You can export data from work items to an HTML or comma-separated
values (CSV) file. You define the scope of the export operation by
specifying a query. After you export work items to a CSV file, you
can import them into another project area.
Before you begin
Important: The following data is not preserved
when you use the Export Work Items wizard to export item data to a
CSV file:
- Work item history
- Approval history
- Attachments
- All Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) Uniform Resource
Identifier (URI) reference links. For example, Contributes To, Tracks,
Affects Plan Item, Affected By Defect, Related Change Request, Tracks
Requirement. As a result, while you can use the Import Work Items
wizard to import work items in CSV files that include URI reference
links, the import operation does not automatically create the backlinks
in the referenced items.
In contrast, standard reference links,
such as Parent, Children, Duplicated By, and Depends On, are preserved
when you export data to a CSV file.
Tip: The list
of OSLC link types varies depending on project association definitions
and the OSLC integrations that are configured. For a list of OSLC
link types for the Change and Configuration Management (CCM), Quality
Management (QM), and Requirements Management (RM) applications, see
the following topics:
- For the CCM application:
- For the QM application:
- For the RM application:
About this task
In the Export Work Items wizard, you select the work item
attributes, including custom attributes and link types, to include
as columns in the CSV file.
Procedure
- Click . Alternatively, in the Team Artifacts view,
you can right-click a query and select Export Work Items.
- In the Export wizard, expand Team and
select Work Items. Click Next.
- In the Query field, click Browse and
locate the query that returns the work items to export.
Important: By default, the wizard uses the work item attributes
that are specified on the query editor Column Display page
in the output file. If you intend to use the Import wizard to create
or update work items from the output file, ensure that the Column
Display page selects the attributes that you want to map
to new work items during the import operation.
- For the output format, select either HTML File
(.html) or Spreadsheet (.csv).
Remember: By default, the values in the exported
CSV file are tab-separated, not comma-separated. When you use the
work item importer, if you use a CSV file with this format, remember
to specify that the values are separated by tabs.
- In the Destination field, click Browse to
go to the directory in which to store the file that is created by
the export operation. Click Next.
- Select the work item attributes to display as column headings
in the output. By default, the columns that are specified on the query
editor Column Display page are used. You can
modify the default selections to customize the resulting output.
Important: If you intend to use the Import wizard
to update existing work items, be sure to include the ID attribute
in the exported CVS file and set its Show column setting to use the
internal representation (Internal Value). The
Import wizard uses the IDs to find the work items to update.
- In the Show column setting, specify whether to use the internal
(Internal Value) or external (Label)
representation of each attribute value. Change the Show column value
by clicking the value and selecting the option from the menu that
opens. The external representation is how the value is displayed in
the work item editor. The internal representation is a value that
can be processed by the spreadsheet. This value might be less readable
for users. For example, the external value of the Estimate attribute
is in hours or days. The internal representation is in milliseconds.
Important: If you intend to export, and then import the work
items into another project area, to provide accurate mapping on import,
it is a best practice to use the internal (
Internal Value)
representation of the attributes for the export. At a minimum, use
the internal representation for the following attributes:
- Planned For
- Comments
- URI-based links
- Subscribers
- Contributors list
- Project Area
- Project Area list
- Team Area
- Team Area list
- Process Area
- Process Area list
- Work Item
- Work Item list
- To add columns, click Add Columns;
to remove columns, click Remove.
In the Add
Columns window, you can select Show custom to
see available custom attributes, and select Show built-in to
see the predefined attributes. You can also select Show
links to see available links types that you can choose
to include in the export. Link types indicate relationships that work
items have with other work items. For example: Parent, Child, Duplicated
By, Depends On.
- To adjust the order of columns in the output, click Move
Up and Move Down.
- Click Finish to generate the report.
Results
If you did not clear the
Open automatically after
download option, the exported file opens. If the file
does not open, to open it, go to the location that you specified in
the
Destination field.
When you export work
items by using the Export Work Items wizard, the first row of the
CSV file contains attribute names. The Import wizard uses this first
row to map the column values to attributes.
What to do next
If you want to import work items into a project area by using
the generated CSV file, see
Importing work items from a CSV file.
