To add members in bulk, you can import them using an Excel file. Preparing your file ahead of time reduces the effort spent fixing errors during import — and it's the best way to keep your database clean and your data accurate.
This article covers the following topics:
Import best practices
Configure your information fields
During an import, Springly will match:
- The information fields created in the platform from the Community > Settings page;
- The columns in your Excel file and the values they contain.
You need to create an information field in the platform for each column in your Excel file. See this article for more details on configuring these fields.
Use the sample file
The easiest way to avoid import errors is to use the sample file, which you can download from Community > Contacts > +ADD > Import persons.
Using this file has several advantages:
- It includes all information fields created under Community > Settings;
- Each column uses a number format suited to the values it contains (text, date, number, etc.).
Switching a column from date format to number format in Excel will replace a date like 08/16/2017 with a number such as 42963, which will cause an error you'll need to fix during the import process.
A file with sample data is also available from Community > Import persons. Simply replace the placeholder values with your own before running the import.
Rules and formats to follow
Unique identifier
If your unique identifier is the email address, every member must have one — and each email must be unique.
Similarly, if your identifier is a custom field (such as a member ID or license number), every member must have that field filled in.
Go to Community > Import persons > View the import guide for recommendations specific to the fields set up on your platform.
Default information fields
The Last name and First name fields are required and cannot be identical.
The accepted values for the Gender field in your Excel file are: "M.", "Mr", "Monsieur", "Masculin", "M" for male, and "Mme", "Mme.", "Mlle", "Mlle.", "Madame", "Féminin" for female.
Note: In the platform, the only values displayed for the "Gender" field are "Female", "Male", and "Not specified".
Phone numbers must be between 6 and 14 digits and use international format (e.g., +1XXXXXXXXXX for the US).
If you're unsure about the quality of your phone numbers, we recommend validating them before importing (we suggest this tool). Invalid numbers will be rejected.
Email addresses must not contain accented characters and must follow the format "___@___.___".
Date fields must be in MM/DD/YYYY or MM/DD/YY format. If the date includes a time component (MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM), remove the time portion before importing.
The City, ZIP code, and Country columns must always be filled in alongside the Address column.
- The address must be complete enough to be verified. If the address contains an error, the system will default to the city center location.
- The ZIP code must match the country entered and follow that country's format.
Custom Fields
If you create a field that only accepts specific predefined values (such as a dropdown or multiple choice field), the values in your Excel file must exactly match those defined under Community > Settings. Even a difference in capitalization will cause the value to be rejected.
If a person has multiple values for the same field, separate them with the "|" character — for example: Sunday|Thursday.
Text fields are limited to 255 characters, and numeric fields must use a numeric format (e.g., "1", "1.2", or "1,2").
Website address (URL) fields must follow the format "mysite.ext" (e.g., example.com) or "subdomain.mysite.com".
There is a Document upload field type that allows you to attach a file to a contact. However, it is not possible to include such files in an Excel import for bulk upload.
Line breaks may be present inside cells in your file. Since they are not accepted during import, we recommend removing them directly in your Excel file beforehand.
Tips for cleaning up a file
Removing duplicates
This check lets you eliminate duplicates based on one or more reference columns.
We recommend this article for detailed instructions on removing duplicates.
If you import a member who has already signed up through one of your forms or was previously imported, Springly will detect the duplicate when the last name + first name + ZIP code or email address match, and will merge the profiles.
Find and replace values
This tool, accessible via the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+F" (PC) or "Cmd+F" (Mac), lets you find all cells containing values that match your search criteria.
You can then replace those values one by one or all at once. This is especially useful for simple substitutions, such as updating Gender field values.
See this tutorial for more information on the Find and Replace function.
Removing line breaks
To remove line breaks, use the Find and Replace function, then:
- Search for "Alt + 010": this will detect line breaks;
- Replace with " ": this will replace all line breaks with a space.
See this tutorial for more details on removing line breaks.
Learn more
Check out these related articles to go further:
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