (or asset type) needs to exist in Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere Sensor Events. If this asset type does not exist, it must be created. See Adding a new asset type for more information on how to do this.

You can also add new assets manually, one at a time. For more information on how to do this, see Adding an item.

About this task
There are a couple of scenarios where you would need to import assets:
  • Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere Sensor Events has just been installed
  • Assets are being moved from one site to another where both sites are using Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere Sensor Events

To begin importing assets, the required attributes of the assets should be identified and a CSV file of these assets should then be generated from the asset management system. Importing assets involves:

A configuration file must be written for Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere Sensor Events which will enable the application to import the asset types contained in the CSV file. This file should be created by someone who has the knowledge of the asset attributes, as defined within the associated asset type, to be considered for the import task. Each asset type requires a separate CSV file and a corresponding configuration file. This should be kept in mind when creating the CSV file from the existing asset management system. If the output of this system is a single CSV file containing all asset types, this file would need to be broken up into separate files by asset type. The CSV and configuration files created for each item type can be named whatever the user wishes and saved on the local file system. On starting the import process, the user will browse for these files using Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere Sensor Events console.

Procedure
  1. Log in to the Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere Sensor Events application.
  2. Click Asset Management > Import Items.
  3. Specify what asset type is being imported.
  4. Specify the parent asset type, if there is one.
  5. Select a zone, if the zone has not been specified in the CSV file.

    The zone must be specified in either the CSV file or in the console. The zone specified in the CSV file overrides the one specified in the console. If you do not specify a zone for the import in either the console or the CSV file, then the process will fail.

  6. Specify the location of the CSV file to be imported. Click Browse and search for the file on your server.
  7. Specify the location of the configuration file containing the import rules for that asset type. Click Browse and search for the file on your server.
  8. Under Print RFID Tag choose from the following options:
    • Print Tag?: Select this option to print the labels and RFID tags during the import process.
    • Select Printer: Choose the printer for those labels.
    • Select Label Template: Choose which label template will be used during printing. In the WebSphere Sensor Events Administrative Console, label templates are also known as print templates.

      A value of Default means that the template selected as the default for the EPC pack type associated with the item type will be used. EPC codes are assigned to each imported asset if tags are not already assigned to the assets being imported in the CSV and configuration files. The encoding scheme used to generate asset EPCs is based on the EPC configuration specified when the asset type was created.

    Print templates are defined in the WebSphere Sensor Events Administrative Console. Be sure to set the default print template on the AVSSampleEPCPackType pack type once you have defined at least one print template, otherwise if you select Default, then printing will fail with an exception. See Asset Inventory Management Services for WebSphere Sensor Events exception when trying to print for more information.

  9. Click Import to finish importing the assets or choose Reset to reset the values in the fields.

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