6. Importing and Exporting Files 

Importing and Exporting CSV (ZIP) Files
- CSV Format
- CSV and ZIP Content Rules

6.1. Importing and Exporting CSV (ZIP) Files

Requirements, including attached files and referenced enumerations, can be imported into or exported from any requirements list within a specific project — such as a system version, feature version, or vehicle functional architecture version — using comma-separated values (CSV) files or ZIP archives (the latter is necessary to include attachments and enumerations).

Round-trip importing and exporting capabilities are also provided. For instance, one can export requirements to a file, modify the attribute values within that file, and subsequently import the file back into SODA.Create.

To commence the process of importing or exporting requirements, locate the context menu (...) button adjacent to any requirements list header and select the desired function (export button is disabled if the list contains no requirements). For instance:

In the instance above, two distinct lists of requirements are present (vehicle requirements and system requirements) within the requirements page of the project (system version). It is important to note that requirements intended for inclusion in both lists may be consolidated into a single CSV file, and the import function executed only once from the context menu of either list. This functionality is also applicable to the requirements page of feature version projects.

6.1.1. CSV Format

SODA.Create implements the CSV format as specified in the RFC 4180 document. For general information about the CSV file format, please refer to the “Comma-separated values” resource available on the RFC Editor website.

It is noteworthy that when a CSV file is prepared manually, it is typically more convenient to create or edit it using tools such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel and subsequently export it to CSV, rather than working directly with the CSV file in a text editor.

6.1.2. CSV and ZIP Content Rules

If the imported requirements do not include attachments or references to enumerations, the input file for the import may simply be a standalone CSV file, the name of which is arbitrary.

Conversely, if attachments or enumerations are present, the input file for the import must be a ZIP archive (the name of which is arbitrary) and the archive must contain the following files and folders, named precisely as indicated:

The mandatory requirements.csv file, which contains the list of requirements designated for import.
The optional enumerations.csv file, which contains the list of enumerations that may or may not be referenced by the requirements from requirements.csv.
The optional files folder, which contains all attachments associated with the requirements from requirements.csv, excluding images intended for display as images in the user interface.
The optional images folder, which contains all images (PNG or JPEG) attached to the requirements from requirements.csv that are designated to be displayed as images in the user interface.

This example of a requirements import ZIP package can function as a foundational basis for the development of custom requirements import packages.

To successfully import a CSV file, its content must adhere to the following rules:

Rows: every row within the file, including the header row, must contain an identical number of cells.
Header Row: the initial row is required to contain column headers. These headers must be formulated precisely according to the specifications detailed in subsequent sections. Each cell in the header row represents an attribute of the artifacts (requirements or enumerations) to be imported.

Should a header be incorrect, the column will be ignored by the CSV import function.
Content Rows: a CSV file may contain multiple rows following the header row. Each subsequent row represents a distinct artifact designated for import. Within each row, each cell corresponds to the value of the respective attribute for the corresponding artifact.

The omission of a column is treated identically to an empty cell value. This is permissible for optional artifact attributes but will result in an error for required attributes.

6.1.2.1. Common CSV Content Rules

The following specification applies equally to the content of both the requirements.csv and enumerations.csv files:

Column Header	Presence	Content Rows Value
`id`	Optional The values of the `id` attribute must be unique across all content rows in both `requirements.csv` and `enumerations.csv` combined. Within `requirements.csv`: used during import exclusively to define the mentions (references) of software ports or software parameters (from `requirements.csv`) as they appear within the `description` attribute value of a system or feature requirement. Within `enumerations.csv`: used during import exclusively to define the data type reference within a `system_calibration_software_parameter` from `requirements.csv`. Ignored otherwise since it is a system-maintained attribute.	String This value must not contain whitespace characters. It is strongly recommended to utilize a version 4 UUID, which can be generated using tools such as an Online UUID Generator.
`key`	Optional The values of the `key` attribute must be unique across all content rows in both `requirements.csv` and `enumerations.csv` combined. Used during import exclusively to establish the behavior of the round-trip feature, specifically dictating the strategy for updating existing artifacts. Ignored otherwise since it is a system-maintained attribute.	Unsigned Integer This value may be specified with or without one to four leading zeros. Valid examples span from 00001 (equivalent to 1) up to 99999.
`revision`	Optional Used during import exclusively to establish the behavior of the round-trip feature, specifically dictating the strategy for updating existing artifacts. Ignored otherwise since it is a system-maintained attribute.	String This value must adhere to the pattern consisting of one to three digits (the first digit can not be 0) followed by one or two uppercase Latin letters. This can be expressed by the regular expression `[1-9]{1,3}[A-Z]{2}`. The valid examples span from 1A up to 999ZZ.
`created_at`	Ignored A system-maintained attribute which is not supported in the CSV import function.	Date Time `dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm:ss`
`created_by`	Ignored A system-maintained attribute which is not supported in the CSV import function.	JSON Array (1 row; 3 columns) `["Author First Name", "Author Last Name", "Author Email"]`

