Importing an Existing Controller

If you have an existing Protege WX site, you can import the controller's database to create the programming for that site in Protege X. This process also attempts to merge any user records which have been duplicated across multiple controllers so that there is only one user record per person in Protege X.

For this process, you will need access to both Protege X and the controller's web interface.

If you are setting up multiple controllers, it is recommended that you import all controller databases and review the imported records before you pair any controllers. Any programming that is imported after a controller is paired will not be automatically downloaded to that controller. If this occurs, you must resynchronize the controller to download the latest programming (see Resynchronizing the Controller).

Creating a Database Backup

First, you must prepare and create a backup of the controller's programming database.

Log in to the controller's web interface.
Navigate to System | Application Software and check the Current Version. The controller's version must be 4.00.1969 or higher.
If the version is lower than 4.00.1969, you need to upgrade the controller. Click Upload to upload a new firmware file. The controller will install the new firmware version and restart.

The controller will download a backup of the programming before the firmware is upgraded. This cannot be imported to Protege X - you must take another backup using the correct firmware version.
Protege X does not support user PINs with fewer than four digits, and the import process will fail if these are present in the database. Before you back up the database, it is recommended that you review the user records.
- Log back in to the controller with a role that can view user PINs.
  
  The Installer role does not have access to view user PINs, so you may need to log in again as with the Master or User role. You can check which roles have the Show PIN numbers for Users permission in System | Roles.
- Navigate to Users | Users.
- Review each user's PIN Code and delete or replace any PINs that are shorter than 4 digits.
Log in as an installer and navigate to System | Backup.
Click Backup Controller.
The new backup file will be generated and saved to your default download location, typically your Downloads folder.

Any programming changes made after the backup is created will be overwritten by the pairing process.

Importing the Database

In Protege X, navigate to the Programming | Locations page and select the location you want to import your controller to.

The location cannot be changed once the controller record has been created.
In the Controllers section, click Import. The import popup will display Import WX Data.
Enter your controller's Serial Number.
Click and drag your backup file onto the upload field, or click Upload a data backup of your Protege WX system and select your backup file.
Click Start Import. Wait for the import process to finish.
The import process will fail if the database contains any user PINs which are shorter than 4 digits. If this occurs, review the user records in Protege WX and remove or replace any PINs that are too short.
When the import is complete Protege X will provide a report on the data import process. We recommend you copy this report into a text file or document for later review.
Click Close.

Once you have imported a database, do not repeat the same import as this will duplicate most of the records from that database.

User Import Merge

To improve efficiency and record continuity the Protege X database import process performs an automated merge function when importing users. User records are automatically created, merged or skipped according to the merge criteria (see below).

Merging is based on card number matching. Users with no cards assigned cannot be merged and will always be added as a new user record, even if all other details are the same.
Merging adds assigned records (such as cards, credentials and access levels) to the existing user record. It does not update user fields such as names or optional settings.
If the merging users have User IDs, the ID of the existing user will not be updated even if the new user has a different ID.
If two users have the same User ID but do not have the same card number, the two user records are not merged. The new user will be imported with a blank User ID.
On completion of the import, a report popup will show the results for each record type that was imported. This report will include any user record merges that failed and any duplicate User IDs that were found.

Merge Criteria

Does the incoming user have an access card assigned?
- If no, create a new user record and import all their details.
- If yes, move on to criterion 2.
Does the incoming user have any card that matches a card assigned to an existing user?
- If no, create a new user record and import all their details.
- If yes, move on to criterion 3.
Is the Disable User option setting the same for both the incoming user and matched existing user (both enabled or both disabled)?
- If no, do not merge user records. Create a user import error in the import report.
- If yes, merge all relationship records to the matched existing user record.

The merge process will not create a perfect user import. Integrators will need to review user records after the import, clean up any duplicate records, and follow up on any errors.

Default Record Merge

Reviewing the Database

It is strongly recommended that you review all imported databases before you pair any controllers with Protege X. This prevents incorrect or duplicate programming from being downloaded to the controllers.

Some common issues that may require review:

Import errors: Investigate any errors that were shown in the report at the end of the import process.
- User records will fail to merge if there is a near match, but one record is disabled and the other is not. Check both records and manually merge them to create one record with the correct settings.
- If two different user records have the same User ID, the second record will be imported with a blank User ID. Check whether the records should be merged, or if the second user needs a new unique User ID.
Duplicate records: Some records are typically duplicated after multiple databases have been imported, especially the default Protege WX records. You may wish to tidy these records up so that there is only one per place or location. Record types that are commonly duplicated include:
- Users (if they could not be matched by card number)
- Access levels
- Schedules
- Credential types
- Daylight savings
- Menu groups
If you are removing duplicate records, make sure that you update all objects that use each instance of that record. For example, you may need to update all inputs that were using a certain input type. The Related Objects section of the programming window is helpful for finding objects that use a certain record.
Commands: If your system uses programming commands that contain Database IDs, you will need to update these after they are imported to Protege X. This is because the records have different Database IDs in Protege X. You can find the new Database ID for each record in the URL (see System Reference Guide).
Require Dual Credentials for Keypad Access: This setting is not enabled automatically in Protege X even if it was enabled in Protege WX. This is because the setting applies to the entire place, not individual controllers. To enable this setting, click on Places in the breadcrumb toolbar (above the programming pane) and edit the relevant place.

Next steps: Pairing the Controller