CSV Import

What it is. Loading many records at once from a spreadsheet.

When to use it. Moving in from another system, or adding a bought list. For one or two records, just use New on the list instead.

Why it helps. Hundreds of records in one go, instead of one form at a time.

Opening it

Where: Admin → CSV Import

1. Click Admin in the top menu.
2. Click CSV Import in the row of tabs.

Preparing your spreadsheet

Before you start:

1. Put the field names in the first row. One row per record after that.
2. Remove blank rows and any summary rows at the bottom.
3. Save it as CSV — in Excel, File → Save As → CSV (Comma delimited).

Dates should be in a consistent format throughout. Mixed formats are the most common cause of a failed import.

Importing

Where: Admin → CSV Import → choose a file → match columns → Import

1. Click Admin, then CSV Import.
2. Click Choose file and pick your CSV.
3. The screen shows your columns alongside the portal's fields.
4. For each column, choose which field it belongs in. Columns whose names match are matched for you.
5. Leave anything you do not want to import unmatched.
6. Click Import.

A summary tells you how many records were created, and lists anything that failed with the reason.

Try ten before you try ten thousand

Copy your spreadsheet, delete all but ten rows, and import that first.

If the ten land correctly, import the rest. If something is wrong, you have ten records to tidy up instead of ten thousand.

If rows fail

The summary names the row and the reason. The usual causes:

Reason	Fix
A required field is empty	Fill it in the spreadsheet.
A date is not a valid date	Use one consistent format.
A value is not an allowed option	Match it to one of the options exactly.

Fix those rows in a fresh CSV and import just those.

Records already in the portal

Import adds records. It does not look for matches and update them. Importing the same file twice gives you two copies of everything.