Exporting and Importing Plans

Maintain data portability by exporting your project plans for reporting or backup, and easily transition existing schedules from other tools using the import feature.

Exporting Plans

YAPL supports multiple export formats to ensure your data is always accessible and shareable.

Supported Export Formats

Accessing Export

1. Open your plan and navigate to the Tasks view.
2. Click the Export button in the top toolbar.
3. Select your desired format from the dropdown menu.
4. The download will begin automatically once the processing is complete.

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Detailed Export Formats

Excel Export (.xlsx)

When to Use:

• Detailed spreadsheet analysis and custom calculations.
• Sharing with business stakeholders who prefer formatted reports.
• Offline review of project status.

Data Structure:

CSV Export (.csv)

When to Use:

• Simple data extraction for ingestion into databases or BI tools.
• Integration with external scripts and custom automation.

Format Notes:

• Matches the internal Supabase table structure for easy re-import.
• Includes granular fields like constraint_type, total_float, and metadata_json.
• Uses UTF-8 encoding and standard comma delimiters.

XML Export (MS Project)

When to Use:

• Migration to or from Microsoft Project.
• Data exchange with other PM tools supporting the MSPDI schema.

Technical Details:

• Implements the official Microsoft Project Data Interchange schema.
• Preserves WBS hierarchy, outline levels, and complex dependency types (FS, SS, FF, SF).
• Includes resource definitions and assignment mappings.

ZIP (Tasks + Dependencies)

When to Use:

• Creating a complete, structural backup of a plan.
• Transferring plans between different YAPL workspaces.

What's Included:

• A compressed archive containing separate CSV files for Tasks and Dependencies. This ensures that relationship data (predecessors/successors) is preserved with high fidelity.

Markdown Export (.md)

When to Use:

• Technical documentation or project wikis.
• Text-based sharing in Slack, Teams, or GitHub.

Output Format:

• Uses hierarchical headers (##, ###) to represent WBS levels.
• Formats task details (dates, progress, status) as human-readable bullet points.

Print View (Browser optimized)

When to Use:

• Generating physical handouts for on-site meetings.
• Creating high-contrast PDF reports.

Features:

• Removes UI elements (sidebar, headers, buttons) to focus on content.
• Optimizes table layout for standard A4/Letter paper sizes.

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Importing Plans

The import feature allows you to bring existing project schedules into YAPL. This is particularly useful when migrating from Microsoft Project or other spreadsheet-based tools.

Supported Import Formats

You can import data from the following file types:

• XML: Native Microsoft Project export files.
• Excel (.xlsx): Formatted spreadsheets.
• CSV: Plain text data.
• ZIP: Merged tasks and dependencies exported from YAPL.

Import Workflow

1. Click the Import button in the plan toolbar.
2. Select your file (YAPL will automatically detect the format).
3. Review the Pre-import Analysis for any warnings regarding user assignments or id conflicts.
4. Select your Import Strategies (see below).
5. Click Import to Draft to review the changes before publishing.

Import Strategies

When importing from external tools that may have different working hours or calendars, you must choose how YAPL handles task schedules:

Baseline Handling

You can choose how to handle baseline data during import:

• Clear Baseline: Removes all baseline data (Recommended). You can set a new baseline after verification.
• Recalculate: Updates baseline values based on the recalculated schedule.
• Preserve: Attempts to keep original baseline values as they were in the source file.

Assignment Warnings

If a task in the source file is assigned to a user who does not exist in your current workspace, the assignment will be cleared during import. You will see a warning list before proceeding, and you must acknowledge this behavior to finish the import.

Best Practices

• Import to Draft: Always import into a draft version first. This allows you to verify WBS hierarchy and dates without affecting the "Live" version.
• Regular Backups: Use the ZIP export format for a complete structural backup of your tasks and their dependencies.
• Clean Naming: Ensure task names are clear before exporting for stakeholder review.

Troubleshooting

• Large Imports: For plans with over 500 tasks, we recommend importing in sections if you encounter performance issues.
• Permission Denied: Ensure your role in the workspace has "Editor" or "Owner" permissions.
• Recalculation Differences: Minor date shifts (1 day) may occur if the source file's calendar differs significantly from your YAPL workspace calendar.

Related Topics

• Creating Plans - Plan setup basics
• Plan Versions - Learn about Draft vs. Published
• Offline Editing - How YAPL saves your changes