Bulk Upload Values for Custom Metadata Fields
Overview
Custom Fields allow organizations to define a proprietary custom metadata schema that can be used to provide end users with additional context about the reports and dashboards located in the underlying content systems. In previous releases, metadata values had to be manually entered which can be time consuming when trying to apply metadata for thousands of objects. Starting in the Digital Hive 2025.2 release, it is possible to upload metadata for large amounts of items using a spreadsheet (.xlsx file).
For more information about setting and defining Custom Fields, please refer to this knowledge base article.
When values for Custom Fields are provided, the metadata is persisted within Digital Hive and NOT in the underlying content systems. Digital Hive does not modify or enhance objects in third party system
Creating a control file
In order to successfully upload metadata values via a spreadsheet, certain columns must be present which contain various identifiers required to associate the metadata with the correct reporting content. To facilitate the process, it is possible to generate the required control file from within the Digital Hive Control Center. The control file will contain a row for EVERY object that is accessible through Digital Hive across all connectors.
- As an administrator, log into Digital Hive
- Launch the Digital Hive Control Center by clicking on the user avatar button and selecting Manage Digital Hive
- Click on the Custom Fields option
- Press
which will generate the required control file and download it
- Locate the downloaded .xlsx file, which will have a name that begins with custom-fields-data-entry
- Open that file in Excel
For the following example, these are the Custom Fields that have been defined.
Once in Excel, the columns are divided into two sections:
1- The first 5 columns (2 which are minimized in width) SHOULD NOT BE MODIFIED, These are the identifiers that enable to the metadata to be imported and associated correctly to the content objects. This section has a shaded background as a reminder to not modify these values.
2-The remaining columns represent the Custom Fields that have been defined. These are the values that need to be modified and then imported back into Digital Hive. There will be a column for each metadata field. If any custom fields have hardcoded values defined, and the option to
is set to no, the values will be selectable via a drop down in the cell.
If metadata already for certain objects, those values will be included in the control file (as visible in the first row of the screen shot above).
Using the drop down menus in the columns, or by typing in values, fill in the required metadata and then save the control .xlsx file. It is not mandatory that all rows contain data. Make sure to populate the required custom field values.
Importing the values in the control file
When the control file has been updated, the values can now be imported. A couple of notes about the importing of the values:
- Rows can be deleted from the control file. The only thing that can't change are the values in the shaded columns
- Every row in the control file will be imported. If the custom field values have changed, they will overwrite any existing metadata for that object
- In the example above, there are conditional fields (the fields indented under LOB) so not all custom field values need to be set. There is no harm in setting any extra values as only the conditional values will be displayed in the UI
- As an administrator, log into Digital Hive
- Launch the Digital Hive Control Center by clicking on the user avatar button and selecting Manage Digital Hive
- Click on the Custom Fields option
- Press
to start the import process
- On the Import Data from Excel screen, press UPLOAD EXCEL FILE
- Browse to the updated control .xlsx file. This will start the import process
- After the file loads, a summary will be displayed
- Press Done
If multiple users will be participating in setting custom field values, it is possible to divide the file into different chunks (maybe based on connector type). Each file could then be imported individually when the custom field values have been defined.
The contents of the file can be converted to a table which would enable users to quickly search or filter columns to provide additional ease of use when working with the custom field values.
Using regular Excel functions and functionality, it should be possible to merge spreadsheets into a single sheet. This would be beneficial if metadata for reporting content already exists in a different location. However, the import file must retain it's integrity in order for the values to be successfully imported.
Related Articles
Adding Custom Metadata Fields to Enhance Digital Hive Content
Question Looking at the properties for a report, there is metadata visible from the content systems like Tableau, PowerBI, and IBM Cognos Analytics, but is it possible to create custom metadata values on a report or dashboard. The objective is to ...Custom Field Data Types
Question We're looking to create some custom fields and would like to know the differences between the various Data types. Answer There are multiple data types that enable administrators to create metadata schemas that can range from simple to very ...Leveraging Custom Column Headers in List Views
Question The Hives that we have created include different Catalog pages. While in the list view, is it possible to change the column headers to something that is more meaningful for our users? For example, here are the current columns displayed in ...Adding Custom Icons to the Digital Hive Icon Library
Question Although the default Digital Hive icon library contains over 2,000 icons, our company has specific icons that we need to incorporate into our Hive design. Is it possible to extend the default icon library, beyond the default libraries, to ...Creating a Custom Color Scheme
Question Within Digital Hive, we can manually change color values, or use predefined color schemes, but is it possible to create a color scheme that can be saved and reused in the future? Answer Custom color screens can be created by Digital Hive ...