How to: Create Multi Period Import Specs in IBM Controller Web

This article explains how to create an Import Specification in IBM Controller Web to load budget data where each period is stored in a separate column in an Excel file.

This approach is commonly used for annual budget files, where January to December values sit side by side across the spreadsheet.

Step 1: Prepare the Controller database #

Before creating the Import Specification, ensure the target actuality and periods are unlocked.

1. Open Controller Classic

2. Go to Period Locking

3. Unlock:

   • The BU Budget actuality

   • All relevant periods (for example, periods 2801 to 2812)

This must be done before any data can be imported.

Step 2: Confirm the correct project in Controller Web #

When using Looping by period, the project selected in Controller Web is important.

• The project must be set to the first period of the data

• In this example, the project is 2801 BU Budget

This ensures Controller knows where to start when looping across periods during the import.

Step 3: Open Import Settings #

1. In Controller Web, open Import Data

2. Select Import Settings

3. Go to the Specifications tab

4. Click Create specification

Step 4: Create the Import Specification #

In the Create specification window, define the following:

General settings #

• Name
  Example: Budgets

• Description
  Example:
  This import specification is for importing budget data in column-per-period format.

• File type
  XLSX

• Start row
  Set to the first row that contains data (for example, row 3)

• Enable:

  • ✅ Skip amount 0

  • ✅ Looping by period

Click Create to save the specification.

Step 5: Understand “Looping by period” #

Once Looping by period is enabled, you’ll see a message stating:

Actuality and Period will be available at run time.

What this means:

• You do not define Actuality or Period in the specification itself

• They are selected at runtime

• By default, Controller uses:

  • The actuality from the selected project

  • The first period of the project as the starting point

This is why starting in 2801 BU Budget is important.

Step 6: Configure the field mappings #

Set up the standard Controller fields as usual, for example:

• Account

• Company

• Dimensions

Amount field (key step) #

The Amount field is where the period boundaries are defined.

1. Enable the Amount field

2. Set:

   • Column index start
     This is the column number where the first period begins in Excel
     Example: 5

   • Column index end
     This is the column number where the last period ends
     Example: 16

This tells Controller to loop across these columns and post each value to the corresponding period.

Note: The difference between the start and end index must not exceed 12.

Save the specification once all fields are configured.

Step 7: Validate and test the import #

Before running the import:

1. Use Import Data Error Report

2. Use Preview Report

These reports allow you to confirm:

• Column mapping is correct

• Period looping behaves as expected

• No data issues exist before posting

 

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