Handout Best practice - Import Device list into EPLAN

EPLAN Engineering Standard

Document: [EES]_Best_Practice_Import_Device_List_Handout_EN.docx
Author: EPLAN Professional Services - EES
Version: 02
Date: 29.12.2023
EPLAN Engineering Standard
Document information

Content
1 Document information ........................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 History ........................................................................................................................................ 3
1.2 Reading notes............................................................................................................................ 3
2 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 4
3 Basic information ................................................................................................................................ 5
3.1 What is a Device list? ................................................................................................................ 5
3.2 Configure representation of Device list navigator ...................................................................... 6
3.3 Editing the Device list in EPLAN after importing it ..................................................................... 7
3.4 Result project ............................................................................................................................. 9
4 Check the Device list related messages .......................................................................................... 10
5 EPLAN Help Device list .................................................................................................................... 11
6 Glossary ........................................................................................................................................... 12

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Document information

1 Document information
1.1 History
Date Author Description
2023-12-29 EES-Team, VLI Update 2024, V02
2023-03-16 EES-Team, VLI Review

1.2 Reading notes

Before you start reading, please note the following symbols and notations used in this document:

Attention
Texts introduced by this graphic are warnings. You should definitely read these notes
before you continue editing!

Note
Texts introduced by this graphic contain additional notes.

Tip
Behind this graphic you will find useful tips that will make it easier for you to use the
program.

Example
Examples are introduced by this graphic.

▪ Elements of the user interface are marked in blue and can thus be found immediately in the text.
▪ Bold highlighted texts show what is important and what you should definitely pay attention to.
▪ Function keys, keys of the keyboard as well as buttons within the program are shown in square
brackets (like [F1] for the function key "F1").
▪ To improve the reading flow, a so-called "command path" is often used (e.g. Tab Tools >
Command group Reports > Command Generate ). The commands and options listed in the
command path must be selected in the specified order to locate a particular program function.

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Introduction

2 Introduction
This documentation describes how to import a prepared parts list (Excel) into a Device list linked to
an EPLAN project.
Excel is an undeniable tool within pre-engineering and in this way, you can import a prepared parts lists
into EPLAN via the “Device list”. In this way you can build up your EPLAN project faster without doing
double work.

Import Excel Design devices

Prepare a parts List Check Device
parts list in the from the Device
in Excel list messages
Device list list

Excel parts list vs Device list

Parts list in Excel Device list in EPLAN project

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Basic information

3 Basic information
3.1 What is a Device list?
The Device list allows pre-planning of devices. In this list you can enter part numbers and the
compare the entered quantities of useable parts with the Parts built in the project. To do this, you
transfer the parts from the parts management into the Device list. parts may occur repeatedly in the list.
You can structure the Device list by adding descriptions such as part section and device description.
The Device list exists independently of the schematics but belongs to the project. The part
numbers in the Device list are not accounted for in the bill of materials for the project. The purpose of
the Device list is the monitoring of parts built into the project and not, however, the definition of project
parts.

Overview columns
Spare Contains the difference between the Total number allowed and Used unit
quantity properties. Parts with a spare of < 0 are marked by a symbol at
the beginning of the line.
Part number Identifies the part and can be manually entered or adopted from the parts
management (or also from an imported list).
System part Name of the system part in which the device is to be built (e.g. “Conveyor
element 15”). Does not come from parts management, but rather must be
separately entered.
Device description Functionality description. Does not come from parts management, but
rather must be separately entered.
Number allowed Defined how many times a part may be used in a project.
Total number allowed Contains the sum of all permitted unit quantities for all respective parts in
the Device list.
Used unit quantity Indicates how often a part was used in the project. Deviations from the
allowed quantity are permitted and will be reported in the test run.
Part Designation 1 Taken from parts management based on the part number.

Attention
All imported devices in this Best practice are available in your standard Parts database.
Should you, later, use other devices, please download them first into your parts database
via the EPLAN Data Portal.

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Basic information

3.2 Configure representation of Device list navigator

Note 1
If you want another order of the columns, or display another property, this is possible via
“Configure representation…”

Note 2
There is also a filter possibility in the Device list

Note
The import is also related to a specific project. In this way EPLAN can check the parts
listed up with the currently stored parts in this project.

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Basic information

3.3 Editing the Device list in EPLAN after importing it

When you double-click on a part in the Device list navigator, you can see more details. In this way you
can modify the imported data.

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Basic information

Note
There is also an option to export again the current Device list to a csv file via the context
menu “Export…”

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Basic information

3.4 Result project

Open project [EES]_Best_Practice_Import_Device_List_Result_V01.zw1 via Tab File > Command
Open.

This project is a completed project with all “Device list” devices inserted.
When opening the Device list navigator in this project, you see that almost all devices are booked off
completely. You can see that in the column “Spare”

Note
The sorting of the “Device list” is reseted after the placement (drag and drop) of a device.

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
Check the Device list related messages

4 Check the Device list related messages

With this functionality, you can check if there are specific messages about the topic of the Device list.
Open “Message management” via Tab Tools > Command group Review > Command Messages

Check the current project via Tab Tools > Command group Review > Command Check or via the
context menu in Message management Check project…
Message management gives the ability to also check the Device list related messages.

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EPLAN Engineering Standard
EPLAN Help Device list

5 EPLAN Help Device list

https://www.eplan.help (Direct link to the topic)

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Glossary

6 Glossary

Device list .........................................................5 Messages management ................................. 10

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