CSV Import to Edit (Admin-only)

About CSV import to edit

CSV import to edit allows Admins to edit properties (names, custom fields) of existing Module items (custom Modules, Teams, People) by uploading a CSV. Qatalog admins will see the option to Import to edit a CSV on every Module dashboard.

CSV import to edit is a helpful tool when you have multiple Module items that need updating because upload a CSV to make edits can be faster than editing existing records one-by-one.

Who can use CSV imports?

Unlike Import to Create, only Qatalog admins have access to CSV import to edit.

How does it work?

Unlike upload a CSV to create Module Items, uploading a CSV to edit Module Items only requires you to provide information for the Items you'd like to edit. You always need the Ids for the Module Item(s) you'd like to edit, and you must have one additional field (column) in your CSV, which designates the field you'd like to update.

For example, if you have a new "Languages" custom field on your People Module, and you'd like to add "French" to the profiles of 5 French-speaking employees, you would need:

1. 2 columns (Id, Languages)
2. Id column: 5 people Ids for the 5 French-speaking employees
3. Languages column: "French" in each cell of the Languages column for the 5 employees. Note that if the "Languages" Column is comma-separated, multiselect, or a pure text field, you can also add other Languages (see: 2nd row)

It would look something like this:

Importing a CSV to edit

1. Manage > Export > gather Ids. The first step is to identify which Module items, People, or Teams you'd like to edit and note their Ids. The get this information, go to the dashboard for the Module type you wish to edit, go to Manage > Export, and export to receive a CSV of all Module Items, their Ids, and selected fields. 

When you open your CSV, you'll see Id is the first column and name is the second column. Use the name column to identify the record(s) you'll want to edit, and note their Ids. 

2. Manage > Import to edit. Now that you have a reference list of Ids handy, go back to the Module Item dashboard for the Module you wish to edit en masse, and click Manage > Import to edit to start the import to edit process.

3. Download the template, check reference values, and upload your CSV: You will see a prompt to drag-and-drop or click to upload your CSV. Before you do that, we highly recommend you download and use the CSV template provided: the template will provide a list of columns that you could edit via your CSV import and it'll make field mapping(next step) much faster.

Using the template and the Ids you gathered from step #1,

• Add the Ids of the records you like to edit to the Id column
• delete all the columns/fields you do not want to update (note: Id is required - do not delete this),
• delete all rows you do not want to update (if you haven't already done this via Id selection)
• populate the columns/fields you wish to edit for those Ids with the desired value(s), and
• save your CSV

For example, if you only want to change 2 custom fields ("Year", "Model") on 20 Module Items called "Cars", your CSV should only contain 3 columns (Id, Year, Model) and 21 rows (header row + 20 rows with each row representing a unique car via its Id and the Year and Model values you wish to update).

If you're unsure what the proper format or options are for some of the fields you wish to update, please refer to the "Reference values" dropdown in your import modal. 

Once you think your CSV looks good, upload it to the modal.

4. Map your fields: Next, you'll see the Field Mapping step where you map your CSV column names/fields (on the right side) to the Module item's fields (on the left). If you used the CSV template, this step should be pretty straightforward because the field names will be virtually the same. 

Remember that your CSV must contain an ID and at least one other column (field) that you wish to update.

You also have the ability to toggle ON/OFF "Allow partial uploads." By default, "Allow partial uploads" is toggled ON which will guarantee that as many records as possible will be created from your CSV. Learn more.

5. Confirm upload: Once your fields are mapped and you click Next, you'll see a confirmation screen that shows the number of Module items Qatalog will attempt to edit the number of rows in your CSV. Click Start Import to initiate the process.

6. Creation confirmation and errors: One the upload process has concluded, you'll receive a message with the number of successfully created items or failed items that occurred.

If there were row failures, we highly recommend clicking on the URL provided to download a copy of your failed records. Your failed CSV should provide signal on why the CSV failed and what rows had issues. Once you've resolved the issues, you can try uploading again. Otherwise, enjoy your newly edited items!

Import success confirmation

Troubleshooting CSV upload errors

Things to check if your CSV Import failed or had failures.

1. Check the error messaging in the CSV of failures. Each row with an error should have a descriptive error reason.

2. Check date formats. At this time we can only accommodate YYYY-MM-DD formats.

3. Cross-check input fields with sanctioned fields in your Module builder. If you're uploading to a single select or multiselect field, your inputs must exactly match the options available within your Module settings. These fields are case sensitive. If you are unsure of all of the inputs, see what is provided in the CSV template, check the "Reference Values" dropdown on the first page of the importer, and/or visit your Module's fields by going to Settings > Modules > select your Module > Fields.

These are all the acceptable inputs for the "Geo" field in uploader. Case sensitive! (Journey: Settings > Modules > Campaigns (a Module) > Fields)

4. Make sure "Allow partial upload" is toggled ON. "Allow partial upload" is the most permissive form of upload: it ensures that if there is a row with error, only that row/record will fail. If "Allow partial upload" is toggled OFF, any error in any row within your CSV will cause the entire sheet to fail.

FAQs

Do custom text fields support special characters, like accents?

> Yes, single line text fields and multiline text fields support special characters. 

Can you import to override existing values to create null values?

> Yes, as long as the field you are editing is not required, you can override existing fields to create null values in those fields (keep your cell blank to do this).

 Does import to edit work for archived records?

> Yes, you can import to edit archived records.

Are there character limits to text fields?

> If so, we haven't encountered them, but if you have a different experience, let us know! support@qatalog.com