Migrate External Data into TaskRay

TaskRay uses three primary objects - Projects, Task Groups, and Tasks - for its primary data structure.  If you want to import data from an external system or a sandbox environment into TaskRay, this article will provide instructions on how to load data into those three primary objects. To understand the relationships across TaskRay objects and for reference, see the TaskRay Entity Resource Diagram.

The data migration process is useful for those interested in transferring data into TaskRay from project management tools outside of Salesforce. While there are a variety of free and paid tools designed to facilitate Salesforce data migration, including Data Loader, Jitterbit, and Workbench, the simplest migration method for loading data is Salesforce’s native Data Import Wizard. We have provided you with three data templates for assistance.

Import Project Data [Admin]

Prepare Project Data

To prepare project data, you must first map your existing Project data into this template: TaskRay Projects Object Data Migration (export/download onto your computer: File > Download As). The template is structured to include the following fields:

• Project Name: Limit to 80 characters.
• Archived: Optional field: Use this if you want to import old data and report on old data, but do not want have it clutter your view in the TaskRay interface. Archived projects and tasks can be viewed in the standard Salesforce interface.
• Project Start: Date field.
• Project End: Date field.
• Owner: Salesforce User Login or Salesforce User ID.
  
  
  Note: If you would like to use User IDs for this field, you can quickly find User IDs by generating a User Report. Alternatively, you could locate individual User IDs by following these instructions: Locate a Salesforce User ID
• Custom Fields: Add any additional columns for custom project fields that you have already added to the TaskRay Project object using Field Sets.

When you are ready, save the spreadsheet in CSV format.

Data Import Wizard 

Now that you have your data organized, it's time to launch the Import Wizard.

1. From Setup, navigate to:
   • Lightning: Data | Data Import Wizard.
   • Classic: Data Management | Data Import Wizard.
2. Click on Launch Wizard!
3. What kind of data are you importing? Click on the Custom Objects tab and select TaskRay Projects.
4. What do you want to do? Select Add New Records.
5. For Which User field in your file designates record owners? select Name or Salesforce ID.
   
   
   Note: This is referring to the Owner field/column in the spreadsheet. The selection in this step will depend on how your spreadsheet is structured.
6. Optional: If you have additional custom fields added to the TaskRay Project object which are referenced in the spreadsheet, specify how you want them mapped in this section.
7. Where is your data located? Drag the Project Data CSV file into the box or click on CSV and upload your file.
8. Click Next.
9. Edit Field Mapping: Review how the fields have been mapped and adjust as necessary. 
10. It is possible that the Owner field will show up as Unmapped. To resolve, map it to Record Owner.
11. Click Next.
12. Review and click on Start Import! Click OK in the confirmation dialog.

That's it! Wait for the bulk upload to finish, and when it's ready, you can go to TaskRay and see your new Projects in the sidebar (make sure that the correct board filter is selected). However, these Projects will be empty, so your next step will be to import Task Group (optional) and Task data.

Import Task Group Data [Admin] (Optional)

Tasks from your previous system may have been grouped, categorized, or tagged within Projects. TaskRay’s built-in Task Groups allow for similar ways of categorizing Tasks. If you would like to align your previous categorization with Task Groups in TaskRay or if you’re importing Task Groups from a sandbox, follow the below steps:

Find Your Project IDs

When you import your Task Groups, you will need to map them to corresponding Projects. In this case, let's map them to the Projects that we imported in the previous step, which would require locating their Project IDs. To find the Project IDs, we will create a quick report to list them out.

1. In Salesforce, click on the Reports tab. If the tab is not listed across the top, open the App Launcher (Lightning) or click on the + icon (Classic) and select Reports.
2. Click on New Report.
3. Under Select Report Type, expand Other Reports.
4. Select TaskRay Projects.
5. Click Create.
6. From the Fields list, drag TaskRay Project: ID and TaskRay Project: Project Name onto the report
   
7. At the top, for Show, select All TaskRay Projects.
8. Click Save.
   
9. In the dialog, enter the Report Name and select the Report Folder. Click Save.
10. The dialog will close and a Run Report button will appear at the top. Click on Run Report.
11. Export the report.

• Lightning: In the top right corner of the page, click on the Down Arrow next to Edit and select Export. In the dialog, click Export.
• Classic: Click on Export Details and click Export.

Prepare Task Group Data 

To prepare Task Group data, map your existing data into this template: TaskRay Task Groups Object Data Migration (export/download onto your computer: File > Download As). The template is structured to include the following fields:

• Project ID: Map the appropriate Project ID by cross-referencing your newly created Project ID report. This is a much more reliable import field, although exact match on Project Name is an alternative.
• Task Group Name: Limit to 80 characters.
• Start: Date field.
• End: Date field.
• Custom Fields: Add any additional columns for custom Task Group fields that you have already added to the Task Group object.

