RVTools import guide
Surveyor reads an RVTools export in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. Two importers exist and both are on the Workloads page.
| Importer | Use it for | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Individual VM inventory (Import RVTools / vInfo) | Sizing from the real VM list | One editable row per VM, with inclusion, tier and evidence |
| Custom workload import (Specialized, grouped) | A quick fleet estimate | VMs grouped by identical vCPU and memory into one workload per signature |
Enter each machine once. Individual inventory and grouped workloads are additive.
Accepted files
- An RVTools .xlsx workbook, or the vInfo tab saved as .csv. A workbook needs a sheet named
vInfo; a one-sheet file is treated as vInfo. - Optional vPartition sheet for consumed storage.
Columns used
| Column (case-insensitive) | Used for |
|---|---|
VM | Name (required for the individual importer) |
CPUs (or CPU) | vCPU allocation |
Memory | Allocated memory in MiB; converted to GiB by dividing by 1024 |
Provisioned MiB (or MB) | Provisioned storage |
In Use MiB (or MB) | Used storage when no partition data exists |
Consumed MiB on vPartition | Preferred consumed storage; summed per VM |
Powerstate | Powered on, off or suspended |
Template, SRM Placeholder | Rows marked true are skipped |
Cluster, Host, VM UUID, guest OS columns | Kept as evidence and to tell duplicate names apart |
All other columns are ignored.
What is skipped
- Templates and SRM placeholders.
- vCLS agent VMs, named
vCLS-<id>orvCLS (1): they are vSphere platform VMs, not workloads. The grouped importer skips them too and reports the count. - Rows with no CPU, memory or storage at all (blank or footer rows).
Powered-off VMs
Powered-off and suspended VMs are kept and included. Surveyor warns with the count. Exclude them on the review screen if they are decommissioned; leave them in if they are cold workloads that will move.
Allocated versus measured
RVTools holds allocation evidence: what each VM was given, not what it uses. Surveyor therefore sizes from allocation by default.
- Allocation (default): vCPU and memory as configured.
- Measured P95 (optional): attach a P95 CSV (use the downloadable template, which carries stable VM IDs) with CPU %, memory %, IOPS and throughput. Missing metrics fall back to allocation independently. Measured sizing assumes you will apply the right-sizing it implies.
- Storage basis: provisioned (default) or consumed. Consumed sizing relies on thin provisioning or reclamation and does not reserve the gap up to provisioned capacity.
Review before sizing
Check tiers (suggested from VM names such as SQL, DC, AVD), duplicate-name warnings and storage warnings. A VM with no storage evidence stops the import rather than becoming zero demand.
Security of the workbook
Spreadsheet parsing uses SheetJS 0.20.3 (pinned with an integrity hash in package-lock.json). The earlier 0.18.5 release had prototype-pollution and ReDoS advisories. Tests cover hostile headers and very long cells. Still treat workbooks from other people as untrusted input.