Available export formats

DiPAgE supports exporting plant protection product records as JSON, XML, CSV and PDF. JSON, XML and CSV are text-based, machine-readable formats and are intended for structured electronic processing. A prerequisite for legally compliant documentation is that the required details are contained completely and in accordance with the specified data standard.

PDF, by contrast, serves the readable presentation for humans. It is suitable for your own filing, for review, as a spray sheet or for showing at an inspection, but is not the intended machine-readable documentation format.

Why XLSX is treated differently

JSON, XML and CSV are text-based file formats. Their contents exist directly as text and can be read out in a structured way by software on the basis of a defined syntax or defined separators. They can therefore be read in as text without a format-specific office application and processed automatically.

XLSX, by contrast, is not a pure text format but a ZIP-based container format in which several XML files and other components are combined into an Excel workbook. XLSX files can also be processed automatically, but this requires software that interprets the structure of this file format. They are therefore not as easily machine-readable as simple text files like JSON, XML or CSV. In the DiPAgE context, XLSX is therefore not used as a machine-readable exchange format within the meaning of the data standard applied.

Exporting single or several protocols

In the “Protocols” area, individual plant protection product records can be selected and exported specifically. Alternatively, the existing records can be narrowed down using filters, for example by crop, plant protection product, location or year.

The filtered records can then be output as individual files or – depending on the format chosen – bundled in one common file. Without filtering, all existing plant protection product records of a farm can also be exported together this way.

Transferring data to another device

There is no automatic synchronization between several devices. To transfer records, they are exported on the first device, brought to the second device by a suitable transfer route, and imported there again.

The transport can take place, for example, via USB stick, email or a cloud storage. DiPAgE itself does not provide its own cloud storage; the choice of transfer route is up to the user or the farm.

Shared cloud storage as a manual exchange route

A shared cloud folder can simplify data exchange between several devices or persons. It does not, however, replace true live synchronization. The files still have to be deliberately exported from DiPAgE and imported on the other device.

This manual process prevents local working states from being overwritten unnoticed by a central cloud version. At the same time, a clear rule within the farm is sensible on which file counts as the current state and who makes changes.

Passing records on to advisers or authorities

If plant protection product records are to be passed on to an adviser, inspection body or authority, the user exports the required records in the desired format and transmits the file themselves. DiPAgE does not send the saved protocols to third parties automatically.

For machine exchange, the intended structured formats should be used. For a purely visual check, a PDF can additionally be helpful.

Use during on-site inspections

DiPAgE can also be used to view and check existing records. Files provided by the farm that comply with the data standard can be imported into the “Protocols” area, viewed individually there and, if needed, output as an easily readable PDF.

Filter functions make targeted selection easier, for example by plant protection product, crop, location or year. DiPAgE can thus be used both on the side of the documenting farm and as a tool for the structured viewing of existing files.