The EA Excel import-export tool can be used to export and import between Sparx Enterprise Architect and Excel. Using only an Excel file, and the built in macro’s you can use it to
- Export and Import element and attribute data (including tagged values on elements and attributes)
- Import the Glossary
- Export and Import tagged values
Version 5.0
Version 5.0 adds a complete new import and export feature for elements and attributes.
- Configure exactly what you would like to export using an SQL Query
- Use GUID’s of elements and attributes to update items regardless of their location in the model
- Define whether to create, update, or delete items using the Action column
- Specify a datatypes package and link attribute types with the datatypes in the datatype package
- Support for a lot more fields such as alias, version, status, initial value etc.
- Export and import formatted notes (limited to bold, italic and underline)
- Import and export any tagged values you define on elements and attributes.
Download
Configuration
The sheet with the name Configuration is used to store the SQL query to be used to export the data from Enterprise Architect.
When updating this query keep the following guidelines in mind
- use aliases CLASSTYPE and CLASSGUID just like you would when writing a regular SQL Search of EA. The CLASSGUID is used to be able to find the element to update or delete.
- #Branch# can be used in the same way as in SQL Searches. It will expand to a list of all package ID’s for all the packages underneath the selected pacakge
- When selecting tagged values, make sure you prefix each tagged value name with TAG_ then followed by the name of te tagged value.
- If you want to export and import tagged values you have to make sure that your first have a line for the element, and then for it’s attributes. In the example SQL Query the ownerField is used for this purpose, to order the union of elements and their attributes.
- Fields with formatted notes have to be suffixed with _formatted (example: notes_formatted) If the suffix is not used this field is treated as a regular text field. Please be aware that processing formatted fields takes some additional processing time.
Supported fields
| Allowed fields | Used by |
| TAG_<tagname> | Element/Attribute |
| Name | Element/Attribute |
| Alias | Element/Attribute |
| Notes | Element/Attribute |
| Visibility | Element/Attribute |
| Stereotype | Element/Attribute |
| Multiplicity | Element/Attribute |
| Version | Element |
| Status | Element |
| Pos | Attribute |
| Datatype | Attribute |
| InitialValue | Attribute |
| length | Attribute |
| precision | Attribute |
| scale | Attribute |
Exporting
Before exporting make sure to open your model in Enterprise Architect. Then use the button Export in the Add-ins ribbon
In the following dialog it will show the selected package in the project browser. You can change to another package by clicking on the […] button.
Then press the Export button to actually export he data to Excel. The exported data will end up in the sheet Export_Import
Editing
After exporting you can edit the data to be imported. Using the Action column you can tell the import process what to do
- create
Ignores the classguid column and creates a new item - update
Checks the classguid column and updates the item with this guid. If the item is not found this is treated as a create - delete
Checks the classguid columns and deletes the item with this guid. If the item is not found this row is ignored.
Importing
In order to import the updated data click on the Import button in the Add-ins Ribbon
Then select the datatype package if needed and click Import
Glossary
In the sheet Glossary you can fill in columns A until C with:
- Term
The term name is mandatory. - Type
The type of the term is mandatory as well - Meaning
The meaning of the term is optional.
Importing the glossary the glossary can be done with the button Import Glossary in the Add-ins ribbon
Tagged Values
The Tagged Values sheet can only be used to edit existing tagged values, not for importing new tagged values into EA. It contains the following columns
- GUID
The unique identifier of the tagged value. Used to find the tagged value in the model. – Do not change. - Type
Used to indicate if the tagged value is on an element, attribute, operation or connector. – Do not change - Property
The name of the tagged value. This field can be used to rename tagged values - Value
The value of the tagged value. This field can be edited. - Notes
The notes of the tagged value. This field can be edited. - Owner
The name of the element that owns the tagged value. Used as a context indicator. Changing this field will have no effect.
To export the existing tagged values to Excel use the button Export Tagged Values. Importing tagged values is done with the button Import Tagged values.
Customizing
The code of this little tool is embedded as VBA in the document, and as such can be edited by anyone with basic programming skills.
To open the code editor press Alt-F11.
There are three major parts for the code
- ExcelImporter
The module that contains the importFromExcel macro. This is where you want to make changes. - EAConnector
A facade for EA’s API containing all kinds of useful functions. You probably don’t need to change anything here. - ExcelConnector
A facade for Excel with the code to get the values of the sheet. Again probably no need to change anything here.
Both the Excel file as the VBA code embedded in it is free for use. Just be kind and leave the reference to my name in the code if you use it.
Hi, I wonder of the function to ownerField as this does not have any function when importing your exampel, when resorted. Then each Attribute parent (owner) is the class above.
Hi Steen,
The ownerfield is only used to properly order the classes and attributes when exporting. It is indeed not used when importing.
Geert
Hi, I would like to ask: What does it mean Datatype Package within Import process?
