Import/Export Best Practices

Importers and exporters let you bulk manage your VA data using CSV files. This guide covers everything from CSV basics to advanced tips.

Before You Start

Tools You Need

You need a way to edit CSV files. Choose one:

• Google Sheets (recommended) - Free, handles encoding well, less likely to mangle data

• Microsoft Excel - Works, but watch out for data formatting issues (see below)

• LibreOffice Calc - Free alternative to Excel

For verifying files, any text editor works: Notepad (Windows), TextEdit (Mac), or Notepad++.

The Golden Rule

Always export first, then modify. Exported files show you exactly how your data should be formatted and give you the IDs you need for updates. Create a few sample entries in Orwell, export them, and use that as your template.

Understanding CSV Files

What is a CSV?

CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. It is a plain text file where each line is a row and commas separate the columns. You can open a CSV in spreadsheet software (which shows it as a grid) or in a text editor (which shows the raw text with commas).

How to Verify Your File

If your import fails, your file might not be a valid CSV. Open it in a text editor (not Excel) and check:

• Values should be separated by commas, not tabs

• Text containing commas should be wrapped in quotes

• No strange characters at the start of the file

A valid CSV looks like this:

Name,ICAO,Country
"London Heathrow",EGLL,United Kingdom
"Los Angeles",KLAX,United States

If you see tabs between values instead of commas, the file is tab-separated and will not work.

Saving as CSV

• Google Sheets: File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv)

• Excel: File > Save As > Choose "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)"

• LibreOffice: File > Save As > Choose "Text CSV (.csv)"

Excel Pitfalls

Excel can change your data without asking:

• Leading zeros removed: 007 becomes 7

• Dates reformatted: 2025-01-28 might become 28/01/2025 or 1/28/25

• Large numbers become scientific notation: 12345678901 becomes 1.23E+10

To avoid these issues, use Google Sheets, or import the CSV into Excel with all columns set to "Text" format.

Data Formats

Use these exact formats in your CSV files:

Data Type	Format	Example
Date	YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS	2025-01-28 14:30:00
Time	HH:MM	14:30
Boolean	TRUE or FALSE	FALSE

Dates use 24-hour time. Times are in UTC unless your airline has local times enabled for routes.

How Imports Work

Imports do not replace all your data. Each row tells vAMSYS to create, update, or delete one record based on the ID and _delete columns.

Example: You have 200 airports and want to rename 10 of them. Export all airports, delete the 190 rows you do not need to change, edit the 10 you want to rename, then import. Those 10 airports update. The other 190 remain exactly as they were. Importing is not the same as replacing.

Creating Records

Leave the ID column empty. Set _delete to FALSE.

Updating Records

Include the ID from your export. Set _delete to FALSE.

Deleting Records

Include the ID from your export. Set _delete to TRUE. Deleted records cannot be recovered.

Exports Match Imports

Exported files are designed to work with the importer. Column names match automatically, so you do not need to map columns manually.

Import Order

Some data types depend on others. Import them in this order:

1. Containers, Load Factors, Hubs (no dependencies)

2. Fleets (no dependencies)

3. Aircraft (requires Fleets)

4. Airports (can reference Containers, Load Factors, Hubs)

5. Routes, Routings, Scenery (requires Airports)

Wait for each import to complete before starting the next one.

Performance Tips

Only Upload Changes

If you have 20,000 routes and need to update 100 of them, only import those 100 rows. Do not upload all 20,000. Imports that change nothing are bad for everyone: your import takes longer, and vAMSYS does work that is not needed. Leaving out unchanged records will not delete them.

Use End Date for Routes

To retire routes, set an End Date instead of using _delete. Deletion slows down your import. End Date expiry happens in the background.

Test First

When trying something new, import a few rows first to verify everything works before importing thousands of records.

Troubleshooting

Import Gets Stuck

Do not re-upload the same file. The file likely contains errors. Ask for help in the community and share your CSV so others can spot the problem.

Incompatible Files

Only comma-separated CSV files work. PDF, XLS, and XLSX files will fail.

Third-Party Files

Some third-party providers (such as VASchedules) claim to offer vAMSYS-compatible exports. These files do not work with vAMSYS importers. If you purchased a product advertised as vAMSYS-compatible and it does not import correctly, contact the provider for a refund or correction. vAMSYS has no control over what third parties advertise, and our attempts to resolve this have been ignored.

Never import files blindly. Always open the file, verify it matches the format vAMSYS expects, and check the data before uploading. Importing incorrect data can damage your VA, and vAMSYS cannot restore it. When in doubt, import a small sample first and verify the results in Orwell.