Import and match is how existing information gets into Lintel without retyping it: a capability workbook from Excel, an interface catalogue, a set of architecture principles, and a ready-made governance library. Everything is previewed before anything is written, imports can be repeated safely, and most of it goes into a draft or a change set for review. Importing needs the architect role.
Import finished
This page confirms that an import has been written to the capability model draft and summarises what happened.
It shows the file name and when it was imported, then counts: new capabilities, new and changed application links, new and changed applications, how many capabilities were flagged New (deck) or Review / contradiction, and how many rows were skipped, ignored or had problems.
- Choose Open the draft to look at the result in the capability model.
- Edit anything that needs correcting.
- Compare the draft with the published version, then publish it when you are happy.
Nothing is visible to general readers until the draft is published. Back to imports returns to the import list.
Governance library load
This page loads a ready-made governance library: a set of principles, policies and standards, with the older principles retired. It is a guided sequence of five steps that you work through in order.
Each step shows how far along it is, has one button, and can be run again safely, so a partly finished load does no harm. Every step is recorded in the audit log. Architects and governance owners can run the early steps. Publishing the drafts at the end needs the governance owner role.
When you are done, open the governance library to see the result. Steps 1 and 4 go through change sets, so another architect approves them.
1. Principles
This step proposes the new principles as elements in the repository.
The card shows how many of the wanted principles already exist and, if a change set has been created, its status (draft, waiting for approval, approved or rejected). Choose Propose the principles and the principles are added to a change set. Another architect then reviews and approves it under Change sets.
The button is available only while some principles are still missing. Step 2 needs this change set to be approved first, because policies and standards hang under principles.
2. Policies and standards
This step creates the policies and standards as drafts, each under the principle it belongs to.
- Check that step 1 has been approved.
- Choose Create the policies and standards as drafts.
- Look at the count of items created and how many are still drafts.
They are drafts so that nobody relies on them yet. A governance owner reviews and publishes them in step 5. Running the step again creates only the ones that are missing. It is available to architects and governance owners.
3. Old codes as aliases (optional)
This step adds the old principle codes as aliases on the new items, so a search for an old code lands on its replacement.
It needs steps 1 and 2 done. It is optional: you do not need it once the old principles are retired. If you added the aliases and decide you do not want them, choose Remove the old-code aliases, which removes only those aliases and nothing else.
The card shows how many aliases have been added out of the number wanted. The add button is available only while some are missing and old principles are still active.
4. Retire the old principles
This step proposes retiring the old principles, so only the new library is active.
- Check steps 2 and 3 are done.
- Choose Propose retiring the old principles.
- Another architect approves the change set.
The card counts how many old principles are still active and shows the status of the change set. Retired principles are kept in the history, not deleted, and their old codes can still be found if you added aliases in step 3. The button is disabled once none remain active.
5. Publish
This final step publishes all the policies and standards that are still drafts, making them part of the live governance library.
The card tells you how many are drafts. If you hold the governance owner role, choose Publish the drafts to publish them all. If you do not, the button is disabled and the card says only a governance owner can publish. Publish only after you have reviewed the drafts. After publishing, people across the organisation see them in the governance library and can assess work against them.
Import interface catalogue
This is where you load an interface catalogue: a workbook listing the interfaces between systems. It becomes interface elements in the repository, each linked to the systems it joins.
The workbook (.xlsx, up to 8 MB) needs these columns: ID(s), Page(s), Systems, Executive summary and Source / route / notes. A range such as INT253-254 becomes one interface per number. You match the systems to applications before anything is written.
- Choose Upload and preview.
- Check what will be loaded and match the systems.
- Choose Load the catalogue.
What will be loaded
After you upload a catalogue, this card is your preview. It counts what loading would do, and nothing is written until you choose to load.
- catalogue rows read,
- new interfaces and interfaces updated,
- new applications to review,
- aliases saved,
- new associations between interfaces and systems,
- repeated IDs that were skipped.
The load is recorded as seed data in the audit log and does not go through a change set. When it finishes, links take you to the interfaces and to any new applications that still need an owner.
Match systems to applications
The catalogue names systems in its own words. This step decides which repository application each one is.
Matches on a name or an existing alias are chosen for you. For each system you can leave Create a new application, which makes an application with no owner (it will show in the data-quality queue), or pick the existing application it really is. Tick Remember as alias so the next import recognises the same name.
Take a moment here: matching names carefully avoids duplicates later. When you are done, choose Load the catalogue.
Map columns
After you upload a capability workbook, this page tells Lintel which spreadsheet column holds what. Columns are matched automatically by their header text, so most of the time you only check.
- Check the capability sheet mapping (see Capability sheet).
- Optionally map an application portfolio sheet (see Application portfolio sheet).
