Import command for custom attributes

You can use the istool import command with the -customattributes parameter to import custom attributes that are associated with common metadata. The custom attribute values and the associated assets are not imported.

Purpose

You can import common metadata assets from an archive file that was exported from another instance of the same version of InfoSphere® Information Server. For example, you might export a file from a development environment and then import it into a test or production environment. You can migrate assets between versions of InfoSphere Information Server by importing assets that were exported from an earlier version.

In addition to importing all custom attributes that are associated with common metadata assets without importing the custom attribute values and associated assets, you can use the following methods to import custom attributes:

To export custom attributes with their associated common metadata assets, use the istool import command with the -cm parameter. All custom attributes that are associated with the specified common metadata assets are imported, along with their custom attribute values.
To import custom attributes for InfoSphere Streams assets, use the import command for InfoSphere Streams assets.
To import custom attributes that are associated with other types of metadata, use the import functionality of InfoSphere Information Governance Catalog.
You can use a single istool import command with the -all parameter to import most types of metadata assets from an archive file. See Moving all assets from one metadata repository to another.

Prerequisites

You must have the Common Metadata Administrator role.

The custom attributes must have been exported by using the -ca parameter.

The preferred way to run this command is in the istool command-line window. If you run this command in your operating system command-line window or in scripts, you must add istool before the command name.

Command syntax for importing custom attributes with the -ca parameter

Optional parameters and values in the syntax are enclosed in brackets, [ ].

import 
authentication parameters
[generic parameters] 
[-abortAfter number_of_errors]
-archive "pathname"
[-preview | -replace]
[-responseFile "file_name_and_path"]
[-mapping "file_name_and_path"]
–customattributes ''

Parameters

authentication parameters: Required. All asset interchange commands use authentication parameters to connect to a specific installation of InfoSphere Information Server.
generic parameters: The generic parameters are available to all asset interchange commands. Use the generic parameters to request help on command syntax, to specify silent or verbose operation, and to use a script to run commands.
-archive |-ar "file_name_and_path": Required. Specifies the .isx file that the assets are exported to.
-archive | -ar file_name_and_path: Specifies the name and path of the file to import assets from.
-preview | -pre: Previews the import. The preview lists the custom attributes that will be imported when the import runs. The custom attributes are not imported when you run a command with the -preview parameter.
-replace: Replaces existing custom attributes with imported assets. If you specify the -replace parameter, and a custom attribute with the same identity exists in the target metadata repository, the imported custom attribute is merged with the existing custom attribute.
-responseFile | -rf "file_name_and_path": Specifies the name and path of a response file that contains assets that failed to import during a run of a previous istool import -ca command. Not supported with the -preview parameter. For more information, see Using a response file with istool export and istool import commands.
-mapping | -m file_name_and_path: Specifies the path to the mapping file that instructs the import command to change some properties of imported assets during import, so that the imported assets correctly reconcile with the assets in the metadata repository. For more information, see Using a mapping file with the istool import command.
-customattributes or -ca: Required. Specifies that all custom attributes are imported. Type two single quotation marks after the parameter, for example, -ca ''.

Exit status

A return value of 0 indicates successful completion. Any other value indicates failure.

Example

The following command previews, but does not import, the custom attributes in the file custom_attributes.isx.

import –dom ABC:9443 –u user1 –p pass1 
-archive "c:\custom_attributes.isx" -preview –customattributes ''

The following command imports all the custom attributes from the file.

import –dom ABC:9443 –u user1 –p pass1 
-ar "c:\custom_attributes.isx" –ca ''