diff --git a/.github/workflows/ckeck-pr-title.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pr-title.yml
similarity index 84%
rename from .github/workflows/ckeck-pr-title.yml
rename to .github/workflows/check-pr-title.yml
index e52642737..04673048a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ckeck-pr-title.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pr-title.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ jobs:
       # check PR title
       - uses: deepakputhraya/action-pr-title@master
         with:
-          regex: '([a-z])+(\(([a-z\-_ ])+\))?!?: [a-z]([a-zA-Z-\.\d \(\)\[\]#_,])+$' # Regex the title should match.
+          regex: '([a-z])+(\(([0-9a-z\-_, ])+\))?!?: [a-z]([a-zA-Z-\.\d \(\)\[\]#_,])+$' # Regex the title should match.
           allowed_prefixes: "fix,refactor,feat,docs,chore,style,test" # title should start with the given prefix
           disallowed_prefixes: "feature,hotfix" # title should not start with the given prefix
           prefix_case_sensitive: true # title prefix are case insensitive
diff --git a/MANIFEST.in b/MANIFEST.in
index ceded8fc5..1bd2d0cf5 100644
--- a/MANIFEST.in
+++ b/MANIFEST.in
@@ -4,4 +4,3 @@ include knora/dsplib/schemas/lists-only.json
 include knora/dsplib/schemas/resources-only.json
 include knora/dsplib/schemas/properties-only.json
 include knora/dsplib/schemas/data.xsd
-include knora/dsplib/utils/language-codes-3b2_csv.csv
diff --git a/Pipfile b/Pipfile
index 6d0394e2e..8a79896ca 100644
--- a/Pipfile
+++ b/Pipfile
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ pystrict = "*"
 openpyxl = "*"
 pyparsing = "==2.4.7"
 networkx = "*"
+pandas = "*"
 
 [dev-packages]
 mkdocs = "*"
@@ -28,7 +29,6 @@ setuptools = "*"
 wheel = "*"
 pipenv-setup = "*"
 pytest = "*"
-pandas = "*"
 
