Import-Export_Model

Defining a Process > Data Import/Export in Process Simulator

Import-Export Model Data

Exporting Process Simulator model data allows you to view and validate the details of all activities, entities, resources, arrivals, routings, etc. in Microsoft Office Excel. You can then modify many of the details and import those changes back into your Process Simulator model.

To import from or export to an Excel file, select Data Import/Export from the Process Simulator menu and choose either Import or Export from the sub menu.

Export

When you select the option to export the data from your Process Simulator model, you will be prompted to choose the file name and directory where you would like to export your data. A suggested filename will be automatically entered as <model name>.xlsx, however, it can be changed before the export occurs.

To export a file from the Process Simulator menu, select Data Import/Export > Export.

Select the file location where you would like to save your exported file. The file will be saved as an Excel spread sheet (.xlsx or.xls) file.

Once Save is selected, a progress dialog appears as your file is exporting.

When the file is successfully exported, another dialog will appear asking whether or not you would like to open the file.

After exporting to Excel, the model elements will be separated and organized into individual sheets in the workbook. To view the different sheets, select the desired tab at the bottom of the workbook. The specific sheets created are:

Activities	Scheduled Arrivals
Activity Multi Entity	Routing
Activity Setup	Variables
Activity Downtimes	Attributes
Entities	Buffers
Resources	Storages
Resource Downtimes	Scenarios
Resource Groups	Six Sigma Analysis
Arrivals	Simulation Properties

Please note: The order in which model objects are exported and appear on each sheet is established by their order in the Simulation Object Explorer.

Import

Exported Process Simulator files can be modified and then imported back into Process Simulator which updates the model with the changes. When a Process Simulator file is exported, only the columns and fields that are colored black can be modified for importing back into Process Simulator. The blue columns and fields should not be modified and cannot be imported back into Process Simulator.

To import an exported model file into Process Simulator, select the Process Simulator menu and choose Data Import/Export > Import.

Choose the file you would like to import from a directory on your computer and select Open.
A status dialog will appear showing the progress of the import.

If your file successfully imported, the screen will return to the Process Simulator layout view.

Please note: If there was a problem with importing the file, you will receive an “Import Errors” window. This window lists all the errors encountered during the import process. Your Process Simulator model will not be modified with the imported changes until all the import errors are resolved.

Each import error is listed on a separate row of the table in the Import Errors window. Each error listed specifies the Excel sheet in which the error occurred, the row number on the specified sheet, and the description of the error to be fixed.