- Optionally type a name in Save this mapping as, so the same layout can be reused.
- Choose Preview the import. A preview writes nothing.
If you have saved mappings you can pick one under Use a saved mapping and Load it. Cancel this import stops without changing anything.
Capability sheet
This part of the mapping describes the sheet that holds the capabilities.
Choose the Sheet and the Header row number, then, for each field, the column that holds it. The fields are the levels L0 to L5, application, application coverage, TIME disposition, annual cost, product end of life, contract end or renewal, in register, provenance, digital alignment, architecture alignment, source and evidence, and comments.
Choose Not used for any field your workbook does not have. L0 to L5 and a capability name are needed. If the sheet or header row is wrong, cancel and use a workbook laid out like the Excel template.
Application portfolio sheet (optional)
This part of the mapping describes an optional second sheet listing applications and their details, such as owners and costs.
- Choose the sheet, or No application sheet.
- Set the header row number.
- Map the fields: application name, register match, in register, provenance, product owner, support owner, TIME disposition, cost, end dates, alignment scores and notes.
- Under Roadmap columns kept with each application, tick any extra columns you want to keep with each application.
The portfolio sheet fills in details of applications named in the capability sheet. Applications found only on the capability sheet are created with less detail.
Architecture principles
This page loads a ready-made pack of architecture principles as Principle elements, each with its statement, rationale and implications.
It shows how many are new, how many would be updated and how many are already loaded. Choose Load the principles. Loading is a seed load: it is audited and does not need a change set, and it can be repeated. Use See the principles to look at them in the repository.
The button is disabled when there is nothing new to load. For the broader library of policies and standards see Governance library load.
Review import
The review page shows exactly what an import would do, row by row, before anything is written. It is your chance to catch a mapping mistake.
- Read What will happen.
- Use the chips to filter the rows by result: New, Changed, No change, Ignored, Problem or Skipped.
- Tick Skip on any row you do not want.
- Choose Import into the draft, or Change the mapping or Cancel this import.
Importing writes only to the capability model draft, so you can still edit it and compare it with the published version before publishing.
What will happen
This card is the headline summary of an import preview. It counts the new capabilities, new and changed application links, new and changed applications, and capabilities flagged New (deck) or Review / contradiction.
If some applications would be created only from the capability sheet, the card says how many. Use it as a sanity check. If you expected a handful of changes and see hundreds, go back and check the mapping. Rows are matched to existing capabilities by name path and to applications by name, and nothing is removed if it is missing from the file.
Rows
The table lists every row the import read, with its sheet row number, what it is, the result and the detail.
Results are New, Changed, No change, Ignored, Problem or Skipped. Tick Skip next to a row to leave it out. Rows marked No change or Ignored need nothing from you. A Problem row explains what was wrong, for example a missing name.
At most 600 rows are listed at once. If there are more, the page says how many are not listed, and those cannot be skipped one by one. Use the filters to focus on the rows to look at.
Import & match
This is the starting page for loading information. It has one card for each kind of import and a history of earlier ones.
- Import a capability workbook from Excel into the capability model draft.
- Import an interface catalogue.
- Load a set of architecture principles.
- Load the governance library.
- Look at previous imports.
Only architects can use this page. Imports are previewed, repeatable and recorded in the audit log.
Import a capability workbook
Use this to create or update the capability model draft from an Excel workbook.
- Choose an .xlsx workbook (up to 8 MB) with a capability sheet (L0 to L5, applications, coverage, TIME) and, optionally, an application portfolio sheet.
- Choose Upload and continue.
- Map the columns and preview the import.
- Review it, then Import into the draft.
Imports go to the draft, never straight to the published model. Rows are matched to existing capabilities by name path and to applications by name. Nothing is removed if it is missing from the file, and importing the same file again changes nothing.
Import an interface catalogue
This card starts the interface catalogue load, which creates interface elements linked to their systems from a workbook.
Choose Start, upload the workbook and follow the steps described under Import interface catalogue. You will preview what will be loaded and match each system to an application before anything is written.
Governance library (Oct 2026)
This card opens the guided load of a ready-made governance library: 10 principles, 31 policies and 64 standards, with the 44 older principles retired.
Choose Open and work through the five steps in Governance library load. Each step is checked, so you cannot run them out of order, and each can be repeated safely. The card is for organisations that want to start with this library. Others can build their own library by hand in the governance library.
Previous imports
This table lists every capability workbook import: when, the file name, who ran it and its status.
Status is shown as Committed (written to the draft), Cancelled, or still in progress. Choose Open to return to an import that is part way through, or to see the result of a finished one. Cancelled imports have no link because they wrote nothing. Use the list to check what was loaded and by whom if the draft looks different from what you expect.
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