Hello there, fellow data novice! Feeling overwhelmed by thinking how to migrate mountains of data during your first project setup? Or struggling with endless spreadsheets and manual data updates for a certain business process?
Oh, I totally understand how you feel. I was sailing in the same boat as yours some time back. That’s when I was introduced to Data Workbench (DWB) - this SAP Cloud for Customer tool lets you handle mass data effortlessly. This blog is your ultimate end-to-end guide to mastering Data Workbench update process as a beginner.
To make you understand in a very simple way, let me take a ticket just for example and update the field called ‘Resolved On’ as shown below. (Please Note: I have taken one record as an example, you can update multiple records at once):
The process of updating the data on the ticket splits into 2 sub-processes:
- Export the file for retrieving the existing data from C4C.
- Make changes to the exported file and import it back into C4C.
EXPORT DATA FROM C4C
Go to Data Workbench work center > click on Export > select Standard Object > choose the ‘Service Request’ option from the Search dropdown > select the ID field from the dropdown as shown below. Data Workbench lets you search records by using a unique identifier like Object ID, ID, External Key, etc. You can click on ‘add’ option to add multiple filters for exporting specific set of data.
Enter the ticket ID in value field and click on next at the bottom right corner of the screen.
On the next screen given below, DWB displays the summary of all the records that you have selected. You can view the data and export the required columns using checkboxes given. E.g., if you do not require Ship_To column, then you can uncheck the ‘Ship_To’ checkbox and export the rest of the data. You can make the required changes in the exported sheet and then use the same sheet for the import.
This screen also displays the number of records and conditions you have chosen to export. You can export the file in Excel Workbook (.xlsx) format and Comma Separated Values (.csv) format. You can also schedule this task to be triggered later (up to 72 hours from the current time) using Schedule task functionality. Once you have reviewed the records, the next step is to click on ‘Export Data’ at the right bottom corner of the screen.
Your data will be exported.
You can monitor the progress of the export through Monitor option given in Data Workbench work center. Go to Monitor > Scroll to the extreme right > when the status shows Finished, you will be able to download the file by clicking on the hyperlink given under ‘File Name’ column as shown in the below screenshot.
Update the data as required in the downloaded excel. In the screenshot given below, I have updated the Resolved_On date and time from 08/24/2023 12:00 AM to 08/31/2023 12:00 AM.
2023-08-31T00:00:00Z this is the standard date and time format. Please make sure that while you update the date and time, the format must be kept unchanged.
Once the required changes are done, you can delete all the non-updated fields’ data values to avoid any data overwriting, keeping all the Header fields unchanged and keeping only the Object ID and Resolved_On fields’ values as shown below.
IMPORT DATA INTO C4C
To import the data, go to Import from Data Workbench work center > select Individual Object to update one business object at a single time (Complete Business Object imports all data into a business object). Select ‘Update’ (Update feature is used to update your existing data) > as we are using Object ID to import the data, we do not select the ‘Use Known IDs’ checkbox (Known IDs are those IDs seen in the user interface – Object ID is not visible in UI and therefore it is not Known ID) > Click on Standard Object > Click on Service Request without expanding the node > click on Next on the bottom right corner of the screen.
Click on Browse to select the data file from your local system > Click on Open
Once the file is selected > click on Upload which will display the data that you have selected for upload > you can validate the data (Cross-check the Number of rows and Columns and all the fields with the values that will be imported) and then click on Next in the bottom right corner.
You can see the ‘Data Validation is successful’ and the summary details (Total records, selected operation, etc.) are being displayed on the screen. You can also Schedule the Import task to trigger it in the future. For e.g.: When you need to import large amount of data, it is always advised to do it out of business hours. Therefore, this Schedule Task functionality can be used that time, which can let you import data late night or on weekends i.e. out of business hours (when you will not be available on the system for the import).
You simply can Schedule it for later and Data Workbench will perform the task at the scheduled time. Now, click on Import button present in the bottom right corner of the screen.
The below message will be displayed on your screen. Go to Monitor to check the import status. Once it shows ‘Finished’, you can go to the ticket and check the updated details.
Now that you have mastered Data Workbench process, it's time to put your newfound skills to test! Implement it seamlessly into your daily project activities and watch your efficiency soar.
But hello, the adventure doesn't end here! Before you set sail, equip yourself with even more knowledge by checking out my blog - 11 Things a Beginner should know before using Data Workbench
These 11 things are amalgamation of Data Workbench limitations, mistakes one should avoid while using Data workbench and a few pro-tips for all the data novices out there!
- SAP Managed Tags:
