When managing a handful to hundreds of devices, updating their settings one by one can be time consuming and inefficient. Fortunately, in Device Management 2.0 you have the ability to update multiple devices at the same time with a CSV file - resulting in managing device configurations more efficiently and faster.
This article will guide you on how to export multiple devices using the Export and Import a CSV file to update the devices in Device Management 2.0.
Topics include:
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The maximum number of device that be exported or imported at one time is 50,000.
If you need to export more than 50,000 devices, filter the device list into smaller quantities.
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Do not delete the UniqueID column or rename any columns in the exported CSV file. These columns map directly to devices and their settings. However, you may delete any columns you are not updating, except for the UniqueID column
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The exported CSV file includes configuration settings and read-only data from both the Device Management 2.0 interface in Kio Cloud and the Device Management API.
You can find the API configuration specifications in the Device Management API create config endpoint. You can find more setting details that can be helpful when updating settings from the CSV file. For example, the name setting is limited to 15 characters and importing a value greater will result in the import failing.
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When importing an updated CSV file, any configuration changes made in Device Management 2.0 after the original export will be overwritten. The values in the CSV file take precedence over the current settings in Device Management.
For example, if you perform an export on Monday at 1 PM and from Device Management you update a device's Deployment Status from "To Be Deployed" to "Deployed" at 2 PM, importing a CSV file with the original status of "To be deployed" will overwrite the change made at 2 PM.
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Timestamp data is in the UTC timezone.
The first step is to export and download the devices and their data.
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From your Kio Cloud Launchpad, go to Device Management 2.0 .
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From the left menu, select the category of the device(s) being updated. That being either Tags or Infrastructure devices.
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When you need to only update a specific set of devices, it's recommended to apply a filter to limit the devices exported to only those requiring an update.
For example, if you only need to update the configuration for Asset Tag 2 devices. As shown in the image below, from the Search & Filter feature, set the Criteria to Product > set the Product filter to IS then select Asset Tag 2.
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From the Bulk option (displays the number of devices being exported), select EXPORT CSV > select Download CSV to download the file to your local download file.
Important
The Download CSV file will expire in 60 seconds.
Tip
When importing an updated CSV file, this process cannot be rolled back. It's recommended to save a copy of the original CSV export file in the event you need to manually rollback the updates or to retain the original data for historical purposes.
Important
Before you begin, review Important guidelines when using third-party apps to update the CSV file.
During this step, the most important requirement is that the CSV file contains the uniqueID column. This column is required to identify which device the configuration settings belong to. Also, be sure the follow the important guidelines when using a third-party app to update the CSV file.
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Open the CSV file using a third-party editor such as Excel. Be sure to follow the guidelines when using third-party apps.
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Locate the column settings and update needed.
It's ok to delete the columns that are not being updated, but do not delete the uniqueID column or the header row with the column names.
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When the updates are complete, save as a CSV file and proceed to the next step.
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With the updated CSV file ready, navigate back to Device Management 2.0 , from the left menu, select Tags or Infrastructure (based on the original export file).
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Select IMPORT CSV > UPLOAD CSV FILE > select the updated file, click Open to initiate the import process.
If there was an error that prevented an Import update, review the message to correct the CSV import file and repeat the import process.
Once completed, the configuration updates are applied to each device.
Synchronization is required to ensure a device's local configuration is in sync with its Kio Cloud configuration. Synchronization varies by the type of setting and your BLE to Wi-Fi Infrastructure.
Type of setting:
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Virtual setting (Deployment Status, Tag, Note): devices are not required to be synchronized and updates are automatically applied to the device. Virtual settings are only attributes stored in Kio Cloud and not stored in a device's local configuration.
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For all other settings: devices are required to synchronize to receive and download pending configuration updates. These settings are stored locally on a device and must be kept in sync with Kio Cloud.
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Type of BLE to Wi-Fi Infrastructure:
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Kontakt.io Portal Lights: Tags and Infrastructure devices automatically synchronize and receive pending configuration updates.
Portal Lights connect to the local WiFi network every one minute to send data to and download pending configuration updates from Kio Cloud.
BLE-only Tags and Infrastructure devices receive and download pending configuration updates from a nearby Portal Light.
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Non-Portal Light Infrastructure: Tags and BLE Infrastructure devices are required to be synchronized locally at the device.
To learn how to synchronize devices locally, see Synchronize device pending updates with the Kio Setup Manager app.
From both the Tags and Infrastructure menus, the list view displays a Synchronizing column that indicates if a device has a pending configuration. If you do not see the column, select Customize Table to add the Synchronizing column to the view.
From the profile of a device, there is also a PENDING update notification and the sync icon displayed at the tab and setting level to visually indicate a pending configuration.
When using common third-party apps, these apps may attempt to identify the data types in each column and format the numbers. However, automatic detection can sometimes interpret large numbers as a scientific notation, which results in compatibility issues when importing the updated CSV file into Device Management.
Please follow the below guidelines when updating the CSV file to ensure that your updated CSV file imports successfully into Device Management.
Open Excel > create a new blank workbook. > From the toolbar, select the Data tab > from the Get External Data section, select From Text/CSV > Locate and select the exported CSV file > click Import.
For all columns, verify they are all set to the type of Text; do not select General or any other format. By specifying the columns as a text format, Excel preserves the original data format.
Create a new spreadsheet > go to File > Import > select the CSV file > uncheck the box next to Convert text to number, dates, and formulas > click Import data.