Import features from a spreadsheet

If you've got feature ideas living in a spreadsheet or a tool that exports to XLSX/CSV, you can import them to Productboard by following these instructions.

In this article:

Relevant to both new and legacy boards

Step 1: Open any features board, grid, timeline, or columns board

You can use any features board, grid, timeline, or columns board to import features. You'll choose where exactly your imported features will land in a later step, so it doesn't matter which board you start with.

If you're using a features board, you must group it by hierarchy, sorted list, or status or the import option won't appear. 

Step 2: Open the importer

To access the feature importer, click ••• More actions in the top right corner of the board and select Import features.

If you're using a features board, you must hover over the PlusCircle-1.svg blue plus button and select Import features instead of going through the ••• More actions menu.

On the page that appears, select Spreadsheets, then Import via CSV.

Step 3: Format your data

The importer includes a CSV template that will help Productboard read your data. Download the template by clicking on the link. From there, you can either copy your data from its current spreadsheet into the template or copy the headers from the template into your existing CSV. 

The template's headers correspond to Productboard data fields. They are:

  • Name (required)
  • Description
  • Status
  • Owner (must be the email address of an active maker in Productboard)
  • Start date and End date (corresponding to the Timeframe field)
  • Effort
Note: You can add feature metadata at any time after importing if you’d prefer to just import the name for now..

Once your spreadsheet is ready, you can import it by dragging and dropping the file into the importer or by clicking Browse files.

Step 4: Determine your import location and confirm the import

Once the importer has identified your data, you must decide where in your hierarchy the new features should be added using the Import Features to… dropdown.

Note: Since all the features of an import will go to the same destination, we recommend importing in batches corresponding to a component or a subcomponent of your hierarchy. This will reduce the need to make hierarchy adjustments. 

When you're ready, click Import X features to complete the import. 

Step 5: Make hierarchy adjustments (if needed)

Once your features have finished importing, you may want to adjust their position in the hierarchy. You can drag and drop individual features to adjust their location.

dropanddrop.jpeg

You can also select many features at a time by clicking and shift-clicking the checkboxes beside your features.

multi-select.jpg

When you do this, the details sidebar will appear, allowing you to adjust the location of all selected features by editing the Hierarchy field. You can also edit other fields from this sidebar. For example, let’s say you want to backfill your Productboard account by adding a big batch of all your recently launched features. After importing your features, you could update their statuses like this:

statuschange.jpeg

See also

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