 [requires]
 python_version = "3.9"
diff --git a/Pipfile.lock b/Pipfile.lock
index 74c81620b..a19f44074 100644
--- a/Pipfile.lock
+++ b/Pipfile.lock
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
     "_meta": {
         "hash": {
-            "sha256": "cc82ff2fd365554f59380994a1a47b2c0468899dc8dcdd99e7a9cc6c9dd82338"
+            "sha256": "2e734068322783409c232ff7c26d4771f37342afece91bf3edaa4e4ddaba409a"
         },
         "pipfile-spec": 6,
         "requires": {
@@ -181,6 +181,34 @@
             "index": "pypi",
             "version": "==2.8.4"
         },
+        "numpy": {
+            "hashes": [
+                "sha256:0791fbd1e43bf74b3502133207e378901272f3c156c4df4954cad833b1380207",
+                "sha256:1ce7ab2053e36c0a71e7a13a7475bd3b1f54750b4b433adc96313e127b870887",
+                "sha256:2d487e06ecbf1dc2f18e7efce82ded4f705f4bd0cd02677ffccfb39e5c284c7e",
+                "sha256:37431a77ceb9307c28382c9773da9f306435135fae6b80b62a11c53cfedd8802",
+                "sha256:3e1ffa4748168e1cc8d3cde93f006fe92b5421396221a02f2274aab6ac83b077",
+                "sha256:425b390e4619f58d8526b3dcf656dde069133ae5c240229821f01b5f44ea07af",
+                "sha256:43a8ca7391b626b4c4fe20aefe79fec683279e31e7c79716863b4b25021e0e74",
+                "sha256:4c6036521f11a731ce0648f10c18ae66d7143865f19f7299943c985cdc95afb5",
+                "sha256:59d55e634968b8f77d3fd674a3cf0b96e85147cd6556ec64ade018f27e9479e1",
+                "sha256:64f56fc53a2d18b1924abd15745e30d82a5782b2cab3429aceecc6875bd5add0",
+                "sha256:7228ad13744f63575b3a972d7ee4fd61815b2879998e70930d4ccf9ec721dce0",
+                "sha256:9ce7df0abeabe7fbd8ccbf343dc0db72f68549856b863ae3dd580255d009648e",
+                "sha256:a911e317e8c826ea632205e63ed8507e0dc877dcdc49744584dfc363df9ca08c",
+                "sha256:b89bf9b94b3d624e7bb480344e91f68c1c6c75f026ed6755955117de00917a7c",
+                "sha256:ba9ead61dfb5d971d77b6c131a9dbee62294a932bf6a356e48c75ae684e635b3",
+                "sha256:c1d937820db6e43bec43e8d016b9b3165dcb42892ea9f106c70fb13d430ffe72",
+                "sha256:cc7f00008eb7d3f2489fca6f334ec19ca63e31371be28fd5dad955b16ec285bd",
+                "sha256:d4c5d5eb2ec8da0b4f50c9a843393971f31f1d60be87e0fb0917a49133d257d6",
+                "sha256:e96d7f3096a36c8754207ab89d4b3282ba7b49ea140e4973591852c77d09eb76",
+                "sha256:f0725df166cf4785c0bc4cbfb320203182b1ecd30fee6e541c8752a92df6aa32",
+                "sha256:f3eb268dbd5cfaffd9448113539e44e2dd1c5ca9ce25576f7c04a5453edc26fa",
+                "sha256:fb7a980c81dd932381f8228a426df8aeb70d59bbcda2af075b627bbc50207cba"
+            ],
+            "markers": "python_version < '3.10' and platform_machine != 'aarch64' and platform_machine != 'arm64'",
+            "version": "==1.22.4"
+        },
         "openpyxl": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:0ab6d25d01799f97a9464630abacbb34aafecdcaa0ef3cba6d6b3499867d0355",
@@ -189,6 +217,33 @@
             "index": "pypi",
             "version": "==3.0.10"
         },
+        "pandas": {
+            "hashes": [
+                "sha256:0010771bd9223f7afe5f051eb47c4a49534345dfa144f2f5470b27189a4dd3b5",
+                "sha256:061609334a8182ab500a90fe66d46f6f387de62d3a9cb9aa7e62e3146c712167",
+                "sha256:09d8be7dd9e1c4c98224c4dfe8abd60d145d934e9fc1f5f411266308ae683e6a",
+                "sha256:295872bf1a09758aba199992c3ecde455f01caf32266d50abc1a073e828a7b9d",
+                "sha256:3228198333dd13c90b6434ddf61aa6d57deaca98cf7b654f4ad68a2db84f8cfe",
+                "sha256:385c52e85aaa8ea6a4c600a9b2821181a51f8be0aee3af6f2dcb41dafc4fc1d0",
+                "sha256:51649ef604a945f781105a6d2ecf88db7da0f4868ac5d45c51cb66081c4d9c73",
+                "sha256:5586cc95692564b441f4747c47c8a9746792e87b40a4680a2feb7794defb1ce3",
+                "sha256:5a206afa84ed20e07603f50d22b5f0db3fb556486d8c2462d8bc364831a4b417",
+                "sha256:5b79af3a69e5175c6fa7b4e046b21a646c8b74e92c6581a9d825687d92071b51",
+                "sha256:5c54ea4ef3823108cd4ec7fb27ccba4c3a775e0f83e39c5e17f5094cb17748bc",
+                "sha256:8c5bf555b6b0075294b73965adaafb39cf71c312e38c5935c93d78f41c19828a",
+                "sha256:92bc1fc585f1463ca827b45535957815b7deb218c549b7c18402c322c7549a12",
+                "sha256:95c1e422ced0199cf4a34385ff124b69412c4bc912011ce895582bee620dfcaa",
+                "sha256:b8134651258bce418cb79c71adeff0a44090c98d955f6953168ba16cc285d9f7",
+                "sha256:be67c782c4f1b1f24c2f16a157e12c2693fd510f8df18e3287c77f33d124ed07",
+                "sha256:c072c7f06b9242c855ed8021ff970c0e8f8b10b35e2640c657d2a541c5950f59",
+                "sha256:d0d4f13e4be7ce89d7057a786023c461dd9370040bdb5efa0a7fe76b556867a0",
+                "sha256:df82739e00bb6daf4bba4479a40f38c718b598a84654cbd8bb498fd6b0aa8c16",
+                "sha256:f549097993744ff8c41b5e8f2f0d3cbfaabe89b4ae32c8c08ead6cc535b80139",
+                "sha256:ff08a14ef21d94cdf18eef7c569d66f2e24e0bc89350bcd7d243dd804e3b5eb2"
+            ],
+            "index": "pypi",
+            "version": "==1.4.2"
+        },
         "ply": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:00c7c1aaa88358b9c765b6d3000c6eec0ba42abca5351b095321aef446081da3",
@@ -239,6 +294,21 @@
             "index": "pypi",
             "version": "==1.2"
         },
+        "python-dateutil": {
+            "hashes": [
+                "sha256:0123cacc1627ae19ddf3c27a5de5bd67ee4586fbdd6440d9748f8abb483d3e86",
+                "sha256:961d03dc3453ebbc59dbdea9e4e11c5651520a876d0f4db161e8674aae935da9"
+            ],
+            "markers": "python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3'",
+            "version": "==2.8.2"
+        },
+        "pytz": {
+            "hashes": [
+                "sha256:1e760e2fe6a8163bc0b3d9a19c4f84342afa0a2affebfaa84b01b978a02ecaa7",
+                "sha256:e68985985296d9a66a881eb3193b0906246245294a881e7c8afe623866ac6a5c"
+            ],
+            "version": "==2022.1"
+        },
         "rdflib": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:8dbfa0af2990b98471dacbc936d6494c997ede92fd8ed693fb84ee700ef6f754",
@@ -265,11 +335,11 @@
         },
         "setuptools": {
             "hashes": [
-                "sha256:5a844ad6e190dccc67d6d7411d119c5152ce01f7c76be4d8a1eaa314501bba77",
-                "sha256:bf8a748ac98b09d32c9a64a995a6b25921c96cc5743c1efa82763ba80ff54e91"
+                "sha256:990a4f7861b31532871ab72331e755b5f14efbe52d336ea7f6118144dd478741",
+                "sha256:c1848f654aea2e3526d17fc3ce6aeaa5e7e24e66e645b5be2171f3f6b4e5a178"
             ],
             "markers": "python_version >= '3.7'",
-            "version": "==62.4.0"
+            "version": "==62.6.0"
         },
         "six": {
             "hashes": [
@@ -540,34 +610,6 @@
             ],
             "version": "==0.4.3"
         },
-        "numpy": {
-            "hashes": [
-                "sha256:0791fbd1e43bf74b3502133207e378901272f3c156c4df4954cad833b1380207",
-                "sha256:1ce7ab2053e36c0a71e7a13a7475bd3b1f54750b4b433adc96313e127b870887",
-                "sha256:2d487e06ecbf1dc2f18e7efce82ded4f705f4bd0cd02677ffccfb39e5c284c7e",
-                "sha256:37431a77ceb9307c28382c9773da9f306435135fae6b80b62a11c53cfedd8802",
-                "sha256:3e1ffa4748168e1cc8d3cde93f006fe92b5421396221a02f2274aab6ac83b077",
-                "sha256:425b390e4619f58d8526b3dcf656dde069133ae5c240229821f01b5f44ea07af",
-                "sha256:43a8ca7391b626b4c4fe20aefe79fec683279e31e7c79716863b4b25021e0e74",
-                "sha256:4c6036521f11a731ce0648f10c18ae66d7143865f19f7299943c985cdc95afb5",
-                "sha256:59d55e634968b8f77d3fd674a3cf0b96e85147cd6556ec64ade018f27e9479e1",
-                "sha256:64f56fc53a2d18b1924abd15745e30d82a5782b2cab3429aceecc6875bd5add0",
