Voiceflow allows you to import your data created on Dialogflow ES, and export it out of Voiceflow for a manual or automatic upload, in order to speed up your design work, and keep your designs in sync with your NLU.
Data Included on Import+Export
Here is a quick overview of the data that will be imported to Voiceflow from Dialogflow ES' ZIP, and included in our export files and uploads:
- Intents
- Entities (including names and synonyms)
- Custom Entities
- Built-in Entities
- User Examples (including all entity annotations)
- Contexts (Upload Only - we preserve any existing on the Intent in DF ES)
- Actions and Parameters
- Required Entities (will add all required Entities and their Entity Prompts)
- Other Actions and Parameters (Upload Only - we preserve any existing on the Intent in DF ES)
- Fulfillment Webhook URL (Upload Only - this will use Voiceflow's Dialog Manager to fulfill each Intent on your Agent)
Exporting Agent Data from Dialogflow ES
From your Agent's Settings' Export and Import menu, select the 'Export as ZIP' option.
You will receive a ZIP file as the export, and that will contain separate files for each Intent and Entity in your Agent.
Importing Agent Data into Voiceflow
There are two methods to import your skill data into Voiceflow:
On Project Creation
When creating a new project in Voiceflow, you will be asked to select your use case (Launch & Host or Design & Handoff), choose Design & Handoff. The select the channel you are building for (Voice Assistant or Chat Assistant) and the NLU you are building for.
Once you select Dialogflow ES from the options, an upload link will appear, and when you click it, you can select the ZIP file you have downloaded from the DF ES Console.
This will pre-populate your project with the complete training data set contained in your file.
In your NLU Manager
There is a similar import function available in your NLU Manager view, and clicking the ‘Import’ button found in the bottom-left will trigger the same import flow as on Project Create.
Using this import method will upload all new intents, entities and user examples without deleting the current ones. Any intents or entities with the same name will be overwritten by the newer version.
Exporting NLU Data from Voiceflow
When you are ready to export your NLU data for use back in Dialogflow ES, you have two options. The first option is to manually export the data back out as a ZIP, and upload it back through the Dialogflow ES Console.
In the Export Menu, if you do not select any individual intents (ie. leave the Select intents to export field blank), hitting the ‘Export’ button will generate a ZIP export file containing every Intent that is currently in your NLU Model.
You can generate these export files for Dialogflow ES in the following ways:
- From the ‘Share’ Menu on the design canvas (under ‘Export as…’ and ‘NLU data’)
- (From the ‘Export’ Menu on the NLU Manager
To import this file back into Dialogflow ES, navigate to your Agent's Settings' Export and Import menu, and here you will find two options:
- Restore from ZIP - this will overwrite your entire Agent, and replace it with only the data contained on your ZIP
- Import from ZIP - this will merge your ZIP file data with what exists on your Agent currently. Intents and Entities of the same name will be merged, and any new Intents and Entities will be added
Uploading NLU Data to Dialogflow ES
The second option is to use the 1-click Upload option to pass your NLU Data between Voiceflow and your Dialogflow ES Agent.
Connecting Your Google Account
To use this method, you first need to connect your Google Account to your Voiceflow Account. You can do this by clicking on the Dialogflow ES icon in the top-right corner of your Design Canvas:
This will prompt you to enter a version name, which is optional. Next you will be prompted to log into your Google Account and accept permissions for Voiceflow to access your Agent data. Once authenticated, you will be prompted to select an existing Agent on your Google Account, or create a new one:
Once your Agent has been selected, the upload will commence.
How the Upload Works
Similar to the 'Import from ZIP' option on the manual Export workflow above, our Upload will merge any Intents or Entities that have the same name as those that already exist on your Agent. If you have any Contexts, Actions or Parameters configured for those Intents, they will be preserved.
As part of the upload, we will set the Fulfillment Webhook endpoint to point to your Voiceflow project. All of your Responses and dialog logic for your Agent will be defined by what is included in your Voiceflow Assistant project. This webhook can be disabled if you'd prefer to define that configure that manually.