Data Imports

Article Sections

• Why is Importing Data into PeopleGrove valuable?

• Preparing your data for success

• Types of Data Imports

• Getting Started with New Users

• User Data

• Education Data

• Work Data

• Importing a file (with short video)

• Training video

• Importing Data into a Hub within a Multi-Hub

• Note regarding Enrollment Hubs

• Secure File Storage Bucket, Recurring Imports, and Recurring Export

• Other Imports

• Importing without Email notes

Overview

Here you will learn how to do a data import into the PeopleGrove platform. The purpose of this is to sync end-user data into the PeopleGrove system to pre-fill profile data and send email invites.

We recommend you use this article in conjunction with the Import File Format spreadsheet. There you will find example formatting and additional instructions. You will find the Instructions tab of that spreadsheet as well as whichever tab is relevant to your import type important to your data import process.

Why is Importing Data into PeopleGrove valuable?

You’ll be using the Data Import tool to either upload new user records or update existing records in your platform.

There are a couple of reasons why importing data into PeopleGrove is best practice: 

• Better end-user signup experience
• Reduces administrative overhead

Tool Location

HUB ADMIN -> INITIAL SETUP -> IMPORT DATA

Preparing your data for success

Use the example spreadsheet and follow PeopleGrove’s rules for data formatting (in the spreadsheet) in order to be successful. If your data is not correctly formatted you will receive an error message explaining why your data was rejected by the import tool.

Here are some tips for reviewing your data for potential errors before processing:

• Check for duplicate records: Emails and Database keys must be unique.
• Check for incorrect email formatting
• Check for blank emails: ALL user records MUST have an email address if you are matching users on email and also if you wish to invite them via email to the platform.
• Check for leading or trailing “spaces”. These could lead to creating duplicates
• Blank rows
• Blank columns (an import will not run with blank columns)

Always follow the data mantra - Garbage-in > Garbage-out!

 

What ID should you use for your PeopleGrove Database ID/Database Key?

When preparing to pull together data to import into your PeopleGrove platform, your team will need to decide what you’re going to use as the PeopleGrove unique identifier, the Database ID. 

This identifier is important, as it stays attached to users in your platform and will allow for you to map to that ID number to update their data. The email address is also a unique identifier, but end users can update their email address associated with their account, while the Database ID will stay the same. 

Our recommendation is to use an ID number from your internal CRM that both your students and alumni would have (such as an alumni ID). 

If you do not have an ID that both these user types would have, the next best option is to use the ID that the most users would have for the Database ID field. For any secondary IDs that you have (such as a student ID) that you’d like to be associated with users, you can create an admin-only custom field and import the data for them. 

 

Types of Data Imports

When running imports, you can either import new user records or update existing user records that are matched on database key or email.

 Most import processes require 3 Steps: 

1. Import Users
2. Import User Schools
3. Import User WorkHistory

There are additional import type options but are not commonly used when importing user data.

Getting Started with New Users

Format your data in a .csv spreadsheet according to the guidelines below. For each type of import (user data, education data, or work data), there is a selection of required and optional fields, which we outline below.

Adding new users vs. updating already-imported user info

You can add new users or update the info attached to existing users (either imported or not).

Note that if you want to import new users, you'll need to format your data as discussed below in User Data. When importing new user records, admins must include first names, last names. In addition, you must choose to add email addresses or database key (at a minimum).  It is highly recommended you use both.

User imports allow admins to import/update end user names, email addresses, user types, database keys, locations, user tags, and answers to custom field questions. Education and Work imports deal solely in education-related and work-related data, respectively.

For updated user profile information, data is overwritten.

Note: Education records can't be overwritten once a user has joined the platform. 

User Data

User data must be formatted with each user appearing on a separate row. Scroll down to see required, recommended, and optional data.

We strongly recommend that you take a look at our example spreadsheet to make sure you're formatting user data correctly. Simply go to the example spreadsheet and then go to the second sheet, labeled "User Data."

