Import Layers

The Import wizard lets you bring your own data into the application — for example a Shapefile, a KML file, or a spreadsheet of coordinates. The wizard guides you through uploading the file, reviewing what was detected, mapping fields, and starting the import.

Opening the Import Wizard

Click the Import button () in the top toolbar of the map panel. The Import Layer wizard opens.

INFO

Importing requires the appropriate permission. If the Import button is not visible, contact your administrator.

Step 1 — Introduction

The first step summarises what the wizard will do:

1. Upload your data file (zipped)
2. Review the detected layer metadata
3. Choose the import type and configure field mapping
4. Confirm and start the import job

Click Next to continue.

Step 2 — Upload Your Layer

Prepare your data as a ZIP archive before uploading. The following rules apply:

• The file must be a ZIP archive (.zip)
• The archive must contain exactly one layer (KML archives may contain multiple layers/folders)
• The archive must contain only files — no folders
• Data must be UTF-8 encoded

Supported Formats

Format	Files
ESRI Shapefile	.shp + .shx + .dbf + .prj
ESRI Geodatabase	.gdb
Geodatabase file	.gdbtable
KML	.kml
CSV	.csv — coordinate fields, if any, must be longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326)
Microsoft Excel / OpenOffice	.xls, .xlsx, .ods
MapInfo TAB	.tab + .dat + .map + .id + .ind
MapInfo MID/MIF	.mid, .mif

Click Choose ZIP, select your file, and click Upload. The file is uploaded and analysed — the wizard shows the detected layer name, geometry type, field list, and total feature count. If validation fails (wrong structure, missing components, unsupported geometry, or encoding problems), an error message explains what to fix.

Step 3 — General Information and Field Mapping

This step shows a summary of what was detected (layer type, feature type, feature count, file size, and any warnings), and asks you to configure the import:

• Upload Type — choose what the import should do:

Upload type	What it does
New layer	Creates a brand-new layer from the uploaded data
Add to existing layer	Appends the uploaded features to a layer you select
Update existing layer	Updates matching records in a layer you select (mapped field values and/or geometry)
Batch delete	Deletes the matching records from a layer you select
Replace layer	Replaces the entire content of a layer you select

• Import to Layer — for anything other than New layer, select the target layer
• Longitude / Latitude fields — for coordinate data (e.g. CSV or Excel), select which fields contain the longitude and latitude
• Layer Caption and Description — the display name and description for a new layer

INFO

CSV and spreadsheet imports create point features from coordinate fields. To import lines or polygons, use a spatial format such as Shapefile, KML, or Geodatabase.

The Field Mapper

The Field Mapper lets you review and adjust how the uploaded fields map to the target layer's fields:

• Uploaded fields (left) — the fields detected in your file
• Target fields (right) — the fields in the destination layer
• Mapped pairs — the fields that will be transferred

You can:

• Map a selected source/target pair
• Auto-match by name to map all fields with matching names in one click
• Unmap pairs you don't want to import
• Mark a mapped pair as the key (primary) field — required for update and batch-delete imports so that records can be matched

Click Next when the mapping is complete.

Step 4 — Confirm and Start

Review your choices and click Done to start the import job.

The import runs as a background job — you can keep working while it processes. You will receive an email when the import starts and another when it completes.

Checking Import Progress

To follow the progress of an import, click the arrow next to the Import button in the top toolbar and choose Import Jobs. See Background Jobs for details on job statuses, cancelling jobs, and troubleshooting.

TIP

After a successful New layer import, add the new layer to your workspace via the Layer Repository.