Excel add-in

The Board Excel add-in now includes a new function that allows you to quickly import data from an Excel table to a Board layout.

The news function is called MergeMappingDefinition and it transfers data from a source cell range to a target cell range connected to a Board layout.

The MergeMappingDefinition function

This function instructs the Board Excel add-in about a data mapping between a source data range and a Board layout as a target.

To use it, proceed as follows:

1. Connect to Board
2. Add the function to your Excel sheet
3. Select the cell range that contains the source data, the target Board layout, and select the mapping cell ranges accordingly

   The coordinates mapping needs to be defined following the columns order in the target Board layout.
   The target Board layout needs to be flattened and the data entry must be enabled for data blocks involved in the process.
   The Excel sheet must have the “Save/Undo Mode” option switched on.
   The mapping function can manage only one horizontal mapping range and it must be the last argument in the function. Please, set up the target Board layout accordingly.

4. Save to run the function. When Save button is clicked, the add-in applies the mapping by transferring data from the source to the target Board layout. To do this, it scans the source range cells, defines their coordinates, and it searches for the specific row on the target layout to copy data to

   If no row is found on the target Board layout the source cell value will be skipped.
   If the source cell contains no value, the function will write a 0 in the target cell.

This process can be triggered also from a macro using VBA: it will be triggered when the save function is called (see the code sample below).

Function Syntax:
=MergeMappingDefinition([SourceDataRange]; [TargetDataRange]; [MappingRange]; [MappingRange];[single horizontal mapping range])

Data mapping example:
 

1. SourceDataRange: indicates the Excel range that contains source data
2. TargetDataRange: indicates the Excel range that contains the target Board layout
3. MappingRange: you can specify one or more mapping range; you can map single cells, vertical and horizontal ranges (you can define only one horizontal mapping range and it needs to be the last one in the list); the order of the mappings has to be the same as the columns in the target layout

After the definition of source and target, you'll have to select mapping ranges in the exact same order of the columns in the target Board layout.
In our case, the order must be:

1. Product
2. Customer
3. Month

You can map single cells, vertical and horizontal ranges (you can define only one horizontal mapping range and it must be the last argument in the function).

Here's an example: