Bringing your existing registers into ShelfGRC
How to prepare a CSV or Excel file, map its columns on the Uploads page, and get the whole import approved as one proposal.
5 min read
The Uploads page turns an existing spreadsheet register into ShelfGRC records, with an approval step in between.
On the Uploads page you load a CSV or Excel file, match its columns to ShelfGRC fields, and submit. The whole spreadsheet import then goes to Proposals as one change, and nothing reaches a register until an owner or admin approves it.
Risks, Controls, Policies, the Obligations Register, Incidents and Treatment Plans can be imported from a spreadsheet. Evidence cannot: it is uploaded as documents.
The importer expects one heading row at the top and one record per row below it.
Spreadsheet limits
- CSV, .xlsx, .xls
Accepted file types.
- 10 MB
Largest file.
- 100,000 rows
Most rows in one file.
- First visible worksheet
Only the first visible sheet of a workbook is read, and hidden or filtered-out rows are skipped.
Titles can be up to 500 characters and descriptions up to 10,000. Add any missing categories first, through the Manage taxonomy link on the Uploads page: importing never creates a category, and a value that does not match your taxonomy imports uncategorised.
The page walks you through three stages: Select Type & Upload, Map Fields, and Review & Submit.
- 1
Choose the data type
Click its card under Select Data Type.
- 2
Add your file
Drag it onto the page or click to browse. The page confirms how many columns and rows it found.
- 3
Continue to field mapping
Click Continue to Field Mapping. AI suggestions and heading matching fill in what they can; the AI reads your column headings and the first three rows. You can map every field by hand instead.
- 4
Choose a business unit
The picker puts every row in one unit. Owners and admins can instead use a unit column in your file; members choose from their assigned units.
- 5
Check the preview and the mapping
Data Preview shows the first five rows. In Map Your Columns, Will import: shows the first three values each field will receive.
- 6
Submit for review
Add optional notes for the approver, then click Submit for Review. The import becomes one proposal.
Mapping Summary names every column that will not be imported. Only Title must be mapped before you can submit.
An owner or admin reviews the rows before anything is written to a register.
The proposal shows the record count, the business unit (if one was chosen), the column mapping and your notes. A value that will be changed on approval carries an amber warning.
- 1
Check the column mapping
Open Column mapping and confirm each field came from the right column. A shifted column is the most common import mistake.
- 2
Remove rows you do not want
Click the bin icon beside a row. Rows can be removed but not edited: fix a wrong value by uploading again, or edit the record after approval.
- 3
Approve
An Import outcome card reports rows created, skipped, coerced and uncategorised. If nothing is created, the proposal stays Pending so problem rows can be removed and the import approved again.
An import always adds records, so it is not a way to edit what is already in a register.
If rows match existing records by key or title, an amber notice lists them. Remove those rows before you submit, or they will be added as duplicates.
With your records approved, the Getting started checklist helps you read what is already there before you change it.
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The full checklist and a day-by-day plan are in Getting started.