Here you can find instructions on how to work with Data Import. This can be found under the Contacts menu, Data Import.
As a quick reminder, here is the onboarding video about Contacts Data Import&Export:
Checking the ongoing imports
The ongoing imports, both manual and auto-imports, can be checked on the Current Imports tab of the Data Import overview page.
This gives you a full description of the content of the import file, including how many entries will be created as new contacts and how many will be merged with existing contacts.
If there are no active imports, you can start a manual import.
Click Import File, you can set up a manual import or an auto-import.
Checking the import history
You can get an overview of all your previous imports on the History tab.
You can also initiate the workflow for creating a manual or auto-import by clicking Import Data.
Initiating a manual import
The Match Fields and the Match Values steps of the wizards for manual import and auto-imports are identical and they are discussed in a separate chapter, below. In this chapter we focus on steps unique to the manual import process.
To initiate a manual import, click Import File on the Current Imports or on the History tab of the Data Import overview page and then select Import File Manually in the pop-up window.
Drag and drop a file inside the dotted lines or click Select a file to browse for one locally.
Please note the limitations concerning size and format: import files cannot be larger than 64 MB and must be in .csv format.
For the Match Fields and Match Values steps of the wizard, see chapter Matching the fields and values of the upload file.
In the Finish step, you can set a name for the contact list that will be created from the imported file, and trigger the import.
Setting up an auto-import
The Match Fields and the Match Values steps of the wizards for manual import and auto-imports are identical and they are discussed in a separate chapter, below. In this chapter we focus on steps unique to the auto-import process.
To initiate an auto-import, click Import File on the Current Imports or on the History tab of the Data Import overview page and then select Create Auto-Import in the pop-up window.
Source File Settings
In this step of the wizard you first have to enter a name for your auto-import.
You then define the name of the contact list that will be created after every successful import. There are two options:
- Based on the Auto-import name - with a timestamp added, e.g.: auto-import-name YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
- Based on the uploaded file name
Next, you have to define Where to look for the import file.
This can be:
- Emarsys WebDAV
- Remote source
For the latter you have to define a path for the remote source as well as the credentials for accessing it.
If you select sftp as your source and Key as your Authentication type, you can select your previously created key from the drop-down menu.
Please note that if you are using password-based identification on the remote host, the password cannot contain the following characters: "/", "\" and "#".
Emarsys will verify these credentials on completing the wizard. If there is an error, a message will appear in the Notification Center.
Now you need to define the Import file settings.
You have to specify a File name. This is a crucial step because you may configure many auto-imports in your account, and Emarsys must know exactly which naming convention applies to which import configuration. You can use the wildcard "*" to manage the dynamic parts of the file name, such as timestamps.
- Example 1: "*.csv" will import all files with a .csv extension.
- Example 2: "newsletter*.csv" will only import CSV files starting with "newsletter".
Please note that file names are case sensitive.
Finally, specify the naming convention and password for the compression file, if one is used.
Sample File
Now you must upload a sample file.
The sample file should contain just one or two contacts but must contain all the fields you will use in your import files, in the same order and with all the options for single- and multi-choice fields.
A sample file is necessary so that Emarsys knows which fields to expect in the import files, and how to map them and their values to existing fields in the Emarsys database.
If you make any changes to the import files, however minor, you should upload a new sample file based on the new import file.
No contacts are imported from the sample file.
For single- and multi-choice fields, both the field and all the available values must already exist in Emarsys.
When the file is uploaded you will be automatically taken to the next step: Matching the fields and values of the upload file.
Matching the fields and values of the upload file
Matching fields and values correctly is critical to ensuring that your contact data is stored properly and can be used for segmentation and personalization.
You should make sure that your data is stored in the appropriate field type before importing it, and that these fields are matched with corresponding fields of the same type in Emarsys. Storing data in the wrong type of field will make segmentation harder and can result in errors.
Match fields
In this step of the wizard you have to match the fields for your imports - this step is identical for manual and auto-imports.
Settings
In the Settings section select the Unique identifier, the Opt-in declarations and the Contact language to use for the imported file.
The Unique identifier has to be defined to be able to handle duplicate email addresses.
The Opt-in declarations setting is compulsory, the options available are:
-
Opt-in everyone in this import – All imported contacts are marked as Opt-in =
True. - In file – The opt-in setting is included in the file. You must select which field this is.
- Status undefined – No action is taken with regard to the opt-in.
-
Unsubscribe everyone in this import – All imported contacts are marked as Opt-in =
False.
The Contact language drop-down will populate the field Registration language for all contacts in the import.
Advanced Settings
Show the Advanced Settings if you want to:
- Change the delimiter or separator used in the import file.
- Change the File language (this will affect how Emarsys recognizes the field names in the import file and matches them to fields in the database).
- Change the Date format used in the file. The supported date formats are:
- YY-MM-DD
- DD.MM.YY
- MM/DD/YY
- DD/MM/YY
- Ignore empty values - this will ensure that you do not overwrite any existing values with an empty string.
- Update only - This will ignore any contacts which do not already exist in your Emarsys database.
Field matching
In the Field matching section, which is an identical step for both manual and auto-imports, match the default fields in the drop-down menus to the fields used in the imported CSV file.
If you have fields you do not want to include in your import, click Do not import (or select it from the menu). These fields will then display the Do not import flag. To reverse this decision, simply match the field again to an Emarsys field.
In the case of single- and multi-choice fields, match all the possible values to the parent field. If the name of the values in the import file is the same as the name of the values in Emarsys, they will be automatically matched. Otherwise you will have to map them manually in the Match Values step.
If you select Internal_ID as a unique identifier here, all previously selected fields will be deselected and you cannot add any other unique identifiers. If you want to use another field, you have to deselect the Internal_ID field first.
Click Next Step when you have finished matching the fields.
Match Values
If you have single- or multi-choice fields in your sample file, you need to match their values to the Emarsys fields. If the names of the values are identical in Emarsys and the import file (including capitalization), they will be matched automatically, otherwise you match them manually here.
Select the relevant values and click Next step when finished.
Summary
When all settings have been applied, a summary of the auto-import is displayed.
Click Save to activate the auto-import.
If the import fails, for example due to missing unique identifier or mismatched field count (the number of fields in the example file does not match the number of fields in the import file), you will receive a message in the Notification Center giving the reasons and asking you to fix the errors and try again.
Changing the existing field matching of an auto-import
If you need to change the field matching for an auto-import, click the Edit icon for the desired element in the list of auto-imports.
When you click Change Field Matching, you will be prompted to upload a new sample file, which should contain the all the field and values that you wish to match. From then on the process is the same as described above.