6.1.2.2. Content Rules for “requirements.csv”

The following specification applies exclusively to the content of requirements.csv file:

Column Header	Applicable to Types	Required for Types	Content Rows Value
`type`	All	All	Enumeration This value is restricted to the set: `system_functional_requirement` `system_non_functional_requirement` `system_configuration_requirement` `system_diagnostic_requirement` `system_receiver_software_port` `system_sender_software_port` `system_calibration_software_parameter` `feature_functional_requirement` `feature_non_functional_requirement` `feature_ergonomic_requirement` `feature_receiver_software_port` `feature_sender_software_port` `vehicle_customer_requirement` `vehicle_hardware_constraint` `vehicle_regulatory_requirement` `vehicle_functional_safety_goal` `vehicle_cybersecurity_goal`
`name`	All	`system_receiver_software_port` `system_sender_software_port` `system_calibration_software_parameter` `feature_receiver_software_port` `feature_sender_software_port`	String
`description`	All	`system_functional_requirement` `system_non_functional_requirement` `system_configuration_requirement` `system_diagnostic_requirement` `feature_functional_requirement` `feature_non_functional_requirement` `feature_ergonomic_requirement` `vehicle_customer_requirement` `vehicle_hardware_constraint` `vehicle_regulatory_requirement` `vehicle_functional_safety_goal` `vehicle_cybersecurity_goal`	String Should the artifact `type` belong to the set `system_functional_requirement` `system_non_functional_requirement` `system_configuration_requirement` `system_diagnostic_requirement` `feature_functional_requirement` `feature_non_functional_requirement` `feature_ergonomic_requirement` the `description` is permitted to include mentions (references) of `system_receiver_software_port` `system_sender_software_port` `system_calibration_software_parameter` `feature_receiver_software_port` `feature_sender_software_port` artifacts from the same `requirements.csv`. System requirements must exclusively reference system software ports and parameters. Feature requirements must exclusively reference feature software ports. The types of mentions currently supported are `@calibration_software_parameter("Software Parameter Name", software_parameter_id)` `@receiver_software_port("Receiver Software Port Name", receiver_software_port_id)` `@sender_software_port("Sender Software Port Name", sender_software_port_id)`. For example, the description of a `system_functional_requirement` may be specified as follows: IF @receiver_software_port(“system_receiver_software_port 1 Name”, 46b1773b-9350-4741-b423-bdb0ae8e8a79), AND @receiver_software_port(“system_receiver_software_port 2 Name”, 94ccce6f-7dae-40e6-8ff4-cd1c819604ce), AND @calibration_software_parameter(“system_calibration_software_parameter 1 Name”, 669af672-5928-4acc-97fd-2f3ea78a7b33), AND @calibration_software_parameter(“system_calibration_software_parameter 2 Name”, 87b982b2-187d-4d8c-b901-d2099f4399bb), THEN @sender_software_port(“system_sender_software_port 1 Name”, cf952132-5456-4d77-a42e-0507c5b55e9f) AND @sender_software_port(“system_sender_software_port 2 Name”, ccaec0f9-3d29-4ea8-8fb2-e295cdfcc359).
`plain_description`	All	None This attribute is Ignored since it is a system-maintained attribute which is not supported in the CSV import function.	String This value represents a simplified version of the `description` attribute’s value, wherein all mentions are substituted with their respective names. For example, `@receiver_software_port("Receiver Software Port Name", receiver_software_port_id)` would be replaced by `Receiver Software Port Name`.
`design_object_key`	`system_functional_requirement` `system_non_functional_requirement` `system_configuration_requirement` `system_diagnostic_requirement` `system_receiver_software_port` `system_sender_software_port` `system_calibration_software_parameter` `feature_functional_requirement` `feature_non_functional_requirement` `feature_ergonomic_requirement` `feature_receiver_software_port` `feature_sender_software_port`	None This attribute is Ignored since it is a system-maintained attribute which is not supported in the CSV import function.	Unsigned Integer This value may be specified with or without one to four leading zeros. Valid examples span from 00001 (equivalent to 1) up to 99999.
`web_links`	All	None	JSON Array (N rows; 2 columns) `[["Link 1 Display Name", "Link 1 Full URL"], ["Link 2 Display Name", "Link 2 Full URL"]]`
`files`	All	None	JSON Array (1 row; M columns) `["File 1 Name with Extension", "File 2 Name with Extension"]` The files with the specified names must be positioned within the input ZIP archive in accordance with the rules outlined at the commencement of the CSV and ZIP Content Rules section.
`images`	All	None	JSON Array (1 row; M columns) `["Image 1 Name with Extension", "Image 2 Name with Extension"]` The images with the specified names must be positioned within the input ZIP archive in accordance with the rules outlined at the commencement of the CSV and ZIP Content Rules section.
