Import Contacts

Overview

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to import Contacts into the Operative system. This feature is ideal for migrating data from another system, performing an initial data load, or adding a large number of contacts at once without individual manual entry.

We recommend that you upload Contact records before importing associated Transactions to avoid duplicate Contact records.

Prerequisites

  • Before you begin, ensure you have a CSV file containing the contact data you wish to import.
    • Ensure this CSV contains, at a minimum, First Name and Last Name for People records, and Organization Name for Organization records.
  • If you are migrating records from another system, include a field to be used as the External ID. This will assist in deduplication and ensure you can match transactions to your newly-created contact records.

Step-by-Step Instructions

The import process involves uploading your file, configuring how existing records are handled, mapping your file's columns to Operative's fields, and reviewing the import before finalizing.

Navigate to the Contact Uploader

  1. From the main navigation menu on the left-hand side, click on Contacts.
  2. Select either Person or Organization from the sidebar. Both types of records can be bulk imported, and the process is identical for each.
  3. In the top-right corner of the Contacts screen for your chosen contact type, hover your cursor over New person or New organization and click the Upload button.

Upload Your CSV File

  1. After clicking Upload, you will be taken to the Upload CSV screen.
  2. You can either drag and drop your CSV file into the designated area or click Browse files to select the file from your computer.
  3. Once the file has successfully uploaded (indicated by a progress bar and a checkmark), click the Continue button.

Configure Your Import

On the Configure Your Import screen, you will set the rules for how Operative should process the data in your file.

  1. Import Name: (Optional) You can give your import a unique name for your own record-keeping. This name does not appear on official reports.
  2. Add new contacts: If your file contains individuals or organizations that are not yet in your Operative database, select Yes to create new contact records for them.
  3. Update existing contacts with new information: If your file might contain updated information for contacts already in your system, select Yes. If you select No, this step is skipped.
  4. How do you want to identify existing contacts?: If you chose to update existing contacts, you must select the matching criteria from the dropdown menu. Operative will use this to find and update the correct contact records. Options include:
    • External ID
    • Email
    • Name + Zip
    • Name + Zip + Email
  5. Click Continue to proceed.

Select and Map Your Import Template

An import template tells Operative how to match the column headers in your CSV file to the corresponding data fields in the system.

  1. On the Select Import Template screen, you can either choose an existing template from the dropdown menu or create a new one.
  2. To create a new one, click Add a new template.
    • On the Import Template screen, you will see a list of Operative fields (e.g., First Name, Last Name, Email, etc.).
    • For each Operative field, select the corresponding column header from your CSV file in the dropdown menu to its right.
    • Note: First Name and Last Name are the only two required fields for a successful Person import, and Organization Name is the only required field for an Organization import.
    • Once you have mapped all necessary fields, save the template.
  3. Select your new or existing template and click Continue.

Review and Finalize the Import

The Review Import screen provides a final summary and allows you to review an import before committing it to the database.

Note: at this stage, no data has been uploaded to your database. Review the summary carefully before clicking Complete Import.

  1. Review the Summary: At the top of the screen, a summary will show:
    • Imported Contacts
    • New Contacts
    • Incomplete Fields
    • Errors (If any are detected)
  2. Bulk add tags: You can add one or more tags to all contact records created from this import for organizational or tracking purposes.

Complete the Import: Once you have reviewed all the details, click the Complete Import button in the bottom-right corner.

Expected Results

After clicking Complete Import, you will be redirected back to the main Contacts screen. An "Import is in progress" banner will appear at the top of the page. Once the import is finished, the newly created contact records will appear in the contact list. For especially large imports, it may take a couple of minutes before all of your new contact records populate.

Troubleshooting

  • If the Review Import screen shows a high number of errors, it is likely that you have selected the wrong import template or that the columns in your CSV file are not correctly mapped to the Operative fields.
  • The system provides a Download Errors CSV link on the review screen. You can use this file to identify which rows in your source file caused an error and why, allowing you to correct them before re-uploading.
  • If you experience any issues importing data, please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@operative.vote.

Additional Notes

  • Contact Matching: Carefully consider your contact matching criteria. Using a unique identifier like an External ID or Email is generally more reliable than using Name + Zip, which might result in incorrect matches.
  • Saving Templates: If you plan to import files from the same source regularly, creating and saving a new template will save you significant time in the future. You can edit an existing template by clicking the pencil icon next to it on the Select Import Template screen.

Still need help? Contact Us Contact Us