Prerequisites
Before you can import data, you will need the following depending on your preferred tool:
For Microsoft Excel Users:
For Google Sheets Users:
For All Users:
Step 1: Install the Add-In / Add-On
For Office 365 / Excel 2016+ / Web:
- Open Microsoft Excel and go to the Insert tab.
- Click on Get Add-Ins and navigate to the Store tab.
- Search for Spira and click Add.
For Excel Classic (Desktop 2010/2013):
- Download the SpiraPlan Microsoft Office 2010 Add-Ins MSI file from the Inflectra downloads page.
- Run the installer (make sure MS-Excel is completely closed before installing).
For Google Sheets:
- Open a Google Sheet and go to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
- Search for SpiraPlan Import Tool (developed by Inflectra).
- Click Install and grant the necessary permissions.
Step 2: Connect to Your Spira Application
Once installed, open the Spira side panel (Office 365 / Google Sheets).
- Spira URL: Enter the web address you use to access Spira in your browser (e.g. https://mycompany.spiraservice.net). Make sure to remove any trailing suffixes like /Default.aspx or a trailing slash /.
- Username: Enter your exact Spira username (case-insensitive).
RSS Token / Password:
Office 365 & Google Sheets Add-Ins: Enter your RSS Token . You can generate or copy this token from your user profile page in Spira. Include the curly braces (e.g. {ZZZZZ-SSSSS-YYYY-XXX})
Excel Classic Add-In: Enter your standard account password.
Click Log In. Once connected, the Add-in will populate your assigned Products and Artifact dropdowns.
Step 3: Preparing the Data Template
The preparation method depends on your software version:
For Excel Classic (2010 / 2013):
- Open the downloaded SpiraPlan Excel Import Template workbook.
- Navigate to the specific worksheet tab at the bottom corresponding to your artifact (e.g., click the Requirements or Test Cases sheet tab).
- On the Spira toolbar ribbon, click Clear to wipe sample data while leaving the mandatory header row intact.
For Excel 2016+ / Office 365 / Google Sheets:
- In the Spira side panel, select your target Product (Project) and Artifact (e.g., Requirements, Test Cases).
- Click Prepare Template. The add-in will dynamically build and format the required column headers directly on your active sheet.
Important: Do not merge cells, rename/delete column headers, or change structural formatting of the template.
Step 4: Formatting Your Data for Import
You can now paste your data from another source or type it directly into the template. Pay attention to the following rules:
- Adding New Items: To insert entirely new items into Spira, leave the ID column blank (this is always the first column).
- Updating Existing Items: To update items already in Spira, populate the first column with the existing Spira Artifact ID.
- Hierarchies (Parent/Child): For artifacts like Requirements or Releases, Spira supports hierarchical nesting.
In Excel 2010: Use Excel's native Indent button on the Home tab on the Name column (1 indent = Child, 2 indents = Sub-child).
In Google Sheets and Excel 365: Prefix text in the Name column with > symbol (> = Child, >> = Sub-child).
Custom Properties & Fields: Custom fields are supported. Ensure list fields (Priority, Component, Status) match the exact text values configured in your Spira project settings.
Step 5: Sending Data to Spira (Importing)
Once your spreadsheet is fully populated:
- Click the Send Data to Spira button (labeled Export in Excel Classic)
- The Add-In will process the spreadsheet row by row:
Getting Data from Spira (Exporting & Bulk Updates)
The Add-in is a two-way street. If you need to make batch updates to hundreds of existing test cases or requirements:
- Select your Product and Artifact in the Add-in panel.
- Click Get Data from Spira (labeled Import in Excel Classic).
- This fetches existing artifacts from Spira and populates your current spreadsheet (complete with their Spira IDs).
- Make your bulk edits directly in the spreadsheet rows.
- Click Send Data to Spira to push the updated master copies back to the server.
Error Handling
If there is a problem with specific data (e.g., invalid drop-down choice or missing required field), the specific cells causing the problem will highlight in red, and the Add-in sidebar will display an error message explaining what to fix before resending.
Refer to the list below for common issues and their corresponding solutions:
- [Excel365]
1. Error message: Input error. Possible causes: the network is offline, Origin is not allowed by Access-Control-Allow-Origin
This is a CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) error. It means the browser is blocking a request from your add-in's origin to a server that hasn't explicitly allowed it. Here's troubleshooting checklist to resolve it depending on your situation:
- URL: Type http://Spira.mycompany.com or https://mycompany.spiraservice.net manually. Omit trailing slashes or parameters.
- Credentials: Confirm your account is active, assigned to a project, and has RSS settings enabled (Admin > Users > View / Edit Users). Consider creating a new user to test.
- Permissions: Ensure your role includes View Releases and Bulk Edit rights (Admin > Users > View / Edit Product Roles).
- Allowed Domains: Ask an admin to set System > Security Configurations > Allowed Domains to *.
- Firewall: Check if local firewalls block Excel-to-Spira traffic by testing on an external network.
- Isolated Testing: Try connecting via Excel Online to rule out local app installation issues.
- SSL Certificates: Ensure your server certificate is valid and covers all required domains/SANs.
- [Google Sheets]:
1. Undefined
Sometimes it is required to clear the cache as the add-on window holds on to cached JavaScript code files for a long time, and does not seem to check if these files are out of date on a regular basis. After clearing browser cache - see Google support article Clear cache & cookies - Computer, log into the Spira Import tool and verify.
2. No Start button:
Some company policies can keep you from starting it. If that is the case, you can ask your Google Account administrator to check policies regarding installing third-party add-ons OR try to install our add-on using different (not corp) credentials.
If you require further assistance, please review the documentation for Importing from Microsoft Excel or contact support directly in a dedicated ticket.