-                "sha256:7228ad13744f63575b3a972d7ee4fd61815b2879998e70930d4ccf9ec721dce0",
-                "sha256:9ce7df0abeabe7fbd8ccbf343dc0db72f68549856b863ae3dd580255d009648e",
-                "sha256:a911e317e8c826ea632205e63ed8507e0dc877dcdc49744584dfc363df9ca08c",
-                "sha256:b89bf9b94b3d624e7bb480344e91f68c1c6c75f026ed6755955117de00917a7c",
-                "sha256:ba9ead61dfb5d971d77b6c131a9dbee62294a932bf6a356e48c75ae684e635b3",
-                "sha256:c1d937820db6e43bec43e8d016b9b3165dcb42892ea9f106c70fb13d430ffe72",
-                "sha256:cc7f00008eb7d3f2489fca6f334ec19ca63e31371be28fd5dad955b16ec285bd",
-                "sha256:d4c5d5eb2ec8da0b4f50c9a843393971f31f1d60be87e0fb0917a49133d257d6",
-                "sha256:e96d7f3096a36c8754207ab89d4b3282ba7b49ea140e4973591852c77d09eb76",
-                "sha256:f0725df166cf4785c0bc4cbfb320203182b1ecd30fee6e541c8752a92df6aa32",
-                "sha256:f3eb268dbd5cfaffd9448113539e44e2dd1c5ca9ce25576f7c04a5453edc26fa",
-                "sha256:fb7a980c81dd932381f8228a426df8aeb70d59bbcda2af075b627bbc50207cba"
-            ],
-            "markers": "python_version < '3.10' and platform_machine != 'aarch64' and platform_machine != 'arm64'",
-            "version": "==1.22.4"
-        },
         "orderedmultidict": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:04070bbb5e87291cc9bfa51df413677faf2141c73c61d2a5f7b26bea3cd882ad",
@@ -583,33 +625,6 @@
             "markers": "python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3'",
             "version": "==20.9"
         },
-        "pandas": {
-            "hashes": [
-                "sha256:0010771bd9223f7afe5f051eb47c4a49534345dfa144f2f5470b27189a4dd3b5",
-                "sha256:061609334a8182ab500a90fe66d46f6f387de62d3a9cb9aa7e62e3146c712167",
-                "sha256:09d8be7dd9e1c4c98224c4dfe8abd60d145d934e9fc1f5f411266308ae683e6a",
-                "sha256:295872bf1a09758aba199992c3ecde455f01caf32266d50abc1a073e828a7b9d",
-                "sha256:3228198333dd13c90b6434ddf61aa6d57deaca98cf7b654f4ad68a2db84f8cfe",
-                "sha256:385c52e85aaa8ea6a4c600a9b2821181a51f8be0aee3af6f2dcb41dafc4fc1d0",
-                "sha256:51649ef604a945f781105a6d2ecf88db7da0f4868ac5d45c51cb66081c4d9c73",
-                "sha256:5586cc95692564b441f4747c47c8a9746792e87b40a4680a2feb7794defb1ce3",
-                "sha256:5a206afa84ed20e07603f50d22b5f0db3fb556486d8c2462d8bc364831a4b417",
-                "sha256:5b79af3a69e5175c6fa7b4e046b21a646c8b74e92c6581a9d825687d92071b51",
-                "sha256:5c54ea4ef3823108cd4ec7fb27ccba4c3a775e0f83e39c5e17f5094cb17748bc",
-                "sha256:8c5bf555b6b0075294b73965adaafb39cf71c312e38c5935c93d78f41c19828a",
-                "sha256:92bc1fc585f1463ca827b45535957815b7deb218c549b7c18402c322c7549a12",
-                "sha256:95c1e422ced0199cf4a34385ff124b69412c4bc912011ce895582bee620dfcaa",
-                "sha256:b8134651258bce418cb79c71adeff0a44090c98d955f6953168ba16cc285d9f7",
-                "sha256:be67c782c4f1b1f24c2f16a157e12c2693fd510f8df18e3287c77f33d124ed07",
-                "sha256:c072c7f06b9242c855ed8021ff970c0e8f8b10b35e2640c657d2a541c5950f59",
-                "sha256:d0d4f13e4be7ce89d7057a786023c461dd9370040bdb5efa0a7fe76b556867a0",
-                "sha256:df82739e00bb6daf4bba4479a40f38c718b598a84654cbd8bb498fd6b0aa8c16",
-                "sha256:f549097993744ff8c41b5e8f2f0d3cbfaabe89b4ae32c8c08ead6cc535b80139",
-                "sha256:ff08a14ef21d94cdf18eef7c569d66f2e24e0bc89350bcd7d243dd804e3b5eb2"
-            ],
-            "index": "pypi",
-            "version": "==1.4.2"
-        },
         "pep517": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:931378d93d11b298cf511dd634cf5ea4cb249a28ef84160b3247ee9afb4e8ab0",
@@ -730,13 +745,6 @@
             "markers": "python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3'",
             "version": "==2.8.2"
         },
-        "pytz": {
-            "hashes": [
-                "sha256:1e760e2fe6a8163bc0b3d9a19c4f84342afa0a2affebfaa84b01b978a02ecaa7",
-                "sha256:e68985985296d9a66a881eb3193b0906246245294a881e7c8afe623866ac6a5c"
-            ],
-            "version": "==2022.1"
-        },
         "pyyaml": {
             "hashes": [
                 "sha256:0283c35a6a9fbf047493e3a0ce8d79ef5030852c51e9d911a27badfde0605293",
@@ -802,11 +810,11 @@
         },
         "setuptools": {
             "hashes": [
-                "sha256:5a844ad6e190dccc67d6d7411d119c5152ce01f7c76be4d8a1eaa314501bba77",
-                "sha256:bf8a748ac98b09d32c9a64a995a6b25921c96cc5743c1efa82763ba80ff54e91"
+                "sha256:990a4f7861b31532871ab72331e755b5f14efbe52d336ea7f6118144dd478741",
+                "sha256:c1848f654aea2e3526d17fc3ce6aeaa5e7e24e66e645b5be2171f3f6b4e5a178"
             ],
             "markers": "python_version >= '3.7'",
-            "version": "==62.4.0"
+            "version": "==62.6.0"
         },
         "six": {
             "hashes": [
@@ -829,7 +837,7 @@
                 "sha256:939de3e7a6161af0c887ef91b7d41a53e7c5a1ca976325f429cb46ea9bc30ecc",
                 "sha256:de526c12914f0c550d15924c62d72abc48d6fe7364aa87328337a31007fe8a4f"
             ],
-            "markers": "python_version >= '3.7'",
+            "markers": "python_version < '3.11'",
             "version": "==2.0.1"
         },
         "tomlkit": {
@@ -837,7 +845,7 @@
                 "sha256:0f4050db66fd445b885778900ce4dd9aea8c90c4721141fde0d6ade893820ef1",
                 "sha256:71ceb10c0eefd8b8f11fe34e8a51ad07812cb1dc3de23247425fbc9ddc47b9dd"
             ],
-            "markers": "python_version >= '3.6' and python_version < '4.0'",
+            "markers": "python_version >= '3.6' and python_version < '4'",
             "version": "==0.11.0"
         },
         "typing-extensions": {
diff --git a/dev-requirements.txt b/dev-requirements.txt
index 60cc1fd8b..2cd532872 100644
--- a/dev-requirements.txt
+++ b/dev-requirements.txt
@@ -23,10 +23,8 @@ mkdocs-material~=8.3.6
 mkdocs-material-extensions~=1.0.3
 mypy~=0.961
 mypy-extensions~=0.4.3
-numpy~=1.22.4
 orderedmultidict~=1.0.1
 packaging~=20.9
-pandas~=1.4.2
 pep517~=0.12.0
 pip~=22.1.2
 pip-shims~=0.7.0
@@ -42,12 +40,11 @@ pymdown-extensions~=9.5
 pyparsing~=2.4.7
 pytest~=7.1.2
 python-dateutil~=2.8.2
-pytz~=2022.1
 pyyaml~=6.0
 pyyaml-env-tag~=0.1
 requests~=2.28.0
 requirementslib~=1.6.4
-setuptools~=62.4.0
+setuptools~=62.6.0
 six~=1.16.0
 toml~=0.10.2
 tomli~=2.0.1
diff --git a/docs/assets/images/img-properties-example.png b/docs/assets/images/img-properties-example.png
index 5d73cbf9e..d7a7378c9 100644
Binary files a/docs/assets/images/img-properties-example.png and b/docs/assets/images/img-properties-example.png differ
diff --git a/docs/assets/images/img-resources-example-1.png b/docs/assets/images/img-resources-example-1.png
index 0ef19c91c..ab00f49a6 100644
Binary files a/docs/assets/images/img-resources-example-1.png and b/docs/assets/images/img-resources-example-1.png differ
diff --git a/docs/assets/templates/properties_template.xlsx b/docs/assets/templates/properties_template.xlsx
index 609b377e8..da85cc6bd 100644
Binary files a/docs/assets/templates/properties_template.xlsx and b/docs/assets/templates/properties_template.xlsx differ
diff --git a/docs/assets/templates/resources_template.xlsx b/docs/assets/templates/resources_template.xlsx
index fda7a1805..633cdc800 100644
Binary files a/docs/assets/templates/resources_template.xlsx and b/docs/assets/templates/resources_template.xlsx differ
diff --git a/docs/dsp-tools-excel.md b/docs/dsp-tools-excel.md
index 20a3d2ce0..4e08492b9 100644
--- a/docs/dsp-tools-excel.md
+++ b/docs/dsp-tools-excel.md
@@ -20,25 +20,25 @@ The expected worksheets of the Excel file are:
 - `classes`: a table with all resource classes intended to be used in the resulting JSON
 - `class1`, `class2`,...: a table for each resource class named after its name
 
