Open Data Interface Procedure - Downloading Export Files

This topic explains how to download and view export files.

For more information about Open Data Interface (ODI) exports, see the Open Data Interface Export Overview.

The ODI export process prepares files of TimeSaver data to be sent to other applications. When you download the Zip file from an export request, you are accessing the actual files of the export along with a log file.

Follow these steps to download ODI export files:

1. Go to the Request List area of the home page, and then click (Click to expand) beside the Open Data Interface Status folder.
2. Click (Click to expand) beside the ODI Export Requests folder.
3. Click the Message link for the completed request you want to download. The dialog contains a Zip file name similar to the following: automated20070203101922_odi_export.zip.

The word "automated" indicates the export was regularly scheduled rather than one that you initiated on an as-needed basis.

1. Click Save if you want to save the Zip file to a location of your choice.
2. Click Open if you want to view the files within the export Zip file. Inside the Zip file you will see files with names similar to the following format:

departments.csv -- “Departments” represents the record type that was exported. The “csv” represents the file format (comma separated values).

Note: The opened Zip file also contains a log file. Open the log file to view when the export started, an entry for each record type that was exported, and the number of records exported for each record type.

6. Open the files within the Zip file to view the exported information.
1. Right-click on the desired export file and select: Open with ~ Choose Program ~ Notepad.

If you select Open without choosing the Notepad program, the file opens as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. This does not give you the most accurate view of the file’s format and data. You should not save an export file from the Excel view.

2. Understand the following as you review the rows in the file:

Each row in the file is a record and each piece of information for the record is separated by a comma. Each field in the record contains specific values for the field type. Some records may display fields with no values surrounded by commas. All required fields must be kept in a csv file, regardless of whether the fields contain values. See the TimeSaver User's Guide to view an example of a csv-formatted export file. (To read instructions for accessing the TimeSaver User's Guide and the complete TimeSaver documentation library, see TimeSaver Documentation.)

Most of the fields and their values are unique for each record type that can be exported through the ODI. For more detail about the fields, contact your corporate payroll administrator or HR resource who can obtain the information from the TimeSaver Solution Center.

6. To save a file to another location of your choice, extract the file from the Zip file.