CRM 7-8

Importing Data in OnContact CRM V8

In the following video, you’ll learn all about importing data into OnContact CRM 8.

Specifically, we’ll be going over how to import a file that contains contact and company data, as well as how OnContact’s standard templates can help simplify the import process.

Hello and welcome to WorkWise OnContact CRM training. Today we’re going to learn about importing data into CRM 8. We will import a file that contains contacts and companies and related information like phone numbers, addresses and titles. We will see how CRM 8’s predefined templates can be used to simplify the import process.

Predefined Templates – Import Process

The import utility is located in the setup area under modules. Note the setup icon is only accessible if the setup and maintenance group is assigned to your CRM login. User group assignment is managed on the user edit page, also located in the setup area. Upon opening the first page of the import shows a list of templates, which are predefined mappings that match many common import files. Sample Excel spreadsheets that match those templates can be found on our install DVD in the import samples folder as well as on our website under the resources area. These files are guides that can be used to match your import file to one of our import templates and using them will help simplify the import process.

Here is a list of all supplied templates in the type of data they’re mapped to:

• The company import is used when your import file contains only company information. The contact import is used when your import file contains only contact information. Use the company import with contact when your file has both companies and contacts and there is only one contact / company.
• The contact import with company is for files that have companies and contacts where there are many contacts per company.
• Import lead is used to import contacts as leads where they can then be qualified and convert it into contacts.
• The user import is useful when there is a large number of users to be added to CRM like a file with a user list from a legacy system for example.

Note these templates are all based on Microsoft Excel version 2007 or higher and have a header row which helps when mapping columns. Data can also be imported from comma separated tab delimited or pipe delimited text files.

Importing Data into CRM 8

For this training, we will import a data file that exactly matches our contact import with company template. This will result in a very simple import, eliminating the need to map columns, which we will look into later in this video.

The steps are:

1. Pick a template that matches your data. as mentioned we’ll use the contact with company template since it matches our data file.
2. Clicking a template in CRM will open the import file page. From here click the select File button on the right and choose your import file. Note this file must not be open in any other program or the import will not be able to load it.
3. The first few rows of your data file will load in the preview window to the bottom of this page. Tf everything looks good and you’re sure this is the correct file, click the next button which opens the map columns page. The column list on the left is called import field and shows the column headers from your import file. The right hand column list called template field shows the columns and CRM your data will be imported into. if everything matches no changes or adjustments to column mapping will be necessary.
4. Step 4, click the next button which opens the run page.
5. Step 5, click the Run button to import the data.

Once all of the data in the file is imported, the review page will open indicating how many records imported successfully. Total number of records should match number of records processed. There are several options available on the review page that can be used to work with the newly imported data. The create new marketing campaign option adds a new marketing campaign and assigns the imported data as targets to the campaign. Open list page and select new records opens a standard list page that shows the newly imported data in the results area. The same options on search pages are available here including mail merge, email merge, workflows and so on. The delete newly inserted rows option removes the newly imported data from the database, it will not delete any other data only what was just imported during this session. If there are any issues with your import file, you will see a message indicating what the issue is. The open file containing failed rows option will open an excel spreadsheet containing the rows that failed.

One of the most common issues is import data that is too large for the corresponding field in CRM. For example the title column and CRM can hold a title that’s up to 100 characters long. If your import file has a title longer than that, it will display a message indicating this. You can then use the open file containing failed arose feature to correct the issue and then re-import those failed rows without having to re-import the entire file. Please note these options must be used before closing the import or logging out of CRM.

Now let’s take a look at how to import a data file where the columns don’t line up exactly with one of our templates. One option is to start from scratch and build an entirely new import. This isn’t difficult, although would be fairly time consuming. A better option is to modify your data file to match one of our existing samples as closely as possible. Use the corresponding import template in CRM and then manually map any columns that don’t line up. So let’s see we have a few columns in the data file that aren’t mapped in one of our templates. The first few steps will be the same as our first example except you will see blank rows in the template field column for those fields on the mapping page. This means those columns are not mapped to a column in the database and therefore will not be imported.

To resolve this:

• Click the edit option on the top right of the mapping page.
• Click the select file option and reload your file. A dialog box will appear indicating there are new columns in the file and mapping doesn’t exist yet for those columns click yes at that prompt.
• Then click Next to go to the mapping page.
• Scroll down on the import columns and you should see columns with a red X next to them. This indicates that column is in the import file but not mapped on the import template in CRM.
• Click on one of those columns and then click the click to define link in the middle area.
• Pick the column to map from the list that will appear and then click OK.
• Do this for each unmapped column.Once all columns are properly mapped, click Next to go to the run page and then click run to import the file.

The remaining steps and features are the same as in our first example. At any point after this, the import can be saved or saved as a new import so that the mapping process doesn’t have to be repeated. After that the remaining steps are the same as our first example.

This concludes the on contact CRM import training video. Today we learned how to find and open the uncontacted CRM import utility, examined our predefined templates and how they can help with import mapping, cover the steps of importing a simple data file, and finally explored some useful options for working with the newly imported data.