Import file format for attachments

This topic provides guidelines for attachment import files.

Each attachment import file must contain attachment information for only one record type. If you are importing multiple record types, you must create an attachment import file for each record type that includes attachments.

When formatting an attachment import file, note these requirements:

Each attachment must be in a separate file.
The import file format for attachments requires that each entry have an original ID number that identifies the record to which the attachments belong. The remainder of each entry lists the attached files associated with each attachment field of the record.
The path names for the attached files of a single attachment data type field are enclosed in one set of quotation marks and separated by delimiter characters.

If you use the Export wizard to export attachment data from another Rational® ClearQuest® database, the original (old) record ID is saved in a field named display_name. Map the display_name field to the original (old) record ID.

The following example associates three attached files with a record whose original ID is 101. The schema contains two attachment fields, attfield1 and attfield2:

"id","attfield1","attfield2" 
"101","c:\temp\101_1.txt,c:\temp\101_2.txt","c:\temp\101_3.txt"

In this example, attfield1 has two attached files associated with it. A comma separates the path names for the files. Rational ClearQuest software stores the actual contents of the attachments, not just a reference to them, and uses the pathname to locate and read the file.