Buildings may be exported from and imported into the Audit Template individually or in bulk to create duplicate report entries, to save data entry steps, and/or to facilitate the transfer of data to and from other software platforms using BuildingSync® XML files.
BuildingSync® XML, developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is a standardized language for commercial building energy audit data that software developers may use to exchange data between audit tools. For more information on BuildingSync, visit https://buildingsync.net, which includes a data dictionary, example files, and an implementation guide (see https://buildingsync.net/documents/).
View the BuildingSync XML Schema Changelog for the most recent BuildingSync version updates affecting the Audit Template.
Importing Audit Report Buildings
Building audit BuildingSync® XML files downloaded from the Audit Template or generated from other software may be copied and edited and used to import into the Audit Template to create a new audit report. To import into the Audit Template:
- Select the green Import Buildings button
- Select ‘Choose File’ and click on an XML file
- Select the blue Import BuildingSync XML button
After import, a success notice should appear along with a link to the new audit report building which should also appear on your list of buildings on the Audit Template home page. XML files that are not in the correct format will display an invalid warning and will not be imported.
Example File for Testing
Example audit reports have been created as BuildingSync® XML files and are available in to download from the Resources page which may be imported into the Audit Template to test the import process and review inputs for completed New York City Energy Efficiency Reports and San Francisco Reports by following these steps.
- Download the 'Audit Template BSXML Example - NYC BBL Property' or the 'Audit Template BSXML Example - San Francisco Building'
- Import the xml file into the Audit Template by following the steps above
BuildingSync Validation Tools
Several tools are available to help adopt BuildingSync® schema, including the free web based BuildingSync Use Case Selection Tool to validate BuildingSync files.
Exporting Audit Report Buildings
An open in-progress or complete building audit report may be exported to xml by selecting the yellow Download button and selecting XML.
Single buildings may also be exported from the main Audit Template Buildings page by checking the box on the last column of a building and selecting ‘Download BuildingSync XML Documents one per Building' from the blue ‘With Selection’ pull down button located at the bottom right corner of the table.
Importing and Exporting Audit Report Buildings in Bulk
Multiple buildings may be included in a single BuildingSync XML file and imported in bulk. After importing a file by following the instructions above, all imported buildings should appear on your list of buildings on the Audit Template home page.
Multiple buildings may be exported from the main Audit Template Buildings page in bulk by checking the boxes on the last column for all buildings to be exported and by selecting from the blue ‘With Selection’ pull down button located at the bottom right corner of the table. Buildings may be exported into a single XML file (‘all Buildings in one’), or in separate XML files (‘one per building’).
NYC Buildings and Properties
If more than one building has been entered for a BBL in an NYC Property, all buildings will be exported into a single BuildingSync XML file if downloading from an open in-progress report. Multiple properties containing multiple buildings may also be exported in bulk either in a single BuildingSync XML file or one per Property from the NYC Properties page.
Similarly, multiple properties with multiple buildings located on a BBL may be imported in bulk from a single BuildingSync XML file.
Known issues with importing and exporting BuildingSync XML files
A few input fields exist within the Audit Template that may not be compatible with importing and/or exporting BuildingSync XML files. See the known issues page for details.
FAQs for Software Developers
As a software developer, I want to import my BuildingSync XML documents into the Audit Template. How do I get started?
BuildingSync XML is a very large and complex schema with many capabilities. Working with the BuildingSync XML schema document directly, in its entirety, can be overwhelming. To get started, we recommend creating a new building in Audit Template to serve as an example, completing the fields that you are interested in, and then exporting the corresponding BuildingSync XML document. Then, recreate the structure of the exported BuildingSync XML document in your source code.
As a software developer, I want to validate my BuildingSync XML documents before importing them into the Audit Template. How do I do that?
Validation is an essential step of any data exchange workflow. There are two types of validation: structural and semantic (interpretation).
In the context of BuildingSync XML, structural validation ensures that BuildingSync XML documents are well-formed and property expressed according to rules of the BuildingSync XML schema document. We recommend using the xmllint [http://xmlsoft.org/xmllint.html] command-line tool validate the structure of your BuildingSync XML documents against the BuildingSync XML schema document. Structurally invalid BuildingSync XML documents are automatically rejected by the Audit Template.
In the context of BuildingSync XML, semantic validation ensures that the interpretation of the BuildingSync XML documents is correct from the viewpoint of Audit Template. Not all aspects of BuildingSync XML schema are supported by the Audit Template [link to “not recommended” FAQ answer]. The business rules for semantic validation of BuildingSync XML documents in Audit Template are specified as ISO Schematron [http://schematron.com/] documents, available via GitHub [https://github.com/pnnl/assetscore-schematron-docs].
As a software developer, I want to see what changes have been made to the schema in the latest BuildingSync version. How do I do that?
Changes are displayed in the BuildingSync XML Schema Changelog.