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Managing Resources

The Resources Tab is where you define the entities that will receive allocations (e.g., Staff, Rooms, Vehicles, Markers). AutoAllocate is built for scale, allowing you to manage hundreds or even thousands of resources with ease.

1. Adding Resources Manually​

For smaller projects or quick adjustments, you can add resources one by one.

The New Resource Dialog​

Click New Resource to open the creation dialog:

  • Name: Enter a descriptive, unique name.
    • Privacy Note: By default, names are pseudonymized. They are stored locally in your browser and mapped to a unique identifier, ensuring sensitive names are never sent to a server.
  • Capacity: Define how much work this resource can take.
    • Flexibility: You decide what this number represents—hours, days, available seats, or units of work.
  • Notes: Add any internal reference notes for this resource.
  • Custom Attributes: If you have defined Attributes (like "Subject Specialism" or "Location"), you can set their values here.

Actions:

  • Save + New: Stores the resource and keeps the dialog open for the next entry.
  • Save: Stores the resource and closes the dialog.

2. Managing the Resource List​

All resources are displayed in a paginated list.

  • Navigation: Use the Prev and Next buttons to move through large sets of data.
  • Editing: Click on any resource to update its capacity, notes, or attribute values.
  • Deletion: Remove resources that are no longer part of the allocation task.

3. Spreadsheet Ingestion (Import)​

The true strength of AutoAllocate lies in its ability to handle large-scale tasks by importing data directly from your existing spreadsheets.

Import Methods​

Click the Import button to choose your method:

  1. Upload CSV: Drag and drop your CSV file directly into the upload area.
  2. Paste Text: Copy a range of cells (including headers) from Excel or Google Sheets and paste them directly into the text area.

Column Mapping & Privacy​

Once you provide the data, a mapping dialog appears to help you align your spreadsheet with AutoAllocate:

  • Map Core Fields: Select which spreadsheet columns represent the Name and Capacity.
  • Map Attributes: Align your remaining columns with your custom attributes.
    • On-the-fly Creation: If you forgot to define an attribute earlier, you can create it directly within this dialog.
  • Live Preview: A real-time data preview shows you exactly how the data will be imported, preventing errors before they happen.
  • Privacy Protection: For every text-based column (including the Name), you can toggle the Privacy Protection option to ensure the data is anonymized during the solve.

Finalizing the Import​

When your mapping is perfect, click the green Import n Resources button. Your resources will be processed and added to the project in seconds. Click Cancel at any time to abort the process.