Partial Bulk Edit from file

Feature Request: Partial Bulk Edit from File

Summary:
Enable users to perform partial bulk edits on proposals and tasks by selecting which columns/fields from an imported file should be updated, while leaving all other fields unchanged. This allows controlled updates (for example, names and descriptions only) without overwriting existing schedule or other sensitive data.

Problem Statement:
Today, bulk edit workflows assume that all mapped fields in the import or template should be applied. When users have a bulk edit template of tasks but only want to modify certain attributes (such as task name and description), they risk unintentionally changing other fields like start and end dates. This makes routine updates risky and forces users either to manually edit records one by one or to maintain multiple narrowly scoped templates to avoid unwanted changes. Both approaches are time-consuming and error‑prone.

Proposed Solution:
Allow users to perform partial bulk edits from a file or template by explicitly choosing which columns to apply during the update.

• During the bulk edit/import flow, present a field selection step where users can:

  • Map file columns to system fields.

  • Check/uncheck which mapped fields should be applied in this run (e.g., only “Name”, “Description”, and selected task-level fields).

• For any fields/columns that are not selected, preserve existing values in the target records (no updates applied).

• Ensure that row-to-record matching (e.g., by ID, key, or other unique identifier) is preserved so only the intended tasks/proposals are updated.

• Provide a preview/summary showing which fields will be updated before the user confirms the operation.

• Optionally support saving commonly used “partial bulk edit” configurations for reuse (e.g., “Content-only update” that touches just name and description).

Benefits:

• Reduces the risk of accidentally overwriting important data such as dates, assignments, or financial fields during bulk updates.

• Saves time by allowing users to reuse existing bulk edit templates without having to strip out or reformat columns each time.

• Increases confidence in bulk operations, encouraging users to adopt efficient, large-scale updates instead of manual, record-by-record edits.

• Supports more flexible workflows where different teams can maintain comprehensive templates but apply only the subsets of fields relevant to their current task.