Project XML import keeps bombing out

[MikeWhitneyACX]

I'm exporting projects from Smartsheet via Project XML, to import to Workfront.   It worked fine for the first project, but keeps erroring out on the second one. 

"There was a problem.

We're not sure why, but we weren't able to read the file you uploaded. Importing it again might do the trick."

Re-importing has the same result - an empty project.

Is there some particular format or column sets projects should have before export?

[monicacardoso]

Hi @MikeWhitneyACX, 

Thank you for your question! The error that you’re seeing usually points to formatting issues inside the XML file that Workfront can’t parse correctly.

Here are a few common causes for this problem:

• Missing required fields (eg. start/finish dates and a project name 
• Special characters (eg. &, <, >) in names or fields that aren't properly escaped/encoded
• Corrupted or incomplete XML (if the file wasn't fully generated during export or something broke the XML structure (like missing closing tags), Workfront won't be able to read it)

Below are a few things that you can try:

1. You can try pasting the file into a free XML validator (eg. https://www.xmlvalidation.com) to check if it’s properly formatted
2. If it opens cleanly in MS Project, you could re-save it as a proper MS Project XML file from there; this sometimes "fixes" formatting
3. Try removing any extra fields, attachments, dependencies, or formulas before exporting
4. If you still have the XML from the first successful import, you can compare it side-by-side to spot differences in structure

If the behavior persists and you haven't already done so, please open a ticket with the Workfront Support team. If you could provide specific examples and a screen recording, that would be perfect. 

- Monica

[kautuk_sahni]

@MikeWhitneyACX Just checking in. Were you able to resolve your issue? We’d love to hear how things worked out. If the suggestions above helped, marking a response as correct can guide others with similar questions. And if you found another solution, feel free to share it — your insights could benefit the community. Thanks again for being part of the conversation!