This article is second in a series. Click Here to learn how to download the Excel data template and fill it out correctly.
The Import Profiles tool can be used both for uploading new profiles in bulk, and adding new information to existing profiles in bulk, depending on the import settings.
Once an import is complete, it CANNOT be undone.
Importing New Profiles:
Always run a test of the import data and settings with a couple rows of data. Missed or incorrect settings can result in incorrect data creation that may only be cleaned up by hand, profile by profile.
- Select Admin menu > Import Profiles
- Select whether the new profiles being imported are Members, Prospects, or Neither.
- For bulk uploads of Organization Profiles, Neither can apply to Members and Non-Members.
- For bulk uploads of Individual Profiles, Neither can include Non-Members, Related Individuals of Organizations, or Standalone Individuals.
- Select whether the profiles are Organizations or Individuals.
- Set the relationship preferences for the upload:
- Choose whether the new profiles will automatically set the Main Contact as the primary profile.
- Choose whether it should use the principal profile's contact data if the related profile is blank.
- The relationship between the Organization and the Individual must also be set. This is usually set to Employer-Employee. These related profiles can be flagged as the Main Contact of an Organization or simply imported as employees.
-
Select the Duplicate Validation options: (Click Here to learn more about the Import Duplicate Checker)
- By default, Profile ID, Profile Name, and Email are searched to determine if any existing profiles match the data in the spreadsheet.
- Select whether the upload should check addresses for duplicates.
- Select whether potential duplicates should overwrite the previous profile by default.
Imports will not assign Membership Level or Membership Activity. This can be done afterwards using the Profile Selector.
- Save changes, and close the spreadsheet prior to loading it into the Import tool. It is now ready for importing.
- On the Import Profiles page, select the Upload Excel File button at the bottom to upload the completed spreadsheet. Once a file is selected, the duplicate validation will run.
- Review and process any duplicates: The system will do a duplicate check and allow you to either remove the duplicate from the import, overwrite the existing matching profile, or to purposely create a duplicate record. Click Here for more information on the Duplicate Checker.
- Once the data is approved, select the Import Data button. This cannot be undone! Once the profiles are imported, they can only be deleted manually, one at a time. The import will run in the background and send you an email with the results when complete.
Importing New Data for Existing Profiles:
When uploading new information to existing profiles in bulk, there are small alterations that must be made to the above instructions for importing new profiles to avoid issues with uploading the data:
- Include Profile ID and a corresponding name (OrganizationName or LastName) to match each profile that is being updated.
- MemberSince date can only be imported for new Member profiles. For new information being added to existing profiles, use the date 1/1/1900 to avoid overwriting the profile's existing MemberSince date.
- Category must be an exact match to a category already in your database, or a listing will not be created for that row.
- All values in the Affiliation Code column(s) must already have an exact match to an Affiliation Code already in your database, or the file will not be valid.
This article is part of a series. Click Here for the final part of the series about the Duplicate Checker.