The Excel template that becomes a 3D twin

What each sheet unlocks

Sheet	Required columns	Optional columns	Unlocks
Devices (required)	rack, u, model	name, role, height_u, power_cords (A/B/AB), serial, owner, warranty_end, runs	3D racks, weight, power and heat per rack, airflow, open any device, warranty flags
Cables	from_device, to_device, type	from_port, to_port, phase, media, speed, length_m, color, label, vlan, route	Cabling view with trace, Power and Network diagrams, port checks
Rooms	room	length_m, width_m, height_m, raised_floor_mm, lighting_w, timezone	room size and lighting load (template v1.3)
Racks	rack, row, position	room, height_u, width_in, front_faces (A/B), max_kw	the real room layout, hot and cold aisles, rack budgets
Power	name, type, rating	fed_from, feed, rack, voltage, phases, phase, runtime_min, battery_kwh, model	“what if feed A, a UPS or a breaker fails”, overload checks
Networks	vlan, name	purpose, subnet	VLAN colours in the Network view
Cooling	name, type	capacity_kw, serves, model	cooling against heat, “what if AC-1 stops”
CustomDevices	name, category	brand, model, height_u, width_in, depth_mm, weight_kg, psu_count, psu_w, idle_w, typical_w, max_w, airflow, inlet_max_c, ports	devices the catalog does not know, reusable by name (template v1.2)
Readings	time, item, metric, value		the model fitted to your real room; any monitoring tool’s CSV export fits here

What changed since version 1.0

Additions only, so older files still import.

Version 1.3: an optional Rooms sheet (size, raised floor, lighting load, time zone) and Racks.room to put each rack in its room. Reading the Rooms sheet in the importer is on the roadmap Roadmap; until then all racks sit in one room and the lighting load uses the default density.

Version 1.2: an optional CustomDevices sheet for devices the catalog does not know (brand, model, size, power, ports). The importer reads it, and the model exports back to the same sheets.

Version 1.1:

• Cables: phase (L1, L2, L3) on power cables.
• Power: phase, plus runtime_min and battery_kwh on UPS rows; the type column accepts wall outlet.
• Racks: width_in (19 by default, 10 for mini racks).

What they do: phases give a per-phase load and a phase-balance check on every three-phase node (80 % per phase, imbalance above 15 % flagged); runtime_min or battery_kwh set the UPS runtime ahead of the catalog value; width_in = 10 draws a mini rack (also inferred from a name like “Mini rack 2”).

Devices without a U: a row with an empty u is kept as a device outside a rack; its rack value becomes the location, shown as an open shelf (for example a switch on the NOC desk). It is never skipped.

What happens at import

1. Headers are matched case-insensitively, with synonyms (“U position”, “Rack name”, “Hostname”, “Model number”).
2. Model text is matched to the device catalog (exact, aliases, model codes, then fuzzy). Unknown models become plain boxes of the height you gave, flagged “identify later”.
3. Missing layers get defaults marked assumed (2N A/B power, aisles alternating by row, one cooling zone), listed in the report so you know what to replace.
4. A check list with 3D locations: U overlaps, overweight racks, PDU or breaker over 80 %, single-corded or same-feed devices, heat above cooling, warranty ending within 12 months, unknown models, cable and port problems.
5. Re-upload means update. Devices are matched by serial, then name, then rack and U; you see a change list before anything is applied.

Limits and safety: XLSX or CSV/TSV (comma, semicolon, tab; UTF-8, UTF-16, GBK). Values only: formulas are never evaluated; macro-enabled, encrypted and zip-bomb files are refused. 10 MB per file, 50,000 rows per sheet. Bad rows never block an import; each one is listed with its sheet, row and reason.

Tips from the first imports

• Write the model name the way the vendor prints it; “R740xd” and “PowerEdge R740XD” both match.
• A patch-panel cable is two rows; a cable’s route can be “in rack”, “overhead tray T2” or “under floor”.
• Use power_cords (A, B or AB) on Devices if you do not want to list every power cable yet.
• Export last week’s sensor values from your monitoring into Readings and the air and power layers fit your room.
• Not sure where to start? Open the filled example next to the blank template.