`requirement_group`	All	None	String
`asil`	`system_functional_requirement` `feature_functional_requirement` `vehicle_functional_safety_goal`	`vehicle_functional_safety_goal`	Enumeration This value is restricted to the set: `QM` `A` `B` `C` `D` `QM` `ASIL A` `ASIL B` `ASIL C` `ASIL D`
`mitigation`	`vehicle_functional_safety_goal` `vehicle_cybersecurity_goal`	None	String
`regulatory_document_name`	`vehicle_regulatory_requirement`	`vehicle_regulatory_requirement`	String
`regulatory_document_revision`	`vehicle_regulatory_requirement`	None	String
`regulatory_document_paragraph`	`vehicle_regulatory_requirement`	None	String
`regulatory_document_effective_date`	`vehicle_regulatory_requirement`	None	Date `dd/mm/yyyy`
`hazard`	`vehicle_functional_safety_goal`	None	String
`severity`	`vehicle_functional_safety_goal`	None	Enumeration This value is restricted to the set: `0` `1` `2` `3` `S0` `S1` `S2` `S3`
`exposure`	`vehicle_functional_safety_goal`	None	Enumeration This value is restricted to the set: `0` `1` `2` `3` `E0` `E1` `E2` `E3`
`controllability`	`vehicle_functional_safety_goal`	None	Enumeration This value is restricted to the set: `0` `1` `2` `3` `C0` `C1` `C2` `C3`
`cal`	`vehicle_cybersecurity_goal`	`vehicle_cybersecurity_goal`	Enumeration This value is restricted to the set: `1` `2` `3` `4` `CAL 1` `CAL 2` `CAL 3` `CAL 4`
`associated_risks`	`vehicle_cybersecurity_goal`	None	String
`impact_assessment`	`vehicle_cybersecurity_goal`	None	String
`data_type`	`system_calibration_software_parameter`	`system_calibration_software_parameter`	Enumeration This value is restricted to the set: `boolean` `int8` `int16` `int32` `int64` `uint8` `uint16` `uint32` `uint64` `single` `double` `string` `enum`
`data_type_id`	`system_calibration_software_parameter`	None This attribute is Required for the `system_calibration_software_parameter` artifact `type` when the artifact’s `data_type` is `enum`. It is used during import exclusively to establish the reference to an enumeration from `enumerations.csv`. Consequently, `enumerations.csv` 1. must be included within the import input ZIP file and 2. must contain precisely one content row where the `id` matches the `data_type_id` of the `system_calibration_software_parameter`.	String This value must not contain whitespace characters. It is strongly recommended to utilize a version 4 UUID, which can be generated using tools such as an Online UUID Generator.
`default_value`	`system_calibration_software_parameter`	`system_calibration_software_parameter`	JSON Array (N rows; M columns; N, M > 0) `[["Value (1, 1)", "Value (1, 2)", "Value (1, 3)"], ["Value (2, 1)", "Value (2, 2)", "Value (2, 3)"]]` The data type of all values must correspond to the one specified by the `data_type` attribute of the `system_calibration_software_parameter`.
`min`	`system_calibration_software_parameter` — this attribute is applicable only when corresponding `data_type` attribute value is from the set: `int8` `int16` `int32` `int64` `uint8` `uint16` `uint32` `uint64` `single` `double`	None	The data type of this value must correspond to the one specified by the `data_type` attribute of the `system_calibration_software_parameter`.
`max`	`system_calibration_software_parameter` — this attribute is applicable only when corresponding `data_type` attribute value is from the set: `int8` `int16` `int32` `int64` `uint8` `uint16` `uint32` `uint64` `single` `double`	None	The data type of this value must correspond to the one specified by the `data_type` attribute of the `system_calibration_software_parameter`.
`unit`	`system_calibration_software_parameter` — this attribute is applicable only when corresponding `data_type` attribute value is from the set: `int8` `int16` `int32` `int64` `uint8` `uint16` `uint32` `uint64` `single` `double`	None	String
`associated_domain`	`feature_functional_requirement` `feature_non_functional_requirement` `feature_ergonomic_requirement`	None	String

6.1.2.3. Content Rules for “enumerations.csv”

The following specification applies exclusively to the content of enumerations.csv file:

Column Header	Presence	Content Rows Value
`name`	Required The values of the `name` attribute must be unique across all content rows in `enumerations.csv`.	String This value must exclusively contain the following characters: “A-Z”, “a-z”, “0-9”, and “_”. Furthermore, the initial character is restricted to the set: “A-Z”, “a-z”, or “_”.
`enum_constants`	Required	JSON Array (N rows; 3 columns; N > 0) `[["Value 1 (Required, Unsigned Integer)", "Name 1 (Required, String)", "Description 1 (Optional, String)"], ["Value 2", "Name 2", ""]]` Name of each enumeration constant must exclusively contain the following characters: “A-Z”, “a-z”, “0-9”, and “_”. Furthermore, the initial character of the Name is restricted to the set: “A-Z”, “a-z”, or “_”.
`description`	Optional	String