Metrel ES Manager export: getting your test and tag records into a cloud register

A Metrel ES Manager export is how you get your test and tag records out of Metrel's PC software and into a spreadsheet another program can read. ES Manager has two ways to do it, both on the Main tab: the Basic PAT export, which writes your structure, test data and appliance data to an Excel table, and Pro Export, a licensed export where you choose the columns yourself.

This guide walks through both, using the steps in Metrel's own ES Manager instruction manual (version 2.4.14), then covers checking the file and importing it into a new register without retyping.

Before you start: how ES Manager stores your records

ES Manager keeps results in data structure files, saved with a .padfx extension. A structure is a tree: the objects you set up (a client, a building, a room) with appliances and their measurements underneath. Results come off a Metrel tester by downloading the instrument's memory into a data structure file, either a new file or one you already have open.

Two things follow from that:

• Your records may be spread across several files. If you start a new file for each job or client, you'll export each one separately.
• Export only covers the file that's open. The manual says the Main tab functions are only available when a data structure file is open.

Before you export anything, copy your .padfx files somewhere safe. They're your archive if you ever need to go back.

Option 1: the Basic PAT export

The manual describes the Main tab's export options as:

• ToExcel Basic PAT export: exports structure, test data and appliance data to an Excel table.
• ToXML Basic PAT export: the same data as an XML file.
• ToExcel Basic EIS export and ToXML Basic EIS export: the equivalent for electrical installation testing, not appliances.

For test and tag records, you want ToExcel Basic PAT export:

1. Open the data structure file in ES Manager.
2. Click the Main tab to open its drop-down menu.
3. Go to the export options and choose ToExcel Basic PAT export.
4. Save the file with a name that tells you which client or job it holds.

Metrel's product page for ES Manager also says results can be exported to other programs as .csv or .xml. The manual doesn't spell out the exact columns in the Basic export, so open the file and look before you rely on it (see the checks below).

Option 2: Pro Export (PRO licence only)

Pro Export lets you pick exactly which data goes into the Excel file. It depends on your licence: the manual says a Basic licence doesn't allow Pro Export, and Metrel's product page lists "PRO export to Excel" as a PRO licence feature. If the option is greyed out, that's why.

The steps from section 10.1.3 of the manual:

1. Open the data structure file.
2. In the tree, select what to export. Selecting an object exports it and everything below it. Selecting the top Node exports the whole structure.
3. Open the Main tab menu and choose Pro Export.
4. Pick a table layout. There are four: Measured values for objects, Inspection data, General structure data and Complete data. For moving to new software, Complete data is the safest choice because it lets you select measurements, inspections and structure data.
5. In the Export form, use Check all to select every available column, or tick the ones you want in the Structure objects, Measurements and Inspections tabs.
6. Click to Excel, choose a folder and name the file.

If you have several files to export, set up your columns once and use Save filter. On the next file, Load filter applies the same selection.

One catch with Pro Export

The manual says the preview shows a separate row for each single test. By default the columns include the structure path, the object type, the auto sequence, the measurement name, its status, a comment, and the instrument's user, serial number, firmware and calibration date.

That's a test-by-test log, not one row per appliance. An earth bond result and an insulation result for the same kettle can land on different rows. Keep that in mind when you check the file.

Check the file before you import

Open each export in Excel and look for:

• An appliance ID on every row. It's how a register tells one item from another, and how repeated rows for the same item get matched up.
• An appliance name or description. A register needs to know what the item is.
• Where each item lives. The structure path shows where an item sits in your tree, such as client, building and room. If it's all in one column, that's fine.
• Dates that look like dates. If a column shows ########, widen it.
• The latest result for each item. If the file is one row per single test, filter on one appliance ID and check its newest test date and status make sense.

Most registers import one client's site at a time (Koalaris does). If one export holds several clients or sites, turn on Data > Filter in Excel, filter to one site, copy the rows with the heading row into a new workbook, and save it named after the client and site.

Import into Koalaris

In Koalaris, open the Register, choose Import, pick the client and site, and drop in the file. CSV and Excel (.xlsx, .xls) files both work, including exports from Metrel ES Manager.

Lyra AI, the assistant built into Koalaris, reads your column headings and matches each one to a register field: asset code, item name, location, class, retest interval, last test date, result, next due date, make, model, serial number, earth, insulation and leakage readings, and notes. You review every match before anything is imported, and you can change or skip any column. Columns Koalaris has no field for, such as the tester's firmware version, can simply be skipped.

If the file has one row per test, Koalaris keeps one row per item: its latest test, matched on the asset code. That brings the item, its location, last test date and result across cleanly. Readings that sat on other rows of the same test may not come with it, so check a few items and keep your Metrel files as the archive of the full readings.

Rooms that don't exist yet are created for you. If the file has no next due date, it's worked out from the retest interval. The two-minute import tutorial shows the whole process.

Then open three or four items and compare them with ES Manager: description, last test date, result and next due date. If they match, that site is done.

Testers, tags and the trade-off

ES Manager is built around Metrel's own instruments. Results download from the tester into the data structure file. Koalaris doesn't download results from a tester. You record each result in the offline field app as you test, on a phone, tablet or computer, and it works with whatever tester you already own, Metrel included.

What you get in return is a cloud register your whole team can reach, certificates with your logo, a portal where your clients see their own records and, on the Solo plan, invoices straight from the finished visit. If downloading straight from the tester matters more to you than that, weigh it up honestly before you switch. Our comparison of cloud and desktop test and tag software covers the trade-offs in more detail.

Keep your old records

Don't uninstall ES Manager the day you move. A test record has to be kept until the item is next tested, and there are good reasons to keep your history longer. Our guide to what test and tag records to keep explains the rules. Keep your .padfx files and the Excel exports somewhere safe, and stop downloading new results into ES Manager once you've switched. Two registers always drift apart.

If some of your records live in spreadsheets as well, the same approach works for those. See how to move a test and tag register off spreadsheets.

Common questions

Can Metrel ES Manager export to Excel without the PRO licence?

The manual lists the Basic PAT export to Excel as a standard Main tab option, and only Pro Export as licence-dependent. Metrel's product page lists "PRO export to Excel" as a PRO licence feature. If you're unsure what your licence covers, ask your Metrel dealer.

Which export should I use to switch software?

Try ToExcel Basic PAT export first. If it's missing data you need and you have a PRO licence, use Pro Export with the Complete data layout and Check all.

Will I lose my test history?

Each item comes across with its latest test date and result. Keep your .padfx files and exports as the archive of older tests. From the switch onwards, every test adds to the item's history in the new register.

I still use PATLink PRO. Does this apply?

ES Manager can import data files exported from PATLink PRO, according to the manual. Once your PATLink PRO data is in ES Manager, you can export it as above.

What does Koalaris cost?

Koalaris has a Free plan with no card and no end date, unlimited items, clients and sites, and a starter allowance of Lyra AI import. Solo is $29 a month and adds invoicing, card payments, Xero sync and 500 import rows a month. See pricing.

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Want to see your Metrel records in a live register? Start on the Free plan, no card needed, and import your first export today.

This is general information based on Metrel's published ES Manager manual (version 2.4.14) and product page at the time of writing. Menus and licence features can change between versions, so check with Metrel or your dealer if a step doesn't match. Metrel and ES Manager are trademarks of Metrel d.o.o. Koalaris is not affiliated with or endorsed by Metrel.