-The Excel sheet must have the following structure.
-
-The worksheet called `classes` has the following structure: 
+The worksheet called `classes` must have the following structure: 
 ![img-resources-example-1.png](assets/images/img-resources-example-1.png)
 
 The expected columns are:
 
-- `name` : The name of the resource
-- `en`, `de`, `fr`, `it` : The labels of the resource in different languages, at least one language has to be provided
-- `comment_en`, `comment_de`, `comment_fr`, `comment_it`: optional comments in the respective language 
-- `super` : The base class of the resource
+- `name` (mandatory): The name of the resource
+- `en`, `de`, `fr`, `it`, `rm`: The labels of the resource in different languages, at least one language has to be provided
+- `comment_en`, `comment_de`, `comment_fr`, `comment_it`, `comment_rm` (optional): comments in the respective language 
+- `super` (mandatory): The base class(es) of the resource, separated by commas
+
+The optional columns may be omitted in the Excel.
 
 All other worksheets, one for each resource class, have the following structure:
 ![img-resources-example-2.png](assets/images/img-resources-example-2.png){ width=50% }
 
 The expected columns are:
 
-- `Property` : The name of the property
-- `Cardinality` : The cardinality, one of: `1`, `0-1`, `1-n`, `0-n`
+- `Property` (mandatory): The name of the property
+- `Cardinality` (mandatory): The cardinality, one of: `1`, `0-1`, `1-n`, `0-n`
 
 The GUI order is given by the order in which the properties are listed in the Excel sheet.
 
@@ -58,15 +58,18 @@ The Excel sheet must have the following structure:
 
 The expected columns are:
 
-- `name` : The name of the property
-- `super` : The base property of the property
-- `object` : If the property is derived from `hasValue`, the type of the property must be further specified by the 
+- `name` (mandatory): The name of the property
+- `super` (mandatory): The base property/ies of the property, separated by commas
+- `object` (mandatory): If the property is derived from `hasValue`, the type of the property must be further specified by the 
 object it takes, e.g. `TextValue`, `ListValue`, or `IntValue`. If the property is derived from `hasLinkTo`, 
 the `object` specifies the resource class that this property refers to.
-- `en`, `de`, `fr`, `it` : The labels of the property in different languages, at least one language has to be provided
-- `comment_en`, `comment_de`, `comment_fr`, `comment_it`: optional comments in the respective language 
-- `gui_element` : The GUI element for the property
-- `hlist` : In case of list values: the name of the list
+- `en`, `de`, `fr`, `it`, `rm`: The labels of the property in different languages, at least one language has to be provided
+- `comment_en`, `comment_de`, `comment_fr`, `comment_it`, `comment_rm` (optional): comments in the respective language 
+- `gui_element` (mandatory): The GUI element for the property
+- `gui_attributes` (optional): The gui_attributes in the form "attr: value, attr: value". 
+
+The optional columns may be omitted in the Excel.  
+For backwards compatibility, files containing a column `hlist` are valid, but deprecated.
 
 For further information about properties, see [here](./dsp-tools-create-ontologies.md#properties).
 
diff --git a/knora/dsplib/schemas/lists-only.json b/knora/dsplib/schemas/lists-only.json
index a865a754f..c969a2ca0 100644
--- a/knora/dsplib/schemas/lists-only.json
+++ b/knora/dsplib/schemas/lists-only.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema",
+    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
     "$id": "https://dasch.swiss/schema/lists.json",
     "title": "JSON schema for DSP lists",
     "description": "JSON schema for the lists section used in DSP ontologies",
diff --git a/knora/dsplib/schemas/ontology.json b/knora/dsplib/schemas/ontology.json
index 5a5829c1c..ac537eb90 100644
--- a/knora/dsplib/schemas/ontology.json
+++ b/knora/dsplib/schemas/ontology.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema",
+    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
     "$id": "https://dasch.swiss/schema/ontology.json",
     "title": "JSON schema for DSP ontologies",
     "description": "JSON schema for DSP ontologies",
diff --git a/knora/dsplib/schemas/properties-only.json b/knora/dsplib/schemas/properties-only.json
index 0622af5aa..ce3dd39df 100644
--- a/knora/dsplib/schemas/properties-only.json
+++ b/knora/dsplib/schemas/properties-only.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema",
+    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
     "$id": "https://dasch.swiss/schema/properties-only.json",
     "title": "JSON schema for properties used in DSP ontologies",
     "description": "JSON schema for the properties section used in DSP ontologies",
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@
                                 "ListValue",
                                 "Region",
                                 "Resource",
+                                "Representation",
                                 "Annotation"
                             ]
                         },
diff --git a/knora/dsplib/schemas/resources-only.json b/knora/dsplib/schemas/resources-only.json
index b80c0c74e..b9ee60b51 100644
--- a/knora/dsplib/schemas/resources-only.json
+++ b/knora/dsplib/schemas/resources-only.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema",
+    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
     "$id": "https://dasch.swiss/schema/resources-only.json",
     "title": "JSON schema for resources used in DSP ontologies",
     "description": "JSON schema for the resources section used in DSP ontologies",
diff --git a/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_properties.py b/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_properties.py
index 2172cc2ed..822ba9584 100644
--- a/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_properties.py
+++ b/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_properties.py
@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
 import json
 import os
+import re
 from typing import Any
 
 import jsonschema
-from openpyxl import load_workbook
+import pandas as pd
 
+from knora.dsplib.utils.excel_to_json_resources import prepare_dataframe
 
-def validate_properties_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
+languages = ["en", "de", "fr", "it", "rm"]
+
+
+def _validate_properties_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
     """
     This function checks if the json properties are valid according to the schema.
 
@@ -18,7 +23,7 @@ def validate_properties_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
 
     """
     current_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
-    with open(os.path.join(current_dir, '../schemas/properties-only.json')) as schema:
+    with open(os.path.join(current_dir, "../schemas/properties-only.json")) as schema:
         properties_schema = json.load(schema)
 
     try:
@@ -26,79 +31,88 @@ def validate_properties_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
     except jsonschema.exceptions.ValidationError as err:
         print(err)
         return False
-    print('Properties data passed schema validation.')
+    print("Properties data passed schema validation.")
     return True
 
 
-def properties_excel2json(excelfile: str, outfile: str) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+def _row2prop(row: pd.Series, row_count: int, excelfile: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
     """
-    Converts properties described in an Excel file into a properties section which can be integrated into a DSP ontology
+    Takes a row from a pandas DataFrame, reads its content, and returns a dict object of the property
 
     Args:
-        excelfile: path to the Excel file containing the properties
-        outfile: path to the output JSON file containing the properties section for the ontology
+        row: row from a pandas DataFrame that defines a property
+        row_count: row number of Excel file
+        excelfile: name of the original excel file
 
     Returns:
-        List(JSON): a list with a dict (JSON) for each row in the Excel file
+        dict object of the property
     """
-    # load file
-    wb = load_workbook(filename=excelfile, read_only=True)
-    sheet = wb.worksheets[0]
-    props = [row_to_prop(row) for row in sheet.iter_rows(min_row=2, values_only=True, max_col=13)]
-
-    prefix = '"properties":'
-
-    if validate_properties_with_schema(json.loads(json.dumps(props, indent=4))):
-        # write final list to JSON file if list passed validation
-        with open(file=outfile, mode='w+', encoding='utf-8') as file:
-            file.write(prefix)
-            json.dump(props, file, indent=4)
-            print('Properties file was created successfully and written to file:', outfile)
-    else:
-        print('Properties data is not valid according to schema.')
-
-    return props
-
 
