Importing a study from an archive is the same as
importing any folder archive with a few additional considerations. Like other imports, you first create an empty folder of type "Study", then navigate to it before importing. You can import from an exported archive, or from another study folder on the same server. You can also simultaneously apply a study import to multiple folders, to support a scenario where you would like multiple matching starting places for parallel work.
Import Study
To import a study:
- Navigate to the study folder.
- Click Import Study if no study has been created or imported in this folder yet.
- If there is already a study here, select (Admin) > Folder > Management and click the Import tab.
- Select either:
- Local zip archive: click Choose File or Browse and select the folder archive.
- Existing folder: select the folder to use.
- Select whether to Validate all queries after import.
- Selecting Show advanced import options will give you additional selections, described below.
- Click Import Folder.
Advanced Import Options
Validate All Queries After Import
By default, queries will be validated upon import of a folder archive and any failure to validate will cause the import job to raise an error. To suppress this validation step, uncheck the
Validate all queries after import option. If you are using the check-for-reload action in the custom API, there is a 'suppress query validation' parameter that can be used to achieve the same effect as unchecking this box in the check for reload action.
Select Specific Objects to Import
Selecting which study objects to import from either source gives you, for example, the ability to import an existing study's configuration and structure
without including the actual dataset data from the archive. Learn more about folder objects in the
export folder archive topic.
Fail Import for Undefined Visits
When you are importing a folder that includes a study, you'll see an extra option to control the behavior if the archive also any new visits.
By default, new visit rows will be created in the study during import for any dataset rows which reference a new, undefined visit. If you want the import to instead fail if it would create visits that are not already in the destination study or imported visit map, select
Advanced Import Options then check the box
Fail Import for Undefined Visits.
This option will cancel the import if any imported data belongs to a visit not already defined in the destination study or the visit map included in the incoming archive.
Overlapping Visit Ranges
If you are
importing a new visit map for a visit-based study, the import will fail if the new map causes overlapping visits.
Study Templates
A study minus the actual dataset data can be used as a template for generating new studies of the same configuration, structure and layout. To generate one, you can either:
- Create a specific template study with all the required elements but add no data.
- Export an existing study, but exclude all data options on export.
In a large project with many studies, keeping them all of the same format and layout may be a priority. A template can also be useful if an administrator needs to make a change to the web parts or tabs in all child studies at once. Importing only the necessary portion of a template into an existing study can be used to change, for example, web part layout, without changing anything else about the study.
When you import any folder archive, including a study template, you can select only the objects of interest.
To import a folder archive as a 'template':
- Select (Admin) > Folder > Management and click the Import tab.
- Click Choose File or Browse and select the archive.
- Check the box for "Use advanced import options".
- Click Import from local zip archive.
- Check the box for "Select specific objects to import".
- Select the elements to import. Check that "Dataset Data" and any other data objects are not checked. Objects not available or not eligible for import are grayed out.
It is also possible to import a study into multiple folders at once. More information about these options can be found here:
Advanced Folder Import Options.
Related Topics
