What FBDI is, how a File-Based Data Import actually loads data into Oracle Fusion, when to use FBDI vs HDL vs REST, and a field-level reference for every major object — Supplier, AP invoice, AR invoice, GL journal, PO, Fixed Assets and HCM Worker.dat.
FBDI — File-Based Data Import — is Oracle Fusion’s bulk-load mechanism for ERP objects. For each object Oracle ships an Excel template (.xlsm); you fill it, generate a CSV, upload it, and Fusion moves the rows through interface tables into the application’s base tables via a standard import job.
FBDI is the interface every migration approach ultimately uses. The hard parts aren’t the file format — they’re extracting clean source data, mapping it to Fusion’s value sets and business units, and reconciling the load. (That’s what the Syntra ETL platform automates.)
Get the object’s FBDI spreadsheet (.xlsm) from Oracle’s File-Based Data Import guide for your Fusion release.
Populate the required and conditionally-required columns; leave system-derived columns blank.
Use the template’s “Generate CSV File” macro, then ZIP the resulting .csv file(s).
Run the Load Interface File for Import scheduled process, selecting the import job and your ZIP — data lands in the interface tables.
Run the object’s import process to move data from interface tables to base tables.
Check the import output/error report, fix rejected rows, reload, and reconcile record counts source-to-target.
| Method | Use for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FBDI | ERP: Financials, SCM, Procurement, Projects | Template → CSV → interface tables → import job. Best for high-volume conversion. |
| HDL | HCM: workers, assignments, payroll | HCM Data Loader — pipe-delimited .dat files (e.g. Worker.dat) in a ZIP. |
| REST / ADFDI | Smaller / incremental / real-time | REST APIs for integration; ADFDI spreadsheets for interactive entry. |
A field-level reference for each object:
Suppliers, addresses, sites, site assignments, contacts & bank.
Payables invoice headers & lines → Import Payables Invoices.
Receivables transactions → Import AutoInvoice.
Journal lines → GL_INTERFACE → Import Journals.
PO headers, lines, schedules, distributions → Import Orders.
Mass Additions → Post Mass Additions.
HCM worker data via the HCM Data Loader.
It’s the Excel (.xlsm) template Oracle provides for each object’s File-Based Data Import. You fill the worksheets, generate a CSV, upload it via “Load Interface File for Import”, then run the object’s import job to move data from interface tables to base tables.
FBDI loads ERP objects (Financials, SCM, Procurement) via CSV and interface tables; HDL — HCM Data Loader — loads HCM objects (workers, assignments, payroll) via pipe-delimited .dat files such as Worker.dat. Different domains, similar idea.
It depends on the object — e.g. Import Payables Invoices, Import Journals, Import AutoInvoice, Import Orders, Import Suppliers. See each object’s page for the exact job.
Read the import job’s error output, correct the rejected rows (value sets, business units, mandatory fields, duplicates), and reload only the failed records — then reconcile counts source-to-target.
Syntra generates and loads FBDI/HDL for every object at scale — with source extraction, mapping and reconciliation built in. Skip the hand-built templates.