-def row_to_prop(row: tuple[str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    name = row["name"]
+    supers = [s.strip() for s in row["super"].split(",")]
+    _object = row["object"]
+    labels = {lang: row[lang] for lang in languages if row.get(lang)}
+    comments = {lang: row[f"comment_{lang}"] for lang in languages if row.get(f"comment_{lang}")}
+    gui_element = row["gui_element"]
+
+    gui_attributes = dict()
+    if row.get("hlist"):
+        gui_attributes["hlist"] = row["hlist"]
+    if row.get("gui_attributes"):
+        pairs = row["gui_attributes"].split(",")
+        for pair in pairs:
+            if pair.count(":") != 1:
+                raise ValueError(f"Row {row_count} of Excel file {excelfile} contains invalid data in column "
+                                 f"'gui_attributes'. The expected format is 'attribute: value[, attribute: value]'.")
+            attr, val = [x.strip() for x in pair.split(":")]
+            if re.search(r"^\d+\.\d+$", val):
+                val = float(val)
+            elif re.search(r"^\d+$", val):
+                val = int(val)
+            gui_attributes[attr] = val
+
+    # build the dict structure of this property and append it to the list of properties
+    _property = {
+        "name": name,
+        "super": supers,
+        "object": _object,
+        "labels": labels}
+    if comments:
+        _property["comments"] = comments
+    _property["gui_element"] = gui_element
+    if gui_attributes:
+        _property["gui_attributes"] = gui_attributes
+
+    return _property
+
+
+def properties_excel2json(excelfile: str, outfile: str) -> None:
     """
-    Parses the row of an Excel sheet and makes a property from it
+    Converts properties described in an Excel file into a properties section which can be integrated into a DSP ontology
 
     Args:
-        row: the row of an Excel sheet
+        excelfile: path to the Excel file containing the properties
+        outfile: path to the output JSON file containing the properties section for the ontology
 
     Returns:
-        prop (JSON): the property in JSON format
+        None
     """
-    name, super_, object_, en, de, fr, it, comment_en, comment_de, comment_fr, comment_it, gui_element, hlist = row
-    labels = {}
-    if en:
-        labels['en'] = en
-    if de:
-        labels['de'] = de
-    if fr:
-        labels['fr'] = fr
-    if it:
-        labels['it'] = it
-    if not labels:
-        raise Exception(f"No label given in any of the four languages: {name}")
-    comments = {}
-    if comment_en:
-        comments['en'] = comment_en
-    if comment_de:
-        comments['de'] = comment_de
-    if comment_fr:
-        comments['fr'] = comment_fr
-    if comment_it:
-        comments['it'] = comment_it
-    prop = {
-        'name': name,
-        'super': [super_],
-        'object': object_,
-        'labels': labels,
-        'comments': comments,
-        'gui_element': gui_element
-    }
-    if hlist:
-        prop['gui_attributes'] = {'hlist': hlist}
-    return prop
+    
+    # load file
+    df: pd.DataFrame = pd.read_excel(excelfile)
+    df = prepare_dataframe(
+        df=df,
+        required_columns=["name", "super", "object", "gui_element"],
+        location_of_sheet=f"File '{excelfile}'")
+
+    # transform every row into a property
+    props = [_row2prop(row, i, excelfile) for i, row in df.iterrows()]
+
+    # write final list to JSON file if list passed validation
+    if _validate_properties_with_schema(json.loads(json.dumps(props, indent=4))):
+        with open(file=outfile, mode="w+", encoding="utf-8") as file:
+            file.write('"properties": ')
+            json.dump(props, file, indent=4)
+            print("Properties file was created successfully and written to file: ", outfile)
+    else:
+        print("Properties data is not valid according to schema.")
diff --git a/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_resources.py b/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_resources.py
index d83e81342..c5d5641e5 100644
--- a/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_resources.py
+++ b/knora/dsplib/utils/excel_to_json_resources.py
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 import json
 import os
+import re
 from typing import Any
 
 import jsonschema
-from openpyxl import load_workbook
-from openpyxl.workbook.workbook import Workbook
+import pandas as pd
 
+languages = ["en", "de", "fr", "it", "rm"]
 
-def validate_resources_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
+
+def _validate_resources_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
     """
     This function checks if the json resources are valid according to the schema.
 
@@ -16,10 +18,9 @@ def validate_resources_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
 
     Returns:
         True if the data passed validation, False otherwise
-
     """
     current_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
-    with open(os.path.join(current_dir, '../schemas/resources-only.json')) as schema:
+    with open(os.path.join(current_dir, "../schemas/resources-only.json")) as schema:
         resources_schema = json.load(schema)
 
     try:
@@ -27,90 +28,117 @@ def validate_resources_with_schema(json_file: str) -> bool:
     except jsonschema.exceptions.ValidationError as err:
         print(err)
         return False
-    print('Resource data passed schema validation.')
+    print("Resource data passed schema validation.")
     return True
 
 
-def resources_excel2json(excelfile: str, outfile: str) -> None:
+def prepare_dataframe(df: pd.DataFrame, required_columns: list[str], location_of_sheet: str) -> pd.DataFrame:
     """
-    Converts properties described in an Excel file into a properties section which can be integrated into a DSP ontology
+    Takes a pandas DataFrame, strips the column headers from whitespaces and transforms them to lowercase,
+    strips every cell from whitespaces and inserts "" if there is no string in it, and deletes the rows that don't have
+    a value in one of the required cells.
 
     Args:
-        excelfile: path to the Excel file containing the properties
-        outfile: path to the output JSON file containing the properties section for the ontology
+        df: pandas DataFrame
+        required_columns: headers of the columns where a value is required
+        location_of_sheet: for better error messages, provide this information of the caller
 
     Returns:
-        None
+        prepared DataFrame
     """
 
-    # load file
-    wb = load_workbook(excelfile, read_only=True)
+    any_char_regex = r"[\wäàçëéèêïöôòüÄÀÇËÉÊÏÖÔÒÜ]"
+
+    # strip column headers and transform to lowercase, so that the script doesn't break when the headers vary a bit
+    new_df = df.rename(columns=lambda x: x.strip().lower())
+    required_columns = [x.strip().lower() for x in required_columns]
+    # strip every cell, and insert "" if there is no valid word in it
+    new_df = new_df.applymap(lambda x: str(x).strip() if pd.notna(x) and re.search(any_char_regex, str(x), flags=re.IGNORECASE) else "")
+    # delete rows that don't have the required columns
+    for req in required_columns:
+        if req not in new_df:
+            raise ValueError(f"{location_of_sheet} requires a column named '{req}'")
+        new_df = new_df[pd.notna(new_df[req])]
+        new_df = new_df[[bool(re.search(any_char_regex, x, flags=re.IGNORECASE)) for x in new_df[req]]]
+    if len(new_df) < 1:
+        raise ValueError(f"{location_of_sheet} requires at least one row")
+    return new_df
+
+
+def _row2resource(row: pd.Series, excelfile: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """
+    Method that takes a row from a pandas DataFrame, reads its content, and returns a dict object of the resource
 
-    # get overview
-    sheet = wb['classes']
-    resource_list = [c for c in sheet.iter_rows(min_row=2, values_only=True)]
+    Args:
+        row: row from a pandas DataFrame that defines a resource
+        excelfile: Excel file where the data comes from
 
-    prefix = '"resources":'
-    resources = [_extract_row(res, wb) for res in resource_list]
+    Returns:
+        dict object of the resource
+    """
 
