EXFO Exchange

This procedure will show you how to import multiple jobs at once in EXFO Exchange, using the CSV file format.

It is possible to create multiple jobs at once in EXFO Exchange by importing them via a CSV file. 

This procedure is divided into two parts;

A. Prepare the CSV file

B. Import the CSV file

A. Prepare the CSV file

1. File Format

The CSV file format supported by Exchange has a few specifications that need to be taken into consideration, if you want you jobs to be imported correctly.

Here is the content of a sample file.

2. Mandatory columns

The following columns are required. If you omit one of them, the CSV cannot be imported

• name
• testPointName
• testType_01

3. Additional and optional columns

The following columns are optional

• assignees
• company
• customer
• dueDate
• customProperty_xx
• identifier_xx
• testType_xx
• testConfiguration

Note: all optional and additional columns can have "blank" values, if required.

3.1 Assignees

• The assignees column can contain the email address of the users you want to assign the corresponding job to.
• IMPORTANT: Make sure the email address are written exactly as they are displayed in the Members page. 
• Note: You can include more than one assignee per job by using the "pipe" | character.
• If a user is NOT visible in the Members page, you need to invite him/her to Exchange first. 
• Please refer to Inviting users to your EXFO Exchange Organization from the web application for more details on  how to invite users in Exchange.  

3.2 Due date

You can specify a due date for each job you want to import, by including a date in the dueDate column.

Here are the date formats currently supported

• yyyy-mm-dd (e.g. 2022-11-25)
• mm/dd/yyyy (e.g. 11/25/2022)

If defined, the number of days until the job is "due" will appear in the web application, in the Jobs page.

Note: This date will also appear on the MaxTester, FTB and Mobile client application

3.3 Custom properties

• Job properties are available to identify the network assets that will be tested.
• Aside from company and customer, which are standard properties, you can define additional properties for the jobs you want to import.
• To define a new custom property, you need to add an extra column with the pattern customProperty_My property, where "My property" would be the name of your custom property.

IMPORTANT: All jobs you will define in you CSV file must have the same custom properties, but some of them can be blank

3.4 Identifiers

• Test identifiers are also a good way to identify the network assets and ports to test.
• Aside from the testPointName, you can define custom identifiers to document the tests to be executed. Each identifier name/value will be stored as part of the test results and included in reports generated from those results.
• To define a new identifier, you have to add an extra column with the pattern identifier_My ID, where "My ID" would be the name of your identifier.

Note: The testPointName is displayed in the list of tests on the MaxTester, FTB and Mobile client applications. It is also used to define the filenames of the result files (e.g. Cable001 - Fiber01.iolm)

4. Test Types

• For each job and test point, you have to specify at least one test type. However, you can also add additional test types if required.
• To define a new test type, you have to add an extra column with the pattern testType_xx, where XX is the number/count of the new test type (i.e. 01, 02, 03, etc.)
• Furthermore, the value you specify for each test point row / test type column will associate the two together.
• Currently supported test types (case sensitive)
  • FIP
  • iOLM
  • OTDR
  • OPM
  • OLTS
  • OLX
• Anything else is considered a "generic" test, which can be executed on the mobile application (e.g. GPS, Picture, Check VFL). 
• You can also optionally define "sub types", which are additional labels displayed in client applications to further identify the test to be executed (e.g. Endface, A->B, etc.).
• Test types and sub types need to be separated by  a "pipe" | character (without space)

5. Test configurations

• You can associate one or more test configurations to a job when importing them by CSV.
• However, you cannot associate a configuration to a particular test point (e.g. Cable001 - Fiber02). Hence the same test configuration(s) will be used for all test points of the same job.
• To associate a particular configuration to a job, you have to specify its filename in the testConfiguration column, on the same row as the corresponding job name.

Note: You can specify more than one test configurations by separating them with a "pipe" | character (without space)

• To know more on how to make you own test configuration available in Exchange, please read Importing test configurations in your EXFO Exchange Organization

B. Import the CSV file

Once your CSV is ready, you can import it into Exchange by following these steps.

1. Select the appropriate workspace into which you want to import the job(s).

2. Navigate to the Jobs page

3. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the Add button and select Import

4. Browse to select the CSV file you wish to import and click Import.

5. The list should be refreshed and the new jobs you imported should be visible.

6. Also, if there is any problem with your CSV file format, an error message will be displayed with possible cause of the failure.