How to clear the contact userid/name on an asset using the ITAM data importer utility?

Products

• CA IT Asset Manager
• CA Software Asset Manager (CA SAM)
• ASSET PORTFOLIO MGMT- SERVER
• CA Service Management - Asset Portfolio Management
• CA Service Management - Service Desk Manager

Issue/Introduction

We are trying to clear or blank out the contact userid/name from an asset.  How do I create the import mapping to do this?  

Environment

CA Asset Portfolio Management 12.x, 14.x, 17.x releases

Resolution

By default, the ITAM data importer uses the word 'Null' to represent clearing the data from a field.  In the ITAM data importer data file, add the word Null to the contactid column. 

The import map file needs a minimum of a primary key field, like serial number, and then map the destination field as asset.contact.contactid field and the source field as contactid from the data file.  

Note:  An alternative method would be to hard code the value 'Null' as the source field in the import definition.