Creating structures by importing from Excel

There are two ways to import structures using Microsoft Excel:

• You can populate structures in Teamcenter based on definitions in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet using the tcexcel_import utility. The main purpose of this utility is to import process structures, such as build sequences or process plans, but the utility can also import any type of product, process, plant, and resource information. Additionally, the utility supports:

Linking between multiple structures.

Assigning relations (consumed, required, work area, and resources).

Attaching forms and filling out attribute values.

Modifying ownership.

Defining activities (with time information).

Attaching variant information.

Remember: The tcexcel_import utility is designed for data creation only. You can set the description on items and revisions during creation. Once you create an item, you can only update the item description. Note Importing an item that already exists in the database can result in BOM duplications or new revisions. To avoid this problem, set -o (option) = off to update the database item using the information in the Excel spreadsheet.

Example tcexcel_import -u=username -p=password -o=off -i=.txt

• You can use Microsoft Excel to import structures from an external source, for example, from a design contractor that does not have Teamcenter. The structure is defined in an Excel spreadsheet that Teamcenter validates against a predefined control file to ensure all the necessary data is present. If the structure subsequently changes, you can reimport the same spreadsheet and update the latest working data in Teamcenter. You must have Teamcenter Client for Microsoft Office installed to import or update structures in this way. Note You can only import imprecise structures in this way. Also, the import process does not configure the structure (for example, by defining revision rules) or set the view, nor does it support absolute occurrences or incremental changes.

• You can import structures from an Excel file that was exported from Teamcenter using the Work Offline and Import option in the Export to Excel dialog box. With this option, the control file data is generated automatically on a separate tabbed sheet in the export file. The control file does not have to be predefined manually.