When you are ready, save the spreadsheet in CSV format.

Data Import Wizard 

Now that you have your data organized, it's time to launch the Import Wizard.

1. From Setup, navigate to:

• Lightning: Data | Data Import Wizard.
• Classic: Data Management | Data Import Wizard.

That's it! Wait for the bulk upload to finish, and when it's ready, you can go to TaskRay and see your new Task Groups for each Project. Your next step will be to import Task data.

Import Task Data [Admin]

Find Your New Project IDs

When you import your Tasks, you will need to map them to their correct Projects. In this case, let's map them to the Projects that we imported in the previous step, which would require locating their Project IDs. To find the Project IDs, we will create a quick report to list them out.

1. In Salesforce, click on the Reports tab. If the tab is not listed across the top, open the App Launcher (Lightning) or click on the + icon (Classic) and select Reports.
2. Click on New Report.
3. Under Select Report Type, expand Other Reports.
4. Select TaskRay Projects.
5. Click Create.
6. From the Fields list, drag TaskRay Project: ID and TaskRay Project: Project Name onto the report.
7. At the top, for Show, select All TaskRay Projects.
8. Click Save.
9. In the dialog, enter the Report Name and select the Report Folder. Click Save.
10. The dialog will close and a Run Report button will appear at the top. Click on Run Report.
11. Export the report:
    • Lightning: In the top right corner of the page, click on the Down Arrow next Edit and select Export. In the dialog, click Export.
    • Classic: Click on Export Details and click Export.
12. Save the report, we will use it again in one of the next steps. 
 

Find Your New Task Groups IDs (Optional) 

If you previously imported Task Groups, you will need to map Tasks to their correct Task Groups. This will require you to locate Task Group IDs. To find Task Group IDs, we will create a quick report to list them out.

1. In Salesforce, click on the Reports tab. If the tab is not listed across the top, open the App Launcher (Lightning) or click on the + icon (Classic) and select Reports.
2. Click on New Report.
3. Under Select Report Type, expand Other Reports.
4. Select TaskRay Projects with TaskRay Task Groups.
5. Click Create.
6. From the Fields list, drag TaskRay Project: ID, TaskRay Project: Project Name, TaskRay Task Group: ID, and TaskRay Task Group: Task Group Name onto the report.
7. At the top, for Show, select All TaskRay Projects.
8. Click Save.
9. In the dialog, enter the Report Name and select the Report Folder. Click Save.
10. The dialog will close and a Run Report button will appear at the top. Click on Run Report.
11. Export the report: 
    • Lightning: In the top right corner of the page, click on the Down Arrow next Edit and select Export. In the dialog, click Export.
    • Classic: Click on Export Details and click Export.

Prepare Task Data 

To prepare task data, map your existing Task data into this template: TaskRay Project Tasks Object Data Migration (export/download onto your computer: File > Download As). The template is structured to include the following fields:

• Project ID: Map the appropriate Project ID by cross-referencing your newly created Project ID report. This is a much more reliable import field, although an exact match on Project Name is an alternative.
• Task Name: Limit to 80 characters.
• Task Group: Map the appropriate Task Group ID by cross-referencing your newly created Task Group ID report. This is a much more reliable import field, although an exact match on Task Group Name is an alternative.
• Description: Limit to 32,000 characters.
• End Date: Date field. This will map to the End Date field.
• Priority: Choose High, Normal, or Low (or others, if you have customized Priority values).
• List: Choose Holding, Prioritized, Started, or Finished (or others, if you have customized List values). This is referring to Task List in TaskRay - also the columns in the Kanban View.
• Owner: Salesforce User Login or Salesforce User ID. This is the owner of the task.
  
  
  Note: If you would like to use User IDs for this field, you can quickly find User IDs by generating a User Report. Alternatively, you could locate individual User IDs by following these instructions: Locate a Salesforce User ID.
• Custom Fields: Add any additional columns for custom Task fields that you have already added to the Project Task object using Field Sets. 

When you are ready, save the spreadsheet in CSV format.

Data Import Wizard 

Now that you have your data organized, it's time to launch the Import Wizard.

1. From Setup, navigate to:

• Lightning: Data | Data Import Wizard.
• Classic: Data Management | Data Import Wizard.

That's it! Wait for the bulk upload to finish, and when it's ready, you can go to TaskRay and view your new tasks in the designated projects.