-    if validate_resources_with_schema(json.loads(json.dumps(resources, indent=4))):
-        # write final list to JSON file if list passed validation
-        with open(file=outfile, mode='w+', encoding='utf-8') as file:
-            file.write(prefix)
-            json.dump(resources, file, indent=4)
-            print('Resource file was created successfully and written to file:', outfile)
-    else:
-        print('Resource data is not valid according to schema.')
-
-
-def _extract_row(row: tuple[str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str, str], wb: Workbook) -> dict[str, Any]:
-    """build a property dict from a row of the excel file"""
-    # get name
-    name = row[0]
-    # get labels
-    labels = {}
-    if row[1]:
-        labels['en'] = row[1]
-    if row[2]:
-        labels['de'] = row[2]
-    if row[3]:
-        labels['fr'] = row[3]
-    if row[4]:
-        labels['it'] = row[4]
-    # get comments
-    comments = {}
-    if row[5]:
-        comments['en'] = row[5]
-    if row[6]:
-        comments['de'] = row[6]
-    if row[7]:
-        comments['fr'] = row[7]
-    if row[8]:
-        comments['it'] = row[8]
-    # get super
-    sup = row[9]
-
-    # load details for this resource
-    sh = wb[name]
-    property_list = [c for c in sh.iter_rows(min_row=2, values_only=True)]
+    name = row["name"]
+    labels = {lang: row[lang] for lang in languages if row.get(lang)}
+    comments = {lang: row[f"comment_{lang}"] for lang in languages if row.get(f"comment_{lang}")}
+    supers = [s.strip() for s in row["super"].split(",")]
+
+    # load the cardinalities of this resource
+    details_df = pd.read_excel(excelfile, sheet_name=name)
+    details_df = prepare_dataframe(
+        df=details_df,
+        required_columns=["Property", "Cardinality"],
+        location_of_sheet=f"Sheet '{name}' in file '{excelfile}'"
+    )
 
     cards = []
-    # for each of the detail sheets
-    for i, prop in enumerate(property_list):
-        # get name and cardinality.
-        # GUI-order is equal to order in the sheet.
+    for j, detail_row in details_df.iterrows():
         property_ = {
-            "propname": ":" + prop[0],
-            "cardinality": str(prop[1]),
-            "gui_order": i + 1
+            "propname": ":" + detail_row["property"],
+            "cardinality": detail_row["cardinality"].lower(),
+            "gui_order": j + 1  # gui_order is equal to order in the sheet
         }
         cards.append(property_)
 
-    # return resource dict
-    return {
+    # build the dict structure of this resource and append it to the list of resources
+    resource = {
         "name": name,
-        "labels": labels,
-        "comments": comments,
-        "super": sup,
-        "cardinalities": cards
+        "super": supers,
+        "labels": labels
     }
+    if comments:
+        resource["comments"] = comments
+    resource["cardinalities"] = cards
+
+    return resource
+
+
+def resources_excel2json(excelfile: str, outfile: str) -> None:
+    """
+    Converts properties described in an Excel file into a properties section which can be integrated into a DSP ontology
+
+    Args:
+        excelfile: path to the Excel file containing the properties
+        outfile: path to the output JSON file containing the properties section for the ontology
+
+    Returns:
+        None
+    """
+
+    # load file
+    all_classes_df: pd.DataFrame = pd.read_excel(excelfile)
+    all_classes_df = prepare_dataframe(
+        df=all_classes_df,
+        required_columns=["name", "super"],
+        location_of_sheet=f"Sheet 'classes' in file '{excelfile}'")
+
+    # transform every row into a resource
+    resources = [_row2resource(row, excelfile) for i, row in all_classes_df.iterrows()]
+
+    # write final list of all resources to JSON file, if list passed validation
+    if _validate_resources_with_schema(json.loads(json.dumps(resources, indent=4))):
+        with open(file=outfile, mode="w+", encoding="utf-8") as file:
+            file.write('"resources": ')
+            json.dump(resources, file, indent=4)
+            print("Resource file was created successfully and written to file ", outfile)
+    else:
+        print("Resource data is not valid according to schema.")
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 39f4749e2..c72184fc8 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -12,15 +12,19 @@ jsonpath-ng~=1.5.3
 jsonschema~=4.6.0
 lxml~=4.9.0
 networkx~=2.8.4
+numpy~=1.22.4
 openpyxl~=3.0.10
+pandas~=1.4.2
 ply~=3.11
 pyparsing~=2.4.7
 pyrsistent~=0.18.1
 pystrict~=1.2
+python-dateutil~=2.8.2
+pytz~=2022.1
 rdflib~=6.1.1
 requests~=2.28.0
 rfc3987~=1.3.8
-setuptools~=62.4.0
+setuptools~=62.6.0
 six~=1.16.0
 urllib3~=1.26.9
 validators~=0.20.0
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 6721ac798..d25bb0daa 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
         "Operating System :: OS Independent",
     ],
     python_requires='>=3.9.0',
-    install_requires=['argparse~=1.4.0', "attrs~=21.4.0; python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4'", "certifi~=2022.6.15; python_version >= '3.6'", "charset-normalizer~=2.0.12; python_version >= '3.5'", 'click~=8.1.3', "decorator~=5.1.1; python_version >= '3.5'", "et-xmlfile~=1.1.0; python_version >= '3.6'", "idna~=3.3; python_version >= '3.5'", 'isodate~=0.6.1', 'jsonpath-ng~=1.5.3', 'jsonschema~=4.6.0', 'lxml~=4.9.0', 'networkx~=2.8.4', 'openpyxl~=3.0.10', 'ply~=3.11', 'pyparsing~=2.4.7', "pyrsistent~=0.18.1; python_version >= '3.7'", 'pystrict~=1.2', 'rdflib~=6.1.1', 'requests~=2.28.0', 'rfc3987~=1.3.8', "setuptools~=62.4.0; python_version >= '3.7'", "six~=1.16.0; python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3'", "urllib3~=1.26.9; python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4' and python_version < '4'", 'validators~=0.20.0'
+    install_requires=['argparse~=1.4.0', "attrs~=21.4.0; python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4'", "certifi~=2022.6.15; python_version >= '3.6'", "charset-normalizer~=2.0.12; python_version >= '3.5'", 'click~=8.1.3', "decorator~=5.1.1; python_version >= '3.5'", "et-xmlfile~=1.1.0; python_version >= '3.6'", "idna~=3.3; python_version >= '3.5'", 'isodate~=0.6.1', 'jsonpath-ng~=1.5.3', 'jsonschema~=4.6.0', 'lxml~=4.9.0', 'networkx~=2.8.4', "numpy~=1.22.4; python_version < '3.10' and platform_machine != 'aarch64' and platform_machine != 'arm64'", 'openpyxl~=3.0.10', 'pandas~=1.4.2', 'ply~=3.11', 'pyparsing~=2.4.7', "pyrsistent~=0.18.1; python_version >= '3.7'", 'pystrict~=1.2', "python-dateutil~=2.8.2; python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3'", 'pytz~=2022.1', 'rdflib~=6.1.1', 'requests~=2.28.0', 'rfc3987~=1.3.8', "setuptools~=62.6.0; python_version >= '3.7'", "six~=1.16.0; python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3'", "urllib3~=1.26.9; python_version >= '2.7' and python_version not in '3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4' and python_version < '4'", 'validators~=0.20.0'
                       ],
     entry_points={
         'console_scripts': [
diff --git a/test/e2e/test_tools.py b/test/e2e/test_tools.py
index d13ff3328..28135e55b 100644
--- a/test/e2e/test_tools.py
+++ b/test/e2e/test_tools.py
@@ -157,14 +157,11 @@ def test_excel_to_json_list(self) -> None:
 
     def test_excel_to_json_resources(self) -> None:
         resources_excel2json(excelfile='testdata/Resources.xlsx',
-                             outfile='testdata/tmp/_resources-out.json')
+                             outfile='testdata/tmp/_out_resources.json')
 
     def test_excel_to_json_properties(self) -> None:
         properties_excel2json(excelfile='testdata/Properties.xlsx',
-                              outfile='testdata/tmp/_properties-out.json')
-
-    def test_validate_ontology(self) -> None:
-        validate_ontology(self.test_onto_file)
+                              outfile='testdata/tmp/_out_properties.json')
 
