At EyeSeeTea, we’ve been busy developing several major updates to Bulk Load, our application for massive data uploads in DHIS2.
Over the past few months, we’ve released three new versions, including 3.28.0, 3.29.0 and 3.30.0, bringing significant improvements — some of them inspired directly by feedback from our community.
What’s new in version 3.28.0: This release introduces a change that started as a community request, along with several new features that expand the app’s capabilities:
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Template data filter: allows creating a filter by Tracked Entity Attribute (TEA) to download only TEIs that meet certain conditions. This makes it easier, for example, to export only active records or those belonging to a specific region.
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Alphabetical sorting of generated metadata: all drop-downs and category combinations are now sorted alphabetically, making it faster to find and select elements in templates.
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Support for Excel functions: templates can now include formulas, enabling automatic calculations within Excel files (e.g., sums or conversions) before importing data into DHIS2.
What’s new in version 3.29.0: This update brings major interface improvements and several technical enhancements, making Bulk Load more efficient, flexible, and user-friendly.
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Support for polygons in events: Bulk Load now recognizes polygon geometries when importing event data, allowing richer spatial representation for coordinate-based programs.
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Performance optimization: loading of Category Option Combos (COCs) is deferred until required, reducing initialization time for large data sets.
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New coalesce function for custom templates: handles null values in Excel formulas to ensure more robust imports.
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Bug fix: removed export limitations on large numbers of TEIs in Tracker, allowing massive exports without memory issues.
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Improved download template graphical interface:
- Added a reusable section component with collapsible form sections
- Divided fields into logical sections (metadata, advanced options, filters)
- Reorganized advanced options for better navigation and clarity
Before:*
After (collapsed):
After (expanded):
What’s new in version 3.30.0: The changes introduced in this new version are as follows:
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Bug fixing: Show populate logic on custom template.
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Features:
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Add comment for all dataValues updated
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A new dialog ImportCommentDialog is opened when trying to import a dataSet
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comment added to ImportTemplateConfiguration, and persisted as part of HistoryDetails. When viewing the history details, If there is any comment it will be shown
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The comment entered by the user is appended as a new line to each dataValue comment, with the timestamp - BL Import - prefix
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New private method applyCommentsToDataValues added to the ImportTemplateUseCase. It reuses the existing instanceDataValues
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In case the option to not include comment is used, it won’t append any new line to the dataValue comments. The applyCommentsToDataValues is still called to populate the existing comment, otherwise the comments would be overwritten with an empty value
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Work in these releases was supported by WHO, MSF-OCBA, and EyeSeeTea, and implemented by EyeSeeTea.
You can find all of the three updates for all these Bulk Load releases in the following link: https://github.com/EyeSeeTea/Bulk-Load/releases/
Collaborative development: One of the new features was developed at the request of The END Fund, demonstrating how community input directly drives Bulk Load improvements.
You can request new features through:
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The in-app feedback option
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The DHIS2 Community forum,
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Or by emailing us at hello@eyeseetea.com
We add new ideas to our public roadmap, but since many community suggestions are developed during our work hours, some may take time to implement.
If you need a feature more urgently, you can contact us at hello@eyeseetea.com — we’ll provide a custom quote for your enhancement.
We love hearing from you!: Every Bulk Load update is possible thanks to the collaboration of users and organizations that trust and support our work.
Please visit our website to learn more about the latest releases and discover how Bulk Load can help you streamline your data workflows: https://eyeseetea.com