Importing Data Using the Excel Templates

When creating and adjusting your Payees, Contracts or Catalogue on Curve; you can do so using the active interface. However, for large sets of metadata, you’ll find it more efficient to create and adjust data in bulk using our Excel Templates. Altogether, there are over 20 Templates that can be used, each specifically designed to import specific datasets onto Curve.

Creating New Data via the Excel Templates

Download Your Templates

A blank template for each respective asset type can be downloaded at all times using the Download Template button hidden underneath every Import button on Curve. As we further develop the Curve platform, it may be that we are required to make changes to the Templates in order for them to represent the changes we make to Curve. So please make sure you are using the latest version of our Templates when importing your metadata. When using an outdated Template, Curve will reject your import and notify you your Template is out of date.

Add Data to Your Templates

Via the Excel Templates, you can add exactly the same types of data as you could when creating data via the Curve interface. You will recognise the columns in your Excel resemble the available fields in the interface. For more information on what each field represents, why and how you should complete it; please visit the respective article of what you are working on in our Getting Started Guide. If you are struggling to configure your data via Excel, an excellent tip is to create one Payee, Contract, Work, … as an example via the Curve interface first; and then export your setup in the Excel template, using the Export button on each respective page. Also our Getting Started Guide templates may prove helpful as an example of how these templates should be completed.

Import Your Template via its Respective Page

A Payee template needs to be imported via the Import button on the Payee page, a Track template needs to be imported via the Import button on the Track page.

Enable/Disable Overwrite Blanks

This option is only relevant when you are using the Templates to adjust existing metadata onto Curve. It does not affect your import when creating new Payees, Contracts or Catalogue. For more information on how this feature behaves, please read the alinea on adjusting existing data via Excel Templates below.

A Notification/Email Will Inform You Your Import Has Failed or Succeeded

When Curve confirms the import has succeeded, the job is done. However, Curve could refuse your Template for a variety of reasons. Perhaps some mandatory data is missing or does not match some of the requirements. The email or notification will display why your import has errored, giving you a chance to make changes to your Template and try again. When the import has errored, the entire file will be rejected, even if it’s just one line of data that did not meet the requirements.
It appears the template does not match – A popular error message states your template does not match. Curve is very particular in recognising the Templates you import, making sure you do not accidentally import any erroneous data. Rearranging or removing columns, adding data outside of the expected range, changing the format of the excel file, using an outdated Excel template, … These are all actions that will cause Curve to reject your Template. In this case, make sure you are importing your Template on the correct page, that you are using the latest version of our Template by downloading a fresh set of Templates, and that you copy-paste the data into a fresh Template. Copy-pasting your data into a fresh template generally always resolves this issue.

Adjusting Existing Data via the Excel Templates

Similar to how you can import new data onto Curve using the Excel templates, you can also adjust existing data on Curve by exporting it in an Excel Template, adjusting the data in your Excel file, saving that file, and then reimporting it back to Curve.  Curve will reference the changes made in the Excel Template based on the Curve IDs or unique identifiers such as Main Identifiers, and make sure these changes are reflected in your data on Curve.

Payees, Contracts and Catalogue can all be exported from the Export button on their respective page. The format in which your data is exported will automatically match the format in which it can be imported.

It is possible that Curve will export large datasets in a CSV rather than an XLS structure. This because XLS files do not scale well and are difficult to create for large datasets. In these cases, the data needs to be copied from your CSV export into a fresh Template in XLS format in order for Curve to allow your data to be reimported.

When adjusting existing data via the Excel templates, there are a couple of rules best to be aware of.

Curve will only adjust the data of assets mentioned on the Overview tab of your template - For example, if you wish to adjust the data of 10 Works in your catalogue, and mention just those 10 Works on the first tab of your Work import, then your import will only affect those 10 Works. Any other Work you have in your catalogue will remain unaffected by your import.
Overwrite Blanks can clear data - Whereas this feature did not affect your data when creating new Payees, Contracts or Catalogue; it does have a significant impact when you are using the Excel templates to adjust existing assets. When this option is enabled, a blank value in the Excel Template will overwrite any existing data on Curve. When this option is disabled, a blank value in the Template will not overwrite or delete any existing data on Curve, though it may recreate tabulated data from scratch.
In the below example, as long as we leave Overwrite Blanks disabled, the Categories are not cleared. Though when importing the exact same template, this time with Overwrite Blanks enabled, the blank cells mean the Payee Categories are being cleared.
When updating data with Overwrite Blank values enabled:
  • Your Template will need to be an exact representation of how you want those assets to be on Curve.
  • When a field in the Excel Template for a given Payee/Contract/Catalogue is blank, then this data will also be cleared from Curve upon import.
  • When no data lists are provided, Curve will clear any data lists from your asset. By this, we mean Terms attached to a Contract, Contracts attached to a Work, Aliases attached to a Work, … practically anything on Curve where more than one piece of data can be provided.
When updating data with Overwrite Blank Values disabled:
  • You are only required to include the data that you wish to update.
  • When a field in the Excel Template for a given Payee/Contract/Catalogue is blank, it will not clear any existing data in this field on Curve.
  • When no data lists are provided, Curve will leave data lists as they are. By data lists, we mean Terms attached to a Contract, Contracts attached to a Work, Aliases attached to a Work, … practically anything on Curve where more than one piece of data can be provided. So a blank Terms tab in your Contract template will not clear any terms from your Contracts, a blank Contracts tab in your Catalogue template will not clear any contracts from your Catalogue
Regardless of Overwrite Blanks being enabled or not; when data lists are provided, Curve will recreate these lists entirely from scratch based on the data in your Template - So, for example, under any circumstance; when your Contract template specifies Terms for your Contract, it will clear any existing terms on your Contract and replace it with the Terms specified in the Template.
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