How to import your data into Affinity

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Brian Lee
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Given that your Excel/CSV files can have different formats, please make sure to clean up and properly format your data before starting the import process (see Cleaning up your data before importing into Affinity). Once you do so, feel free to proceed with this video walkthrough:

Note: This video contains the old navigation bar on the top, whereas the current navigation bar now lies on the left side of your screen. While the remaining content is still the same, rest assured that we will be updating our videos accordingly.

 

Here are some important things to know to ensure the data within your CSV file is imported successfully into Affinity:

  1. For uploading data into people lists:
    • You must include Email Address and Full Name columns in your CSV file.
      • If you don't have a Full Name column, then you can import two separate columns: First Name and Last Name.
      • Note: If a person has a longer last name (for example Jane Doe Van Lang) you can add two names to the First Name column and/or two names to the Last Name column
    • These columns are required so that Affinity can match them to the correct people in your directory.
    • For any person imported without an email address, we will either attempt to match on name only (which has less accuracy due to common names) or create a new person.
  2. For uploading data into organization lists:
    • You must include Website and Name columns in your CSV file.
    • These columns are required so that Affinity can match them to the correct organizations in your directory.
    • For any organization imported without a website, we will create a new organization contact without a website - this is to minimize the chance of mapping to the wrong organization, which causes more issues later on. You may add the correct website to the new organizations’ profile pages anytime after the import. If we find another profile that is enriched by Affinity and already has the website, please make sure to go to that profile page, then merge duplicates from there.
  3. For uploading data into opportunity lists:
    • Opportunity Names must be unique. Any duplicate opportunity names will not be imported.

Overview

1. Cleaning up your CSV file before upload

2. Uploading your CSV file onto an Affinity list

3. Choosing your preferred import option

4. Mapping the primary fields

5. Mapping the remaining fields

6. After importing

 

1. Cleaning up your CSV file before upload

Column_1_for_headers.png

Be sure to check all of the following items before uploading your file:

  • Your CSV file is saved in the CSV (UTF-8) format.
  • The very first row (Row 1) of the CSV file must contain your column headers.
  • Column headers are unique - there can be no duplicate column header names.
  • Column headers should be all on one line with no line breaks, for example below you'll notice two lines for one column header, this will produce an error when trying to add your CSV file.
    mceclip0.png
  • Please make sure that columns with no column headers in Row 1 also have no data in Rows 2 and beyond (i.e. If there is no data in cell F1, there should not be any data in cell F2 and below).
  • Make sure that data matches accordingly to each column header. For example, the Email Address column should only contain email addresses (remove hyperlinks), while the Amount column should only have numbers (no commas, only digits). 
  • Remove any unwanted duplicate rows in your CSV file (ex. Affinity on Row 2 and Row 3).
    • If duplicates do exist and you either choose Append or Overwrite - the importer will only import the first entry of the duplicates while skipping the other duplicate entries.

2. Uploading your CSV file onto an Affinity list

  1. Click into the list you plan to import into. For this article, we will import it into an organization-type list.
  2. Click List Options on the top-right corner, then click Import data.
    3.jpg

  3. Make sure to read through all bullet points to ensure the data in your CSV file are formatted correctly, then click the checkbox to confirm you've reviewed your CSV file.
    4.jpg
  4. Drag and drop or browse for a CSV file, then click Continue.
    5.jpg
  5. Receiving an error message when trying to add your CSV?  You can refer back to the common troubleshooting tips found in Section 1: Cleaning up your CSV file before uploading. 
    6.jpg

3. Choosing your preferred import option

Once you’ve successfully uploaded a CSV file, select one of the following import options:

  1. Add new values from the CSV file to existing contacts:
    • This will add any additional values to a field if it is a multi-value field.
    • If it is a single value field, we will add the values if the cell is empty, but skip if the cell already contains a value.
  2. Create duplicate entries of contacts in your Affinity list: 
    • This will create a new entry for every imported row.
  3. Skip duplicate entries of contacts from the CSV file:
    • This will skip any rows from your CSV file that already exist on the list.
    • For example, if Company A is on Row 4 in your CSV file and Company A is an entry on your Affinity list, then Row 4 will be skipped entirely and Company A on the Affinity list will remain untouched.
    • Tip: this option is useful when you’re importing data from another source frequently and only want to add new companies to your list and not update any existing ones. 
  4. Overwrite existing values with values from the CSV file: 
    • This will overwrite all cells in Affinity with the ones you import from your CSV file.

For this example, we only want to add new values from the CSV file, so we will choose to Add new values from the CSV file to existing contacts, then click Next.
Step_2_-_Manage_Conflicts.png

4. Mapping the primary fields

  1. Map the Website column from the CSV file to the Website field in Affinity (required since the Website is the unique identifier when matching organizations from your CSV file to the organizations in your account).
    • For People lists, the unique identifier would be the Email Address column from the CSV file.
    • For Opportunity lists, the unique identifier would be the Opportunity Name from the CSV file.
      Step_3_-_Map_Website.png
  2. Map the Organization Name column from your CSV file to the Organization Name field in Affinity (the Organization Name is required when importing into organization lists).
    • The Full Name column from the CSV file is required when importing into people lists.
    • The Opportunity Name column from the CSV file is required when importing into opportunity lists.
      Step_4_-_Map_Organization_Name.png

5. Mapping the remaining fields

Now that we have determined which specific organizations to import data into, map the rest of the columns from the CSV file to the relevant Affinity field.
Step_5_-_Map_Columns.png

If there are any global fields that you are mapping to, you will see this modal appear, asking which method you’d like to choose for updating global fields. Feel free to refer back to the explanations found in Section 3: Choosing How to manage conflicts.

Global_Field_Mapping_Modal.png

  1. Select the relevant Affinity Field for each CSV Column by clicking on the dropdown. You can also type the name of the column you are looking for after clicking on the dropdown.
  2. Note: Some fields will be auto-mapped for your convenience, but we will not auto-map to people-type, organization-type, and location-type fields since they require multiple fields to map to specific attributes:
    1. Person - Full Name, Email Address
    2. Organization - Name, Domain
    3. Location - City, Address, Country
  3. Now, remove any columns from your CSV that you don't want to upload by clicking on the Trash icon.
  4. Use the Backspace button on your keyboard to remove a selection from the dropdown.
  5. Once you’re finished mapping, click Begin import.

6. After importing

Now that you’ve begun your import, here’s what you can expect:

  1. Most imports average 5 to 15 minutes to process. For larger files, it may take up to 24 hrs for your data to process.
  2. Once your import finishes, you will receive an email notification and an in-product notification under the Notification icon in the top right corner.
  3. View your import history to see the results of your import where you can view or download:
    • Skipped Rows
    • Duplicate Rows
    • Errors
    • Original CSV file
  4. For any errors or skipped rows above, download the CSV to fix the issues and import those separately to complete your import.
    Step_6_-_Import_Started.png

  5. If you need to undo an import, you can find out more in our Undo Import article.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at support@affinity.co. 

 

 

 

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