How do I convert my excel LCI data into a format that can be imported in openLCA?

Question

I have a datasheet for the LCI of steel that I obtained from another organisation. They did their LCI using GaBi software and it is in ICLD format. This is how the datasheet looks: 

The issue now is that I don't have access to GaBi, only to all the free databases and openLCA. When I try to import this data into openLCA it doesn't work. I tried different things: 

1. Created a new sheet with data only , and columns named the same as in openLCA ('Flow','Category','Amount','Unit') but this time I don't get an error, however, it's empty. Nothing really happens. 

2. I think it might also be an issue of formats used. In this case, how can i first convert an excel file into an importable file in openLCA like JSON? And then how can I do a flow mapping to make sure that it's actually able to identify each flows? Currently the flows are named differently and that could be why it can't locate them. To use the flow mapping tool, I can't import the file in its current state

Answer 1

Ok of course openLCA will not understand an excel (or word, pdf..) document from some source in the import, but ILCD from GaBi will often import successfully, if GaBi has not excluded important part of the datasets for export, which can happen for flows, units, or properties - maybe you can give it a try? Otherwise, the excel could be imported if you write a specific Python script, check these examples here: https://github.com/GreenDelta/openlca-python-examples and here https://nexus.openlca.org/utility/Special%20Python%20Scripts.

Comments

Is there any way I can obtain the UUID for the flows? The UUID's are missing and so it's difficult to map the flows to the existing flows in my database.

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you can simply get the UUIDs from openLCA by via this sql script:
select name, ref_id from tbl_flows
but you will also need the categories, these are referenced by f_category in the tbl_flows.