The ClearPoint Data Loader allows you to bulk upload and update information in your account from Excel, CSV, or SQL queries. It’s available across all plan levels with some feature variations.
Use this tool to efficiently update or create data across multiple Measures, Initiatives, and other elements at once.
Data Loader Capabilities by Plan Level
Basic Plan: Create new elements and Scorecards.
Professional Plan: Includes Basic features plus Measure series updates and scheduling options.
Enterprise Plan: Includes all above, plus qualitative field updates and automated file monitoring.
Installing the ClearPoint Data Loader
From the top navigation, click Settings.
Go to Integrations.
Navigate to the Data Loader tab.
Click Download Data Loader.
Choose the folder where you’d like to install the Data Loader.
By default, it installs under Program Files.
Once installation is complete, click Finish to open the application.
Logging into the ClearPoint Data Loader
Managing API Keys
API keys are required to securely connect the Data Loader to your ClearPoint account.
Generate an API Key
From the top navigation, click Settings.
Click on Integrations.
Navigate to the API Keys tab.
Click the Plus icon to create an API Key.
Name the API Key
Preferably, use a name that you can easily identify.
Set the Expiration date.
Select a user from the dropdown menu to map the user account.
Click Confirm.
Once you have added the API Keys you will have three options:
View API Key will allow you to see the Access Key and Secret Key
Edit API Key will allow you to modify the expiration date
The keys will automatically be set to expire after a year
Delete API Key, this will delete the Data Loader keys so that the user can no longer log into the Data Loader.
Logging In
Launch the Data Loader application.
On the login screen, switch to Advanced Mode.
Enter your API Access Key and Secret Key to log in.
Important: To ensure the safety of your information, it's strongly recommended that only the users working with the Data Loader have access to API Keys, and that they are not shared with anyone outside of your organization, by keeping this information secured, you can prevent unauthorized access.
Selecting Files to Upload
The Data Loader can watch local folders or connect directly to SQL databases.
Uploading Excel or CSV Files
In the Data Loader, click Watch New Directory.
Choose the folder where your upload files are stored.
Click Select Folder to begin monitoring.
The folder path and file list will display in the main window.
Uploading SQL Files
In the Data Loader, click Add Connection under Default Database Connections.
Choose your SQL dialect (e.g., MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, ODBC, OLE DB, or Oracle).
Follow the connection prompts to import data.
Updating Existing Elements
Click Add Mappings for the Excel file you want to map
Each tab at the top of the window represents a sheet in your Excel file
Click on the sheet name and select the checkbox to include that sheet in the upload
The Header Row and First Data Row will automatically fill in
Check Multiple Scorecard if there is a Scorecard column in your Excel file
If there is not a Scorecard Column in your Excel file check Single Scorecard and Choose the Scorecard where the elements live that you are updating from the dropdown menu
After we have selected which Excel sheets to include in the upload, we will need to make the mappings on each sheet.
On the left hand menu, click into the first sheet tab
You will be asked to auto-map the columns.
Auto-mapping can save a lot of time so we would suggest clicking Yes
If you don’t auto-map or want to change the mapping, click Edit for each Column
From the first dropdown, you can select the element you want to map to
From the second dropdown, you can select the field you want to map to, which will include all default and custom fields in your account
By default, Copy down values to fill blank cells will be checked
If you have rows that apply to multiple rows in the following columns, like a Measure and its series, you want to make sure its checked
Note: If you make any changes to your Excel file while mapping in the Data Loader, you can click Refresh Worksheet to refresh the Data Loader Mappings
Once the file is mapped, you can click into the Import Options tab
You can configure import options and scheduling options on this tab
If you want to update data in ClearPoint, choose Enable updates only
To create new elements in ClearPoint, choose, Enable creation of new elements and edits of existing elements.
For Scheduling you are presented with three options
Run uploads manually from the Data Loader: you will perform the uploads manually
Automatically push changes when file changes: you will change the changes to be pushed to ClearPoint as soon as they are saved to the file.
Push changes on a Schedule: you can choose to run the package on a schedule so it updates each day, week, month, or year.
When you click on Preview changes, you will see all of the periods that are being mapped.
If you scroll down, you can see all of the Measures and each section has new data highlighted in yellow.
Once you have confirmed the new data, you can either click Save to save your mappings or Run to add the new elements to your ClearPoint account.
Clicking Save or Run will bring you back to the main page of the Data Loader
If you run a Package, you will see a toaster appear letting you know it is completed and how many elements were updated.
Adding new elements in ClearPoint
You can use the Data Loader to create new elements in ClearPoint. This feature is helpful for setting up many elements in your account quickly.
The steps for adding new elements in ClearPoint via the Data Loader are the same as the steps in the above section with a few differences that we will explain.
On the Import Options tab, you should make sure to select Enable creation of new elements and edits of existing elements. This will allow you to both create new elements in ClearPoint and update existing elements.
Using the Data Loader Command Line Interface (CLI)
The Data Loader Command Line Interface (CLI) is a powerful tool that allows you to run the imports to ClearPoint without needing to interact with the Data Loader graphical user interface (GUI).
When using the CLI, the background scheduling and directory monitoring features of the GUI are not leveraged. Instead of running in the background, the application runs one task and then exits. This allows it to be simply controlled by Windows Task Scheduler or other scheduling and automation tools.
A complete guide for using the CLI are included with the Data Loader, in the same folder where you have installed it.
Reviewing Data Loader Imports in Revision History
From the Control Panel, select Settings → Revision History under Utilities.
Look for entries labeled Data Loader Import to verify upload activity and user actions.
Excel Template for the Data Loader
Each file must include columns that correspond to ClearPoint fields (e.g., Element Name, Owner, Series, Value).