If you select a datatype package, the importer will try to match an existing datatype as the type of your attribute (instead of simply having the name of the type registered in EA)
I have problem with Import into EA (export to excel from EA is OK). During import proces Classes are imported correctly (it looks like OK) but attributes are not imported. Also during import process the message window appears (it looks like for every attribute, so If there are 10 attributes I have to click for OK button 10 times). The message contains following information: “Microsoft OLE DB provider for ODBC Drivers [0x80004005] [MySQL] [ODBC 5.3(w) Driver] [mysql-5.7.34] Field ‘Name’ doesn’t have default value”
Is there any solution for this proble?
Looks like you are trying to import attributes or classes without specifying a name.
Problem is probably different, I have done some investigation and when I import classes and attributes into model on my local physical disk in the PC, all is OK. When I am importing classes and attributes into project on the cloud (I do not know now how it is managed within company, server and similar matters) that time there is above mentioned problem.
If anybody had such problem in the past, maybe could advise.
On “Configuration” sheet in the Export Query part there is one mistake which should be corrected. In Class part within tagged value lines there is for second TAG bad expression “tv2.Property = ‘Tag1′” should be “tv2.Property = ‘Tag2′”.
Hello Geert,
I am trying to add a new property to the Export_Import sheet. I need to include the property “Not Null”. I have added a new column with boolean values (true/false, 0/1). When I run Import I get the following error:
Run-time error ‘438’:
Object doesn’t support this property or method
The error occurs on method: Private Function importItem()
Line: eaConn.importAttribute properties, owner, datatypes, pos
Can you show me how to add the Not Null column into the import and export?
Thank you.
Not Null is stored in the field AllowDuplicates
Just want to say Thank you.
I’m not a dev, more a superuser with excel and EA and I managed thanks to your tool to export my elements and all the tagged values with the Owner GUID. Excel can load both sheets on its own datamodel to easily create reports. This is great for my usecase !
First off, thank you for this body of work! I have a tagged value of “Element Type”. I updated the export query properly. It exports perfectly but when I try to import the data never makes it in the EA repo and everything else work fine. I get no errors. I suspect because of the space in my tagged value name since I do have another tagged value called “Label” that works perfectly.
See above my post from 01/10/2021 at 14:40, maybe this could be solution of the problem
That does not apply to my problem. Here is my complete export query. The second tag does not get imported but the first one is fine:
select ” as Action,o.Object_Type AS CLASSTYPE, o.ea_guid AS CLASSGUID, o.ea_guid as ownerField, -1 as Pos,
o.Name, o.Stereotype, o.Note AS Notes_formatted,o.Alias, ” as Datatype, o.Multiplicity, o.Scope as Visibility,
tv1.Value as TAG_Label, tv2.Value as TAG_ElementType
from ((t_object o
left join t_objectproperties tv1 on (tv1.Object_ID = o.Object_ID
and tv1.Property = ‘Label’))
left join t_objectproperties tv2 on (tv2.Object_ID = o.Object_ID
and tv2.Property = ‘Element Type’))
where o.Package_ID in (#Branch#)
union all
select ” as Action, ‘Attribute’ as CLASSTYPE, a.ea_guid as CLASSGUID, o.ea_guid as ownerField,a.Pos as Pos,
a.name, a.Stereotype, a.Notes as Notes_Formatted, a.Style as Alias, a.Type as Datatype, a.LowerBound & ‘..’ & a.UpperBound as Multiplcity, a.Scope as Visibility,
tv1.Value as TAG_Label, tv2.Value as TAG_ElementType
from (((t_attribute a
inner join t_object o on o.Object_ID = a.Object_ID)
left join t_attributetag tv1 on (tv1.ElementID = a.ID
and tv1.Property = ‘Label’))
left join t_attributetag tv2 on (tv2.ElementID = a.ID
and tv2.Property = ‘Element Type’))
where o.Package_ID in (#Branch#)
order by ownerField, Pos, name
As it might have to do with the space in the name of the property, you try to change its value via the Tagged Values worksheet. They operate on the GUID instead of the name of the property.
Hi. I have a problem importing Package objects.
If I manage to export the structure – Package1-> Package2-> class
the entire structure is flattened during import and the relationships between the Packages are not mapped and got Package1->class
As I’m using the Tagged Values rather extensively, I’m very pleased with this tool to add and update the Tagged Values of the objects in the repository.
However, sometimes, the value of some of the Tagged Values become obsolete.
Is there an easy way to use this tool to remove Tagged Values?
No. Currently deleting tagged values is not supported.
As stated, I’m using this tool rather extensively and just exploring the option to export/import the tagged values options.
Unfortunately, I run into an error which seems to be related to the size of the repository. The error disappears when I remove objects (from a copy of course). Could this be related to 32-64 bit versions? It looks like the export works as long as the number of tagged values is no more than about 24.000 or something. Importing changed values into the original larger repository is no problem.
So my workaround so far is to make a copy of my repository, make that small enough and do the export. Then make the necessary changes and do the import on the original repository. Luckily this works as the guids of the tagged values don’t change.
Would it be possible to limit the export of tagged values to a certain branch only? Just like the export of objects in the first command?