Planio Support (english)

# Import issues into Planio via CSV files

This is a guide on how you can import tasks, issues and tickets from csv files using the importer in Planio.

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You might have tasks in external files such as Microsoft Project files, Excel sheets or other software products. You use import these files into Planio using the comma separated values (CSV) importer. There are two steps to this process. First, you need to prepare a CSV file for import. Secondly, you have to carry out the import.

We’ll cover both in today’s guide.

## 1\. Preparing the CSV file

You need to get your tasks, issues or tickets into CSV format. You can save most Excel sheets as CSV files by clicking on File -\> Save As… and then selecting “Comma Separated Values” as the format from the dropdown menu.

Your CSV file can have the following headers. Only four of the headers are mandatory. You’ll find a sample CSV file here.

|Project\*|Enter the name of the project to which you want to assign the issue.|  

|Subject\*|The subject of the issue.|  

|Description|Enter the text that will form the issue's description.|  

|Priority|Enter the name of one of the priorities listed in your Planio account. You’ll find their names in Administration -\> Issue statuses.|  

|Assignee|Enter the First and Last Name of the person to whom you want to assign the issue. You’ll their name in Administration -\> Users|  

|Sprint/Milestone|Enter the name of the milestone or sprint to which the issue should be assigned.|  

|Private|This selects whether the issue will be private for the assignee or not. Enter TRUE or FALSE as possible values.|  

|Parent task|You can enter the issue id number of the parent tasks. For example: 271936|  

|Start date|Enter the date in your local date format such as 30/12/2016.|  

|Due date|Enter the date in your local date format.|  

|Estimated time|Enter a number for the estimated time|  

| % Done | Enter a number for the percentage done. |

| ------ | --------------------------------------- |

  - required fields

## Import the CSV File Using the CSV Importer

Now, you have a CSV file ready for import. The next step is to import it into Planio using the importer. You’ll find the button for the Import on the issues page in the sidebar.

Then, select your CSV file using the file picker.

On the next page, you can select options for importing the CSV File

|                 |                                                                             |

| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| Field separator | You can select between comma separated values or semicolon separated values |

| Field wrapper   | You can select between double quotes or single quotes.                      |

| Encoding        | You can select the encoding for the CSV file                                |

| Date format     | You can select one of five data formats                                     |

Then, you have to map the values from the CSV files to issue attributes in Planio. You can select each value from the dropdown menu beside each attribute. You’ll also see a file content preview, so you can make sure you’re importing the right data.

Once you’re done assigning the values to each attribute, you can click on import to start the import.  

If all goes well, you’ll see a list of the imported issues. If you encounter any issues, you’ll have to restart the process.