     def test_create_ontology(self) -> None:
         create_ontology(input_file=self.test_onto_file,
diff --git a/test/unittests/test_excel_to_properties.py b/test/unittests/test_excel_to_properties.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc7311dcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unittests/test_excel_to_properties.py
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+"""unit tests for excel to properties"""
+import os
+import unittest
+import json
+import jsonpath_ng
+import jsonpath_ng.ext
+
+from knora.dsplib.utils import excel_to_json_properties as e2j
+
+
+class TestExcelToProperties(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self) -> None:
+        """Is executed before each test"""
+        os.makedirs("testdata/tmp", exist_ok=True)
+
+    def test_excel2json(self) -> None:
+        excelfile = "testdata/Properties.xlsx"
+        outfile = "testdata/tmp/_out_properties.json"
+        e2j.properties_excel2json(excelfile, outfile)
+
+        # define the expected values from the excel file
+        excel_names = ["correspondsToGenericAnthroponym", "hasAnthroponym", "hasGender", "isDesignatedAs", "hasTitle",
+                       "hasStatus", "hasLifeYearAmount", "hasBirthDate", "hasGeometry", "hasRepresentation",
+                       "hasRemarks", "hasTerminusPostQuem", "hasGND", "hasColor", "hasDecimal", "hasTime",
+                       "hasInterval", "hasBoolean", "hasGeoname", "partOfDocument"]
+        excel_supers = [["hasLinkTo"], ["hasValue", "dcterms:creator"], ["hasValue"], ["hasValue"], ["hasLinkTo"],
+                        ["hasValue"], ["hasValue"], ["hasValue"], ["hasGeometry"], ["hasRepresentation"],
+                        ["hasValue", "dcterms:description"], ["hasValue"],["hasValue"], ["hasColor"], ["hasValue"],
+                        ["hasValue"], ["hasValue"], ["hasValue"], ["hasValue"], ["isPartOf"]]
+        excel_objects = [":GenericAnthroponym", "TextValue", "ListValue", "ListValue", ":Titles", "ListValue",
+                         "IntValue", "DateValue", "GeomValue", "Representation", "TextValue", "DateValue", "UriValue",
+                         "ColorValue", "DecimalValue", "TimeValue", "IntervalValue", "BooleanValue", "GeonameValue",
+                         ":Documents"]
+
+        excel_labels = dict()
+        excel_labels["de"] = ["", "only German", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Geometrisches Objekt",
+                              "hat eine Multimediadatei", "", "", "GND", "Farbe", "Dezimalzahl", "Zeit",
+                              "Zeitintervall", "Bool'sche Variable", "Link zu Geonames", "ist Teil eines Dokuments"]
+        excel_labels["it"] = ["", "", "", "only Italian", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "GND", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""]
+
+        excel_comments = dict()
+        excel_comments["comment_fr"] = ["J'avais déjà examiné plusieurs propriétés quand, un jour, le notaire, qui me "
+                                "donnait des indications nécessaires pour une de mes explorations, me dit :",
+                                "Un étrange hasard m'a mis en possession de ce journal.",
+                                "Je n'en sais rien du tout ; mais si vous voulez la voir, monsieur, voici les "
+                                "indications précises pour la trouver.",
+                                "Vous devrez arranger l'affaire avec le curé du village de --.\"",
+                                "Un étrange hasard m'a mis en possession de ce journal.", "", "", "only French", "", "",
+                                "", "J'avais déjà examiné plusieurs propriétés quand, un jour, le notaire, qui me "
+                                "donnait des indications nécessaires pour une de mes explorations, me dit :",
+                                "Gemeinsame Normdatei", "", "Chiffre décimale", "Temps", "", "", "", ""]
+        excel_comments["comment_it"] = ["Avevo già visto diverse proprietà quando un giorno il notaio,",
+                                "Uno strano caso mi mise in possesso di questo diario.",
+                                "Non ne so nulla; ma se volete vederla, signore, eccovi le indicazioni precise per trovarla.",
+                                "Dovrete organizzare l'affare con il curato del villaggio di --\".",
+                                "Uno strano caso mi mise in possesso di questo diario.", "", "", "", "only Italian",
+                                "", "", "Avevo già visto diverse proprietà quando un giorno il notaio,",
+                                "Gemeinsame Normdatei", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""]
+
+        excel_gui_elements = ["Searchbox", "Richtext", "List", "Radio", "Searchbox", "List", "Spinbox", "Date", 
+                              "SimpleText", "Searchbox", "Textarea", "Date", "SimpleText", "Colorpicker", "Slider", 
+                              "TimeStamp", "Interval", "Checkbox", "Geonames", "Searchbox"]
+
+        excel_gui_attributes_hasGender = {"hlist": "gender"}
+        excel_gui_attributes_hasGND = {"size": 100}
+        excel_gui_attributes_hasDecimal = {"min": 0.0, "max": 100.0}
+
+        # read json file
+        with open(outfile) as f:
+            json_string = f.read()
+            json_string = "{" + json_string + "}"
+            json_file = json.loads(json_string)
+
+        # extract infos from json file
+        json_names = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.properties[*].name").find(json_file)]
+        json_supers = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.properties[*].super").find(json_file)]
+        json_objects = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.properties[*].object").find(json_file)]
+
+        json_labels_all = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.properties[*].labels").find(json_file)]
+        json_labels: dict[str, list[str]] = dict()
+        for lang in ["de", "it"]:
+            json_labels[lang] = [label.get(lang, "").strip() for label in json_labels_all]
+
+        json_comments: dict[str, list[str]] = dict()
+        for lang in ["fr", "it"]:
+            json_comments[f"comment_{lang}"] = [resource.get("comments", {}).get(lang, "").strip()
+                                               for resource in json_file["properties"]]
+
+        json_gui_elements = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.properties[*].gui_element").find(json_file)]
+
+        json_gui_attributes_hasGender = jsonpath_ng.ext.parse("$.properties[?name='hasGender'].gui_attributes").find(json_file)[0].value
+        json_gui_attributes_hasGND = jsonpath_ng.ext.parse("$.properties[?name='hasGND'].gui_attributes").find(json_file)[0].value
+        json_gui_attributes_hasDecimal = jsonpath_ng.ext.parse("$.properties[?name='hasDecimal'].gui_attributes").find(json_file)[0].value
+
+        # make checks
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_names, json_names)
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_supers, json_supers)
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_objects, json_objects)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_labels, json_labels)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_comments, json_comments)
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_gui_elements, json_gui_elements)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_gui_attributes_hasGND, json_gui_attributes_hasGND)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_gui_attributes_hasDecimal, json_gui_attributes_hasDecimal)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_gui_attributes_hasGender, json_gui_attributes_hasGender)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/test/unittests/test_excel_to_resource.py b/test/unittests/test_excel_to_resource.py
index 3cda7a782..04a63db2e 100644
--- a/test/unittests/test_excel_to_resource.py
+++ b/test/unittests/test_excel_to_resource.py
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 """unit tests for excel to resource"""
 import os
 import unittest
-
-from openpyxl import Workbook
+import json
+import jsonpath_ng
+import jsonpath_ng.ext
+import pandas as pd
+import numpy as np
 
 from knora.dsplib.utils import excel_to_json_resources as e2j
 
@@ -11,52 +14,103 @@ class TestExcelToResource(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self) -> None:
         """Is executed before each test"""
-        os.makedirs('testdata/tmp', exist_ok=True)
+        os.makedirs("testdata/tmp", exist_ok=True)
 
