Planning to import data? Here's everything you need to know.
This article covers:
- How to prepare data for import
- Types of data imports
- How to minimise duplicates
- How to finalise the import
- How to get notified when an import is completed
- How to import orders
- How to import checkbox data
- How to import dates
- How to overwrite existing data
- How to import country codes
How to prepare data for import
Your file has to be "clean" for the import tool to accept it. That means, for example, no active hyperlinks in any fields. Empty fields must be completely empty; no characters (eg dots/hyphens) can be in fields that don't contain any other signs.
- Click Account → Data management → Import data
- Click to import companies and contacts, products, or orders:
- You can use the downloadable import template. This is localised to either your default language in Upsales or English:
- Enter or copy/paste your information into the template. You only need to complete the columns with information you are actually importing (delete the unused columns)
- If Upsales doesn't have the field you want to import, create a custom field
- Upload the file. The file must be an Excel file (.xls or .xlsx).
- You now have a choice between Update or Create & update:
- Update is for existing companies, contacts, or products. No new companies, contacts, or products will be created
- Create & update is for when you want to create new or update existing companies, contacts, or products
- Click Connect columns:
- You can now match your file's data with Upsales fields. Click the dropdown under Import to field in CRM:
- You can now choose the field:
- Click Settings:
Types of data imports
When you want to:
| Add all of the contacts in the imported data to a campaign | Select the Campaign from the Add contacts to campaign list. |
| Add all of the contacts in the imported data to a category | Select the Category from the Add contacts to category list. |
| Mark all of the contacts in the imported data with a manual opt-in | Select the item from the Add contacts to manual opt-in list. |
| Assign all of the companies in the imported data to an account manager | Select the user from the Set as account manager list. Mark whether to Add the user as account manager or Set as sole account manager. You can mark this Only for new companies, so account managers for existing companies won't be changed during import. |
| Add all of the companies in the imported data to a campaign | Select the Campaign from the Add company to campaign list. |
| Add all of the companies in the imported data to a category | Select the Category from the Add company to category list. |
| Choose what to do when Upsales encounters more than one match | You'll be asked to Select Create new or Skip row (the recommended option to avoid creating duplicates) |
How to minimise duplicates
To avoid potential duplication, import an ID alongside other fields such as names.
You can also tell Upsales which fields to update (instead of creating a duplicate):
If duplicates are found, Upsales gives you the option to skip it from your import file or make a duplicate (which can cause problems with your data).
After this click Review:
This gives you a summary of your planned import:
How to finalise the import
-
Review the following information:
- The number of rows being imported
- The number of columns being imported
- Any names that have been matched, but aren't exactly the same. For example, should the LinkedIn URL be the right match for your company website?
- The import setting actions (campaigns, categories, account managers, adding fields, sending a status report)
- Click Start import:
If you prefer not to start an import, it will be listed on the Import data screen under Drafts. You can complete it later.
You can also find in progress and completed imports on the Import data screen. The ongoing list only appears when there is at least one import in progress. During multiple parallel imports, only one is processed at one time. The others are processed in a first-in-first-out queue.
If the import isn't 100%, you can go back and import a new file, or click Start import:
How to get notified when an import is completed
- You can be emailed a status report when your import is completed. Add extra email addresses or remove yours if you wish:
How to import orders
Only admins can import orders. Each row in the file is an order row. Rows with the same Order reference become one order with several rows. Leave it empty for one order per row.
- Click Account → Data management → Import data and choose Orders.
- Upload the file. It must have these columns:
- Order date
- The company: Company ID, organisation number, company name or a company custom field
- The product: Product number or product name
- Under Create, update, or both?, choose Create, Update or Create & update. Create always creates new orders, so importing the same file again creates the orders again.
- To update orders, map a column to Order ID or to an order custom field (for example an ERP order number), and choose it under Match orders on in Settings. With Update, orders that aren't found are skipped. An Order ID that matches no order is always skipped.
- Under Order rows, choose what happens to the rows of the orders you update: Replace with the file's rows, Update matching rows, keep the rest or Update matching rows, remove the rest. To update rows, map a column to Order row ID or to an order row custom field and choose it under Match order rows on. New orders always get the file's rows.
- Create companies that don't exist is off by default. Turned on, a company that isn't in Upsales is created from the company name and the other company columns in the file. Turned off, those rows are skipped. The setting isn't shown when you choose Update.
- Skip triggers and integrations is on by default. The orders are saved without running triggers or sending them to your apps and webhooks, so the import starts no automations, emails or ERP syncs.
The Stage column decides what is created. A won or lost stage imports a closed order. Any other stage imports an open opportunity, with the stage's probability and the order date as its expected close date. If the stage is empty, your first won stage is used. If your account doesn't have opportunities, rows with an open stage are skipped.
How to import checkbox data
To import checkbox data, mark cells in the import file as on or off (in lower case) for checked/unchecked boxes:
How to import dates
Format date cells as YYYY-MM-DD (for example 2024-01-15). Upsales reads the date as it is shown in the cell.
A date in another format, such as 15/01/2024, can't be read. The field is then left empty, and when you update existing data, the date already in that field is cleared.
How to overwrite imported data
You can also use the import process to update existing company and contact data in Upsales. An empty cell in your spreadsheet won't overwrite empty or populated fields in Upsales.
How to import country codes
When importing country data, use a two-letter country code (based on Alpha-2 code), for example SE, not Sweden.
If the country is not a valid code, the whole address in that row is skipped (address, postcode, city and country). The rest of the row is still imported.