If you need to create a large number of tasks, you can import them from an Excel file instead of creating them one by one.
Importing lets you assign tasks to users or groups, define locations and assets, and set up tasks that repeat.
💡 What do I need to know before importing?
If you need to... | Do this |
Create many tasks at once | Download the template, fill it in, and import it |
Make tasks repeat | Fill in the frequency columns, which are optional |
Assign tasks to a group | Use Assignment Type: group and fill in Group Name |
Use locations from the Locations module (new) | Use Location Type: NestableLocation |
Use locations from Settings and Help > Lists (old) | Use Location Type: Location |
Find out which rows failed and why | Check the import history |
📥 How do I import tasks?
Log in to the DataScope Web Platform.
Go to Task Assignments.
Select the upload file icon, next to the Google Sheets button, and then Import now.
In Step 1, select Download example to download the Excel template.
In Step 2, fill in the template with your tasks' data. Make sure to complete the fields marked with an asterisk (*).
In Step 3, drag your Excel file or browse for it on your computer. It may take a few minutes to process.
Select Import.
The import panel shows the file requirements, which you can check while you fill in the template.
When you're done, check the result in the import history.
📋 Template columns
Task data
Column | Required? | What to enter |
ID to create/update task | No | Leave it empty to create a new task. If the ID matches an existing task, the row updates it. Avoid repeating IDs within the file. |
Form Name * | Yes | Name of the form you want to assign, exactly as it appears in your account. |
Description | No | Additional information about the task. The user sees it before answering the form. |
Tasks to do | No | Additional activities for the task. In the template's example, they're separated by semicolons (;). |
Asset Code | No | Code of the asset you want to link to the task. If it doesn't match an existing asset, it is ignored. |
Users and groups
Column | Required? | What to enter |
Assignment Type | No | individual (default) or group. |
User Email * | Yes, for individual tasks | Email of the user the task is assigned to. |
Group Name * | Yes, for group tasks | Name of the group. The group must exist and have active users. |
Date and time frame
Column | Required? | What to enter |
Datetime * | Yes | Start date and time, in the format dd/mm/yyyy HH:MM. For example: 24/09/2026 22:39. |
Time Gap | Yes | Number of hours, after the start date, during which the task is accepted. Corresponds to Task duration in hours. |
Allowed Late Response | No | 0: the user can't respond after the deadline (default). 1: they can. |
Schedule Send (days before) | No | Number of days before the start when the task is sent. For example, 7. |
To learn how advance sending works, see: Scheduling assigned tasks
Participation
Column | Required? | What to enter |
Mandatory | No | 0: the assigned user can respond (optional). 1: only one person in the group responds (group tasks only). 2: the assigned user must respond (default). |
Location
Column | Required? | What to enter |
Location Type | No | Location (default) or NestableLocation. See the section on locations below. |
Location Code | No | Code of the location where the task is done. |
Location Name, Location Address, Location Email, Location Phone | No | Location details. They're used to create a location or to update the details of an existing one. |
Repetition (frequency)
Column | Required? | What to enter |
Frequency (unit/interval) | No | Unit and interval separated by a slash (/). Units: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Empty: the task doesn't repeat. |
Weekdays | No | Weekly frequency only. Days separated by semicolons (;). |
End Condition | No | never (default), date, or count. |
End Value (date or count) | No | A dd/mm/yyyy date if the condition is date, or a whole number of repetitions if it is count. Empty if it is never. |
🔁 Tasks that repeat
For a task to repeat, fill in the frequency columns. They're optional: if you leave them empty, the task is created just once.
Frequency (unit/interval): write the unit and the interval separated by a slash. For example, weekly/2 repeats the task every 2 weeks, and daily/3, every 3 days.
Weekdays: weekly frequency only. Write the days separated by semicolons, in lowercase: monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday. For example: monday;thursday.
End Condition: never (the repetition doesn't end), date (it ends on the given date), or count (it ends after the given number of repetitions).
End Value: the date or the count, depending on the condition.
Example
Frequency | Weekdays | End Condition | End Value | Result |
weekly/2 | monday;thursday | count | 6 | Repeats every 2 weeks, on Mondays and Thursdays, and ends after 6 repetitions |
📌 Important: in a task that repeats, if you leave the Schedule Send (days before) column empty, the task is imported with Task start. Tasks that repeat can't be sent right away.
To learn more about repeating tasks, see: How do I assign a task to a user in DataScope?
📍 Which location type do I use: Location or NestableLocation?
The Location Type column indicates in which version of locations to look up the code you entered:
Location Type | Uses locations from... |
Location | The old version: Settings and Help > Lists |
NestableLocation | The new version: the Locations module, whether or not they're nested into sub-locations |
📌 Important: if you leave Location, which is the default value, and your code belongs to a location in the Locations module, the task may end up without a location. If in that case you use the location's name, an old-version location is created. To avoid this, use NestableLocation.
If the location code already exists for the selected type, DataScope updates its address, email, and phone with the row's data. If the location had no name, the one you provide is assigned.
To learn about the differences between both versions, see: How do I filter answers by Location in the Home section?
🕘 Import history
Every time you import tasks, DataScope generates a detailed log with the result of each row in the file.
To see it, select the upload file icon and then View history.
There you can identify which tasks were created successfully, which were updated, and which failed, with the reason for the error in each case.
For rows with errors, the history shows the Fix and retry option, which lets you edit that row's data and submit it again without repeating the entire import.
Examples of results you may find:
ID in use (task in progress or completed): the ID already belongs to an active or finished task and can't be reused.
Changes detected: the row updated an existing task. The log indicates how many fields changed.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can I create tasks that repeat from the Excel file? Yes. Fill in the template's frequency columns. They're optional.
Can I assign a task to a group from the Excel file? Yes. In Assignment Type, write group and fill in Group Name. The group must exist and have active users.
What happens if I use an ID that already exists? If it matches an existing task, the row updates it. If the task is in progress or completed, the ID can't be reused.
Can I set up reminders from the Excel file? The current template doesn't include reminder columns.
How do I know if my import worked? Select the upload file icon and then View history.
Can I import tasks with a location that doesn't exist yet? Yes. Fill in Location Code and Location Name, and the location's other details if you have them, and indicate the correct Location Type.