Learn the basics about data import

There are two methods to import data via XLSX files. You can use both methods described below.

• The Simplified Data Capture view is the easiest way to import data because you capture data for specific business questions without the need to configure data capture templates. An XLSX file can be generated for each object class that is relevant for a business question. The generated XLSX file only includes columns for the attributes, referenced objects, indicators, and roles that are necessary for the business question. Once you have captured your data in the XLSX file, you can upload it and then check the completeness and quality of your data in the context of a business question. Here you can see immediately the quality of your data and correct any data quality issues.
• The Advanced Data Capture view allows you to configure data capture templates to capture data on a class-by-class basis. This process is involved and requires a good understanding of the class model and how classes reference other classes.

Depending on the data you want to capture, some assets should already exist in in your repository so that you can define an asset's relationships to other assets. Please note the following dependencies:

• Click for an overview of the recommended sequence to import data.
  1. user

     user

     A user is a person with a license to Alfabet FastLane. Users are bundled in user groups, which determines the access permission to an object.

  2. user group

     user group

     A user group determines the visibility of objects. One or more user groups may be granted authorized access to an object. The object is visible to all users assigned to a specified user group.

  3. organization

     organization

     An organization describes an administrative or functional unit in the enterprise.

  4. location

     location

     A location is a geographic place that could be a country, city, building, or room, for example.

  5. vendor

     vendor

     A vendor is a supplier of components.

  6. IT capability

     IT capability

     An IT capability bundles and structures content-specific components necessary for the IT infrastructure of data center operations. Mainframe operations, database management, and backup and recovery procedures are examples of IT capabilities.

  7. physical server

     physical server

     A physical server is a device that deploys applications and components. Virtual servers may run on physical servers that are located in different locations around the world.

  8. business capability

     business capability

     A business capability is a high-level description of what is done in a company to meet its business objectives. Market development, product development, and support and services are examples of business capabilities.

  9. component

     component

     A component is a reusable block of functionality that provides technical functionality to the application or to the platforms that an application runs on. Components do not usually provide functionality to end users. Typical components are operating systems, database management systems, or application servers.

  10. business data

      business data

      Business data is the information exchanged between applications or components. Business data is transferred by information flows.

  11. virtual server

      virtual server

      A virtual server is typically an application server or web server. Virtual servers typically run on physical servers that are located in different locations around the world.

  12. application group

      application group

      An application group bundles a set of applications for an analytical purpose. For example, an application group may be a portfolio of CRM applications to be analyzed. An application may be assigned to multiple application groups and can therefore be analyzed from many different perspectives.

  13. application

      application

      An application is a complete installation of a software offering a functionality to an end user. The application might consist of or require other technical components to run.

  14. information flow

      information flow

      An information flow describes the exchange of business data between source and target applications.

Users and user groups: This is the first data that must be captured so that the user community can access Alfabet FastLane. This allows you to specify access permissions to objects as well as the users (class Person) that have a functional responsibility for the objects. Users and user groups may already exist in the database if they were defined in the Manage User Access view.

Organizations, locations, vendors, physical servers, and virtual servers: This structural information is necessary to describe who owns assets and where they are located. This data can be imported by a user with the Portfolio Admin user profile. It can also be manually captured by a user with the Portfolio Manager user profile.

Business capabilities or business processes, business data, and application groups: These assets are necessary to be able to capture information about applications in the IT landscape. Whether your company captures how applications support business capabilities or business processes will depend on your company's methodology. This data can be imported by a user with the Portfolio Admin user profile. It can also be manually capture by a user with the Portfolio Manager user profile.

IT capabilities: IT capabilities are necessary to be able to capture information about components in the IT landscape. This data can be imported by a user with the Portfolio Admin user profile. It can also be manually capture by a user with the Portfolio Manager user profile.

Project groups: These assets are necessary to be able to maintain and analyze projects focused on IT change.