Test cases keep duplicating when importing from Excel to test case management

ALM Rally (Broadcom Agile Central)
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1

Every time we import test cases from Excel using Rally 2024’s Excel Importer, we get duplicate records created. We’re now at 3x the number of test cases we should have, which is completely breaking our test coverage metrics.

The Excel file has an ExternalID column that should prevent duplicates, but Rally seems to ignore it and creates new ObjectIDs every time. We’ve tried both ‘Create New’ and ‘Update Existing’ import modes with the same result.


ExternalID: TC-2024-001
Name: Login validation test
Method: Manual
(imports as new record every time)

Our template validation passes without errors, and the ExternalID format matches Rally’s requirements. Has anyone solved Excel import duplication in Rally 2024? This is affecting our entire QA workflow since we can’t trust the test case repository anymore.

2

We had this exact problem last month. The root cause was our Excel template not being configured properly for Rally 2024’s new import engine. The template validation passes but doesn’t actually check if your ExternalID column is mapped correctly to Rally’s internal ExternalID field. Sometimes Excel column headers need exact case matching - try ‘ExternalID’ instead of ‘External ID’ or ‘External_ID’. Also, make sure you’re not mixing test case types in the same import - Rally treats Manual and Automated test cases as different object types with separate ExternalID namespaces.

3

ExternalID alone isn’t enough - you also need to specify the correct import mode. When you select ‘Update Existing’, Rally looks for matches using ObjectID by default, not ExternalID. You need to explicitly configure the Excel Importer to use ExternalID as the matching key. In the import wizard, there’s an advanced option called ‘Match Records By’ - change this from ObjectID to ExternalID. Otherwise it treats every row as a new record.

4

Check if you have duplicate ExternalID values in your source Excel file itself. Rally’s import might be creating separate records for each row even if they have the same ExternalID, especially if there are hidden characters or formatting differences. Try exporting your current test cases from Rally, compare ExternalIDs, and clean up any duplicates before importing again.

5

Perfect - you’ve identified the two main issues. Here’s the complete solution for preventing test case duplication during Excel imports in Rally 2024:

1. ExternalID Mapping Configuration: The ExternalID field must be properly configured before import. Navigate to Workspace Setup > Test Case Management > Field Configuration. Ensure ExternalID has these settings:

  • Field Type: String (not auto-generated)
  • Unique Constraint: Enabled
  • Required on Creation: Yes
  • Case Sensitive: No (important for matching)

2. ObjectID Updates vs ExternalID Matching: Rally 2024’s Excel Importer defaults to ObjectID matching, which always creates new records since your Excel file doesn’t have Rally ObjectIDs yet. Fix this:

In Excel Importer wizard:

  • Step 2: Select ‘Update Existing or Create New’
  • Step 3 (Advanced): Change ‘Match Records By’ dropdown from ‘ObjectID’ to ‘ExternalID’
  • Step 4: Map your Excel column to Rally’s ExternalID field (exact case match required)

3. Import Mode Selection: Use ‘Update Existing or Create New’ mode (not ‘Create New’). This mode tells Rally:

  • If ExternalID exists → update that test case
  • If ExternalID doesn’t exist → create new test case

The ‘Create New’ mode bypasses all matching logic and always creates records.

4. Template Validation Requirements: Rally’s template validator checks syntax but not semantic mapping. Your Excel template needs:


ExternalID | Name | Method | Type
TC-2024-001 | Login validation | Manual | Functional

Column header must be exactly ‘ExternalID’ (case-sensitive in some Rally versions). Avoid spaces, underscores, or variations.

5. Workspace-Level ExternalID Cleanup: Before reimporting, you need to clean up the existing duplicates. Run this query in Rally’s Custom Reports to identify duplicates:

  • Group By: ExternalID
  • Having: Count > 1
  • Show: ObjectID, ExternalID, Name

Manually delete duplicate records keeping only the most recent version, or use Rally’s Bulk Delete tool.

6. Best Practices for Test Case Imports:

  • Always export existing test cases first to get current ExternalID list
  • Use a consistent ExternalID format (prefix + sequential number)
  • Don’t mix test case types (Manual/Automated) in single import
  • Test with 5-10 records before bulk importing hundreds
  • Enable ‘Preview Mode’ in Excel Importer to see what will be created vs updated

The combination of correct ExternalID mapping configuration and proper import mode selection will prevent all future duplications. The case sensitivity issue you found is also critical - Rally 2024 is stricter about exact column name matching than previous versions.

6

Thanks for all the suggestions. I found the ‘Match Records By’ setting buried in the advanced options - that was definitely part of the problem. We also discovered our template had case sensitivity issues with the ExternalID column header.