# Export Import UDT xml problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [October 7, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590 "2015-10-07T16:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/1 "2015-10-07T16:23:27Z")
A painful experience that I hope I can help others avoid. On 7.7.5 if you export a UDT xml and re-import it without making any changes to it, you will lose all overrides attached to tags using that UDT!! I learned this the hard way when I needed to make changes to my UDTs to better handle alarming. At first I was changing the UDTs online in designer but when I got to my telemetry device UDT which contains many alarms, I decided to export the xml and make the modifications offline. When I finished re-importing, I found that all my overrides were lost on hundreds of tags. Using an old csv export of the tags from a previous version (7.5.12) and after 10 hours I think I have tracked down all the overrides and corrected them. The users will let me know what I missed over the next few weeks. šŸ˜¢ It was after correcting this problem that I took a UDT that I only have a few tag instances of (3), exported the UDT and then re-imported it without making any changes that I confirmed that was sufficient to break overrides. Lesson learned, export your tags to create a backup before editing your UDT offline then after it destroys all your overrides on import, you can import the tags to rebuild the overrides. Hopefully this problem/necessity will be corrected in an upcoming version. ---
**Author:** ![KathyApplebaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kathyapplebaum/32/7261_2.png) [@KathyApplebaum](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/KathyApplebaum)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/2 "2015-10-08T17:33:45Z")
I am literally working on that issue today. FWIW, the problem is when the source is 7.5 or earlier, which uses our old Alert system, and the UDT is imported to 7.6 or later, which uses the new Alarm system. Looks like the overrides arenā€™t getting picked up in the translation. šŸ˜¢ ---
**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/3 "2015-10-08T17:40:39Z")
No Kathy, that is not correct. I am aware of that problem as I am the originator of that case. This is new. Export a 7.7 UDT and re-import it and it breaks all the overrides! ---
**Author:** ![KathyApplebaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kathyapplebaum/32/7261_2.png) [@KathyApplebaum](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/KathyApplebaum)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/4 "2015-10-08T17:48:26Z")
I couldnā€™t replicate that. Can you post the export here with a hint as to at least one of the overrides? I can look at both issues at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/5 "2015-10-08T18:03:19Z")
Using the attached UDT if I create an overrride on the documetation for ā€œAuto\_Enā€ and then re-import the UDT, the override is broken. I am using my Designer on Linux. [PMtags.xml](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/2X/5/5f7bbf83b2790b7ced3c72c03e33099f1cd1850a.xml) (20.6 KB) ---
**Author:** ![KathyApplebaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kathyapplebaum/32/7261_2.png) [@KathyApplebaum](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/KathyApplebaum)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/6 "2015-10-08T18:21:37Z")
Thanks much ā€“ Iā€™ll take a look. [edit] Dang, still canā€™t replicate. ---
**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/7 "2015-10-09T04:37:07Z")
Would you like to do a remote view so I can demonstrate? ---
**Author:** ![KathyApplebaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kathyapplebaum/32/7261_2.png) [@KathyApplebaum](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/KathyApplebaum)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/8 "2015-10-09T14:06:21Z")
Your best bet is to call or email tech support and have them see how to replicate. ---
**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/9 "2015-10-09T15:18:24Z")
Is there a way to reference our ongoing discussion (case number)?? ---
**Author:** ![KathyApplebaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kathyapplebaum/32/7261_2.png) [@KathyApplebaum](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/KathyApplebaum)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/10 "2015-10-09T15:38:20Z")
Just include the URL for this forum topic. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![weertske](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/weertske/32/3353_2.png) [@weertske](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/weertske)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/11 "2015-10-23T17:29:25Z")
For anyone reading this thread. We have been able to narrow down the problem. This is not a concern for new projects created with 7.7. Those projects work properly when it comes to importing and exporting UDTs. However, if you have an older project (in my case 7.5.12) and upgrade to 7.7, when you export and then re-import a UDT, all your overrides will be broken. I hope they find a fix as it would be a pain to have to edit my UDTs online forevermore. ---
**Author:** ![keith.crenshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@keith.crenshaw](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/keith.crenshaw)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/export-import-udt-xml-problem/10590/12 "2017-08-30T22:13:13Z")
I just experienced this issue in 7.9.3 as well. I have a UDT that we want to update with information in tags. There are roughly 2,000 or so across various projects. When I rename or move the existing UDT, all of the information that was held in those tags are lost.