Tips and Notes on How Import and Export Work in meddevo

The meddevo import and export features are powerful tools designed to help you efficiently manage large amounts of product or data entries. However, because these tools combine meddevos system logic with Excel’s formatting limitations, certain behaviors may occur that are important to understand before relying on mass data changes. This article will highlight key tips, common pitfalls, and best practices to help you use these features successfully.

And please keep in mind - importing is not the only option you have for editing data! You can always edit the data of each entry on its own via the "edit" option in meddevo, and also use bulk edits to edit several entries at once.

1. General Overview: Adding and Updating Data

With the meddevo import feature, you can:

• Add entirely new sets of data to the system.
• Update or modify existing data entries in bulk by matching unique fields (like product numbers).
  • As unique identifiers in an import, all formfields of the type NUMBER and TEXT->TEXTFIELD can be chosen

To use the import:

1. Prepare your data in an Excel (.xls or .xlsx) format following the form field names used in meddevo.
2. Upload your file using the import function in the respective collection.
3. Map the columns to the correct meddevo fields as prompted.
4. Review the changes in preview and confirm the import.

If you need further guidance, please check out this article that explains a step by step import on the example of product data.

2. General Behavior (Applies to Most Form Fields)

For the vast majority of form fields in meddevo (except the specific types described below), the import process follows these rules:

• If the same data already exists in meddevo for a given field, the importer will skip this value and make no changes. There will be no new version of the data in the audit trail.
• If the field is currently empty in meddevo, the importer will fill it with the value from your file. If the entry was previously approved, it will now change from this approved major version to a new draft minor version.
• If the field contains different data, the value from your import will replace the original data in meddevo for that field.  If the entry was previously approved, it will now change from this approved major version to a new draft minor version.

This means the import will always ensure your file’s data becomes the "current" value in meddevo, unless the data is already the exact same. No duplicates occur — the field will simply reflect whatever is in your imported file.

The following sections describe the special behavior of reference and select fields, which work differently.

Reference Fields (Single & Multiple Values)

Reference fields with multiple entries (e.g., related products): 
When you import new values, existing values are not removed. Instead, new values from your file are added to whatever is already stored. 

Example: 
Existing: A 
Imported: B 
Result: A, B 

You cannot remove (delete) values via import; removals must be done manually via entry edit or bulk entry edit.

Reference Fields with Only a Single Entry (no multiple values allowed).
Any new value imported will replace the old value.

Example: 
Existing: A 
Imported: B 
Result: B

Important: If the imported column is empty, the existing value will not be deleted. 
Example: 
Existing: A 
Imported: (EMPTY) 
Result: A

This means that to remove a single-entry reference value, you must edit it manually — it cannot be deleted via an empty import value.

How do I know which fields are single value and which are multiple value fields?

The configuration is generally aligned with the MDR. Can different users work with one product? Yes, which is why “intended users” is a multiple field. Can a product have multiple safety classes? No, which is why risk class is a single field. Which fields are single and which are multiple can in detail be seen by admin users in the collection management. 

Select/Dropdown Fields

Behave in the same manner as references.

Multi-select fields: 
Adding new values via import will add to the list, not overwrite. 
Example: 
Existing: Red 
Imported: Blue 
Result: Red, Blue

Single-Select fields:
Any new value imported will replace the old value.

Example: 
Existing: Red 
Imported: Blue 
Result: Blue

Important: If the imported column is empty, the existing value will not be deleted. 
Example: 
Existing: Red 
Imported: (EMPTY) 
Result: Red

This means that to remove a single-entry reference value, you must edit it manually — it cannot be deleted via an empty import value.

3. Formatting Limitations: What Excel (and meddevo Import/Export) Cannot Do

Excel’s format is simpler than meddevo rich editor. As a result:

• Text formatting (bold, italics, colors)
• Embedded images
• Bullet points and special lists

cannot be translated by Excel files during import or export. That means:

• Text imported into rich-text or editor fields will lose all special formatting—it will be plain text.
• Embedded images inside editor fields cannot be imported or exported.
• When exporting, you will only get plain text for these fields, with no formatting, images, or structure.

Tip: 
If you require rich formatting in certain fields, always edit these fields directly in meddevo after the import.

4. Error Messages and Validations

meddevo does its best to validate your data during import. However, our algorithm cannot detect every possible issue, so manual checks of both your import file and the results in meddevo are highly recommended.

Typical issues to watch out for include:

• Spelling errors, specifically in the identifier (often names). This can result in a new entry instead of an update of the existing.
• Double spaces, for example: "Product Name" and "Product  Name" again, specifically in the identified, can cause duplicates.
• Common letter confusions, such as using a lowercase "L" instead of an uppercase "i" (for example, ‘lla’ instead of ‘IIa’ in risk classes). These can look similar to the human eye, but for the system, "LLa" is not the same as "iia".

5. Best Practices and Recommendations

• Always preview your import to avoid duplicates and wrong editing in meddevo.
• For bulk deletions or removals from multi-value fields, use the meddevo interface.
• When regularly importing data, consider defining strict templates and training team members on the field behaviors (especially multi-value additions vs. replacements).

Conclusion

Understanding these behaviors and Excel limitations is key to a smooth data management workflow. Keep these tips at hand whenever working with import/export in meddevo. For complex changes or advanced formatting, always plan a final manual review step inside the meddevo system.