To access the import CSV page, select "Import Contacts CSV" from the audience menu:

Either drag and drop a CSV file onto the drag/drop zone or click the zone to browse for files:

Once you have selected a file to import it will be checked to make sure that it is a valid CSV file. If not, error messages will be displayed - for example:

The button "CSV Format Guidance" displays some important information about how you should format your CSV file to help you to import your data successfully. This information is repeated below:

How to Format Your CSV File for Importing

A CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file is a simple text file where each line represents a row of data, and each piece of data in that row is separated by a delimiter (usually a comma, but it can also be a semicolon, tab, or other characters).

CSV files normally have a file name extension of .csv, but we also allow .tsv, .psv, and .txt. It's important to remember that the file extension doesn't always accurately reflect the delimiter used within the file. There is no rule that says a .csv must use a comma delimiter, or a .tsv must use a tab delimiter — you could use a comma, a tab, or a pipe delimiter in a .csv or a .txt with no problems.

Formatting Your CSV File

To successfully import your data into RatingsRobot, please format your CSV file as follows:

1. Rows and Columns

• Each row in your file should correspond to one record.
• Each value in the row should correspond to a column.
• You can use any delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab, etc.) to separate values.

2. Column Headers

• The first row should contain headers, which are the names of your columns.

Example of a CSV file with comma as a delimiter:

email,first_name,last_name
john.doe@example.com,John,Doe
jane.doe@example.com,Jane,Doe

Required and Optional Columns

• email: This column is mandatory. Every row must have an email address.
• first_name: This column is optional. You can leave it blank if not applicable. Maximum length is 30 characters.
• last_name: This column is optional. You can leave it blank if not applicable. Maximum length is 30 characters.

Choosing a Delimiter

You can use different characters to separate your data (comma, semicolon, tab, etc.). Make sure that the same delimiter is used consistently throughout the file.

Handling Special Characters

If any of your data contains the chosen delimiter (e.g., a comma within an address or name), wrap that data in double quotes to ensure it's read correctly.

For example:

email,first_name,last_name
"user1@example.com","John, Jr.","Doe"
"user2@example.com","Jane","Smith, Sr."
"user3@example.com","",""

Example CSV Files

Here are a few examples of how your CSV file might look:

• With additional columns

id,email_address,customer_first_name,customer_last_name,existing_customer,customer_type
A01234,john.doe@example.com,John,Doe,TRUE,14
A93211,jane.doe@example.com,Jane,Doe,FALSE,09

• With only the mandatory column:

email_address
john.doe@example.com
jane.doe@example.com

• Using a semicolon as a delimiter:

email;first_name;last_name
john.doe@example.com;John;Doe
jane.doe@example.com;Jane;Doe

Mapping Your Columns

When you upload your CSV file to RatingsRobot, you will be prompted to map your columns to our destination columns. This means you'll match your CSV headers to the required fields in the app:

1. Upload your CSV file: Either click on the drag/drop area to select your file, or drag a file into the drag/drop area.

2. Map the columns:

   • You will see your CSV headers on the left side.
   • On the right side, select the appropriate destination column for each of your CSV headers.
   • For example, if your CSV header is email_address, map it to the email field.
   • You can skip any columns that don't match our required fields.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure a smooth and accurate data import process. If you need more information on CSV file formats, refer to Wikipedia - CSV.

Exceeding Subscription Plan Limits

You subscription plan applies limits to the number of contacts that you can load into your organization. You can have create multiple audiences but there is a limit on how many contacts you can import. If you attempt to load too many contacts you will see the following error:

Validate and Import

If the CSV file format is valid and you have mapped the CSV columns to their destination columns, select the "Validate & Import" button.

Further validation

Each row in the CSV is further validated checking for the following:

• email address format must be valid
• first and last names must be no more than 30 character long
• the 'unsubscribed' flag must be 'true', 'false', 'yes' or 'no'

Import Status

After the data file has been loaded you will see the counts below:

Duplicate email addresses within an organization are not supported. If a contact already exists within an organization (i.e. the email address has already been loaded) then it will not be loaded again. Attempting to load the same file again you will see zero records loaded and 100 duplicates:

The newly loaded contact data can be view on the Contacts List.