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Overview

Altoura Frontline allows you to import existing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides and convert them into Procedures. This enables teams to migrate content seamlessly without rebuilding steps, media, or 3D assets from scratch. Imports run asynchronously in the background, so you can continue working in the Procedures Portal while migration is in progress.
Imports are scoped to the currently selected organization. Always confirm the correct organization is active before importing.

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What Gets Imported

When a guide is imported, Altoura brings the following data over (as available in the source guide):
  • Guide structure and name
  • Steps and step instructions
  • Images and videos
  • 3D / GLB-related data and associated content

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How to Import a Guide

The end-to-end import flow consists of three stages: starting the import, selecting the guides, and submitting them for processing.

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Step 1: Start the Import

Navigate to the Procedures page in the Procedures Portal.
Procedures page in the Altoura Frontline Procedures Portal, with the Create Procedure button visible in the top-right.
Select Create Procedure in the top-right, then choose Import from Guides from the dropdown.
Create Procedure dropdown menu showing the New Empty Procedure, Import from Guides, Import from Packages, and View Import Status options.
The Select Guides to Import window opens.
Select Guides to Import dialog with the GuidesProcedures group collapsed.

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Step 2: Select Guides

  1. Expand the required instance / environment (for example, GuidesProcedures).
  2. Select one or more guides using the checkboxes, or use Select All to pick everything in the list.
Expanded GuidesProcedures group showing the full list of importable guides, each with a checkbox.
As soon as at least one guide is selected:
  • The Import Selected button becomes active
  • The dialog footer shows the number of guides currently selected
Select Guides to Import dialog with one guide selected; the Import Selected button is now active.
Close-up of the dialog footer showing '1 guide selected' alongside the Cancel and Import Selected buttons.

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Step 3: Submit the Import

Select Import Selected to begin the import. Once submitted:
  • An Importing… indicator appears on the Procedures page
  • Imports run in the background
  • You can continue working while imports are in progress
Procedures page showing an in-progress import card with a Processing status, Creating substep, percentage progress, and a Converting progress bar.
When an import finishes successfully, the card switches to a green Completed state with an Import completed successfully message and the final procedure name.
Completed import card with a green Completed status and an Import completed successfully message.

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How Imported Procedures Appear

After completion, the imported guide is created as a standard procedure and added to the Procedures list. From that point it behaves exactly like any other procedure. It can be opened, edited, shared, or deleted.
Imported procedure 'Altoura Training Board_14' shown as a standard procedure card in the Procedures list.

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Importing the Same Guide Multiple Times

If the same guide is imported more than once, Altoura automatically appends a numeric suffix to the procedure name so existing procedures are never overwritten:
  • Guide Name
  • Guide Name_1
  • Guide Name_2

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Checking Import Status

To review the history of guide imports, including completed, older, and failed runs:
  1. Select Create Procedure.
  2. Choose View Import Status.
The Import Status window opens. Make sure the Guides tab is selected at the top of the dialog.
Import Status dialog on the Guides tab with collapsed Completed Today and Older Imports sections.
Imports are organized into collapsible sections that appear only when they contain entries:
SectionDescription
Completed TodayImports that finished successfully during the current day
Older ImportsSuccessfully completed imports from previous days
FailedImports that did not complete successfully (only shown if any exist)
Expand a section to view individual entries. Each entry displays:
  • The source guide name
  • The resulting procedure name (for example, Altoura Training Board_14) or a status message if the source guide no longer exists
  • The date and time the import completed
  • A status icon indicating success or failure
Import Status dialog with the Completed Today and Older Imports sections expanded, showing individual import entries with timestamps and resulting procedure names.
Use the Guides tab to track Dynamics 365 Guide imports specifically. Other import types (such as Packages) are tracked under their own tabs and are documented separately.

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If an Import Fails

If a guide import fails, it appears under a Failed section in the Import Status window. No procedure is created or partially updated. The operation is fully rolled back. To retry:
  1. Open Create Procedure → Import from Guides.
  2. Select the failed guide.
  3. Submit the import again.
Each retry is treated as a brand-new import. If the second attempt succeeds, a new procedure is created. It does not resume the failed attempt.

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Key Points to Remember

  • Imports run asynchronously in the background
  • Imported procedures are scoped to the selected organization
  • Re-importing never overwrites existing procedures; a numeric suffix is added instead
  • Failed imports must be retried manually using the same flow
  • Imported procedures appear in the standard Procedures list and behave like any other procedure