Formatting .CSV Files for Import

Some database export systems provide a .CSV file that is formatted with values that are separated by commas or semicolons.

This article will detail how to format .CSV files for import into Lead Gen & CRM.

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Article Contents

• Important Information Regarding Imports
• Formatting in Google Sheets
• Formatting in Microsoft Excel

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Important Information Regarding Imports

The Import Tool uses information from .CSV files and creates contact lists from this information. These files contain only alphanumeric data and are presented in a table format.

When formatting .CSV file content, any .CSV file that you import should be structured similar to the following:

When formatting .CSV files, be aware of the following:

• Header rows are required. Header rows are necessary for mapping Lead Gen & CRM fields to imported fields.
• Email fields are required. The Import Tool requires that your .CSV file contain a column mapped to the Email field. You will still need to include the Email column when a contact does not have an email address. 
  
• Is Unsubscribed fields are required. For Lead Gen & CRM to successfully import a .CSV file, the file needs one column header that is labeled as Is Unsubscribed. The Is Unsubscribed field should be a boolean field, where 0 is for leads who are opted in, and 1 is for leads who are not opted in.
  
• Utilize first and last names. For the import to be successful, a first and last name are suggested in the event that you do not have an email address for that contact. Use both as often as possible.
  
• Values must match. When importing custom field values, ensure that they are formatted to match the custom field values. For example, picklist and checkbox values are case-sensitive.
  
• When importing data with picklist and checkbox fields, the fields must be present in the file import in order to appear. Ensure that the picklist or checkbox fields in your file exist before importing. Otherwise, the data may not import properly.
  
• When importing to a checkbox custom field, the data cannot have spaces between values and commas. An example of this would be value1,value2,value3. 

Formatting in Google Sheets

You format a .CSV file for import in Google Sheets.

To format in Google Sheets, do the following:

1. Navigate to your Google Drive account in your web browser.
2. Click New > File Upload.
3. Select the .CSV file.
4. Click Open.
5. Right-click the uploaded file.
6. Select Open With Google Sheets.
7. Click the letter for the column to split above Row 1.
8. Click Data > Split text to columns in the menu bar.
9. Select the appropriate punctuation separator in the separator menu that appears.
10. Click File > Download As > Comma-separated
    values (.csv, current sheet) in the menu bar.

Important: For Lead Gen & CRM to successfully import a .CSV file, there needs to one column header labeled Email Address. There does not need to be data in the column, but the header needs to exist.

In addition, there needs to one column header labeled as Is Unsubscribed. The Is Unsubscribed field should be a boolean field, where 0 is for leads who are opted in, and 1 is for leads who are not opted in.

Formatting in Microsoft Excel

You can format a .CSV file for import in Microsoft Excel.

To format in Microsoft Excel, do the following:

1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. Click File > New Workbook in Excel's top toolbar.
3. Click From Text in the Data tab.
4. Select the desired .CSV file in the pop-up window that appears.
5. Click Get Data.
6. Select the radio button next to Delimited in the Text Import Wizard.
7. Click Next.
8. Select the appropriate Delimiters.
9. Change the Text qualifier to {none}.
10. Click Finish.
11. Click Ok in the Import Data box.

This will insert the data into the Excel spreadsheet, starting in Field A1.

Important: For Lead Gen & CRM to successfully import a .CSV file, there needs to one column header labeled Email Address. There does not need to be data in the column, but the header needs to exist.

In addition, there needs to one column header labeled as Is Unsubscribed. The Is Unsubscribed field should be a boolean field, where 0 is for leads who are opted in, and 1 is for leads who are not opted in.

Note: If there are quotation marks around the beginning and end of words, use
Edit > Find/Replace to remove them.