-    def test_excel2json(self) -> None:
-        in_file = "testdata/Resources.xlsx"
-        out_file = "testdata/tmp/_out_res.json"
-        e2j.resources_excel2json(in_file, out_file)
-        self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(out_file))
-
-    def test_extract_row(self) -> None:
-        wb = Workbook()
-        ws_classes = wb.create_sheet("classes")
-        res_name = "ClassA"
-        row = (
-            res_name,
-            "Class A",
-            "",
-            "",
-            "",
-            "A comment on Class A",
-            "",
-            "",
-            "",
-            "Resource",
+    def test_prepare_dataframe(self) -> None:
+        original_df = pd.DataFrame({
+             "  TitLE of Column 1 ": ["1",  " 0-1 ", "1-n ", pd.NA,  "    ", " ",    "",     " 0-n ", np.nan],
+             " Title of Column 2 ":  [None, "1",     1,      "text", "text", "text", "text", "text",  "text"],
+             "Title of Column 3":    ["",   pd.NA,   None,   "text", "text", "text", "text", np.nan,  "text"]
+        })
+        expected_df = pd.DataFrame({
+            "title of column 1":     [      "0-1", "1-n",                                  "0-n"],
+            "title of column 2":     [      "1",   "1",                                    "text"],
+            "title of column 3":     [      "",    "",                                     ""]
+        })
+        returned_df = e2j.prepare_dataframe(
+            df=original_df,
+            required_columns=["  TitLE of Column 1 ", " Title of Column 2 "],
+            location_of_sheet=''
         )
-        for i, c in enumerate(row):
-            ws_classes.cell(row=2, column=i+1, value=c)
-        ws_class_a = wb.create_sheet(res_name)
-        ws_class_a["A2"] = "property1"
-        ws_class_a["B2"] = "1"
-        resource_dict = e2j._extract_row(row, wb)
-        expected_dict = {
-            'name': 'ClassA',
-            'labels': {
-                'en': 'Class A'
-            },
-            'comments': {
-                'en': 'A comment on Class A'
-            },
-            'super': 'Resource',
-            'cardinalities': [{
-                'propname': ':property1',
-                'cardinality': '1',
-                'gui_order': 1
-            }]}
-        self.assertDictEqual(resource_dict, expected_dict)
-
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
+        for expected, returned in zip(expected_df.iterrows(), returned_df.iterrows()):
+            _, expected_row = expected
+            _, returned_row = returned
+            self.assertListEqual(list(expected_row), list(returned_row))
+
+    def test_excel2json(self) -> None:
+        excelfile = "testdata/Resources.xlsx"
+        outfile = "testdata/tmp/_out_resources.json"
+        e2j.resources_excel2json(excelfile, outfile)
+
+        # define the expected values from the excel file
+        excel_names = ["Owner", "Title", "GenericAnthroponym", "FamilyMember", "MentionedPerson", "Alias", "Image",
+                       "Video", "Audio", "ZIP", "PDFDocument", "Annotation", "LinkObject", "RegionOfImage"]
+        excel_supers = [["Resource", "dcterms:fantasy"], ["Resource"], ["Resource"], ["Resource"], ["Resource"],
+                        ["Resource"], ["StillImageRepresentation", "dcterms:image"], ["MovingImageRepresentation"],
+                        ["AudioRepresentation"], ["ArchiveRepresentation"], ["DocumentRepresentation"], ["Annotation"],
+                        ["LinkObj"], ["Region"]]
+
+        excel_labels = dict()
+        excel_labels["en"] = ["Owner", "Title", "Generic anthroponym", "Family member", "Mentioned person", "Alias",
+                              "Only English", "", "", "", "", "Annotation", "Link Object", "Region of an image"]
+        excel_labels["rm"] = ["Rumantsch", "Rumantsch", "Rumantsch", "Rumantsch", "Rumantsch", "Rumantsch", "", "", "",
+                              "", "Only Rumantsch", "", "", ""]
+        excel_labels_of_image = {"en": "Only English"}
+
+        excel_comments = dict()
+        excel_comments["comment_de"] = ["Ein seltsamer Zufall brachte mich in den Besitz dieses Tagebuchs.", "",
+                                        "Only German", "", "", "", "Bild", "Video", "Audio", "ZIP", "PDF-Dokument",
+                                        "Annotation", "Linkobjekt", ""]
+        excel_comments["comment_fr"] = ["Un étrange hasard m'a mis en possession de ce journal.", "", "", "Only French",
+                                        "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""]
+        excel_comments_of_image = {"en": "Image", "de": "Bild"}
+
+        excel_first_class_properties = [":hasAnthroponym", ":isOwnerOf", ":correspondsToGenericAnthroponym", ":hasAlias",
+                                        ":hasGender", ":isDesignatedAs", ":hasTitle", ":hasStatus",
+                                        ":hasFamilyRelationTo",":hasLifeYearAmount", ":hasBirthDate", ":hasDeathDate",
+                                        ":hasBibliography", ":hasRemarks"]
+        excel_first_class_cardinalities = ["1", "0-1", "0-n", "1", "0-n", "0-1", "1-n", "0-1", "1-n", "0-1", "0-1",
+                                           "0-1", "1-n", "1-n"]
+
+        # read json file
+        with open(outfile) as f:
+            json_string = f.read()
+            json_string = "{" + json_string + "}"
+            json_file = json.loads(json_string)
+
+        # extract infos from json file
+        json_names = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.resources[*].name").find(json_file)]
+        json_supers = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.resources[*].super").find(json_file)]
+
+        json_labels_all = [match.value for match in jsonpath_ng.parse("$.resources[*].labels").find(json_file)]
+        json_labels: dict[str, list[str]] = dict()
+        for lang in ["en", "rm"]:
+            json_labels[lang] = [label.get(lang, "").strip() for label in json_labels_all]
+        json_labels_of_image = jsonpath_ng.ext.parse('$.resources[?name="Image"].labels').find(json_file)[0].value
+
+        json_comments: dict[str, list[str]] = dict()
+        for lang in ["de", "fr"]:
+            # make sure the lists of the json comments contain a blank string even if there is no "comments" section
+            # at all in this resource
+            json_comments[f"comment_{lang}"] = [resource.get("comments", {}).get(lang, "").strip()
+                                               for resource in json_file["resources"]]
+        json_comments_of_image = jsonpath_ng.ext.parse('$.resources[?name="Image"].comments').find(json_file)[0].value
+
+        json_first_class_properties = [match.value for match in
+                                    jsonpath_ng.parse("$.resources[0].cardinalities[*].propname").find(json_file)]
+        json_first_class_cardinalities = [match.value for match in
+                                    jsonpath_ng.parse("$.resources[0].cardinalities[*].cardinality").find(json_file)]
+
+        # make checks
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_names, json_names)
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_supers, json_supers)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_labels, json_labels)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_labels_of_image, json_labels_of_image)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_comments, json_comments)
+        self.assertDictEqual(excel_comments_of_image, json_comments_of_image)
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_first_class_properties, json_first_class_properties)
+        self.assertListEqual(excel_first_class_cardinalities, json_first_class_cardinalities)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/testdata/Properties.xlsx b/testdata/Properties.xlsx
index cccc21a0a..ac867acac 100644
Binary files a/testdata/Properties.xlsx and b/testdata/Properties.xlsx differ
diff --git a/testdata/Resources.xlsx b/testdata/Resources.xlsx
index 662e4cf55..5328f9af0 100644
Binary files a/testdata/Resources.xlsx and b/testdata/Resources.xlsx differ