Required fields

Email or Database Key (recommended to use both)

• Email will send exactly as imported. 
• Multiple users cannot be connected with the same email address; email address must be unique for each individual.
• Database key is a unique identifier from your system.
• Database key is an important field because end users cannot adjust it and stays associated with the user from student to alumni. 
• Typically database key is a field you have from an external CRM (i.e. Raiser'sEdge, Blackbaud, Advance, Salesforce, Student ID, etc)
• We strongly recommend including a database key to sync data with another system.
• Multiple users cannot be connected with the same database key; database keys must be unique for each individual.

First name

• Names will import exactly as it appears in the file, including typos, incorrect capitalization, etc.

Last name

• Names will import exactly as it appears in the file, including typos, incorrect capitalization, etc.

Why should I use a Database Key? What should I use for the Database key?

When deciding what you’re going to use as the PeopleGrove unique identifier you have the option of the email or the database key. 

This identifier is attached to users on your platform. It will allow you to map to that identifier (email or database Key) to update their data, if necessary. The email address can be updated by the end-user. Yet, they do not have access to their Database key, and it will remain the same. 

Our recommendation is to use a key from your internal CRM that both your students and alumni would have (such as an alumni ID). 

If you do not have an ID that both these user types would have, the next best option is to use the ID that the most users would have for the Database key field. For any secondary IDs that you have (such as a student ID) that you’d like to be associated with users, you can create an admin-only custom field and import the data for them.

Optional fields

User type

• Mapping will need to be completed if these are not exactly the same as the user types in your system.

Custom fields

• You can add in as many custom fields as you would wish, but custom fields must adhere to the following:
• Text fields must only contain alphanumeric characters.
• Numerical fields must only contain numbers.
• Single-select list values can only contain alphanumeric characters and must already be uploaded in the system.
• Multi-select list values can only contain alphanumeric characters, must already be uploaded in the system, and must be formatted as a JSON array*
• Checkbox/boolean fields must be either true or false**

Education Data

Education data must be formatted with each degree on a separate row. Scroll down to see required and optional data.

We strongly recommend that you take a look at our example spreadsheet to make sure you're formatting education data correctly. Simply go to the example spreadsheet and then go to the third sheet, labeled "Education Data."

Locking an Education Record: You have the opportunity to lock imported education records. This is optional. Locking means your end-users cannot edit this record. 

When preparing the CSV education import document, add a column with the header entitled Locked. Add a value of "TRUE" to lock this record (i.e. row) or "FALSE" to allow that row to be editable. Any education record imported this way will be locked and cannot be edited by the user or an admin. The only way to remove it would be to run a new education import and overwrite the existing education record. 

This is how the locked education record will appear during sign up:

This is how the locked education record will appear in user’s profiles:

Note regarding multi-hubs: Education records locked in one hub within a multi-hub are locked across all hubs within that multi-hub.

Required fields

Email (or database key)

• You can match on email OR database key. As long as the email/database key in the import file matches an email/database key that exists in the hub.
• Match by database key is the preferred method, as end-users can change their emails without administrators knowing. 

School

• Must be the University or College associated with a degree, and must match the spelling of the school in your system.
• We do not currently support importing individual campuses or schools/departments and associating them with a degree, so if you would like to do this, you should create an education custom field and import with user data.

Optional fields

Major

• Must be formatted as a JSON array*
• Can only contain alphanumeric characters
• If you have set up custom majors in your Education Records module in Site-wide admin the imported majors must match those exactly. 

Minor

• Will be imported as a text field
• Can only contain alphanumeric characters

Degree type

• If you've added custom degree types to your site from the Education Records module, the imported degrees must match those options exactly
• If you have not added custom degree types, please ensure that the imported degree types match.

Graduation year 

• Must only contain numbers
• We do not currently support importing the day or month of graduation.

Work Data

Work data must be formatted with each position on a separate row. Scroll down to see required and optional data.

We strongly recommend that you take a look at our example spreadsheet to make sure you're formatting work data correctly. Simply go to the example spreadsheet and then go to the fourth sheet, labeled "Work Data."

Required fields

Email (or database key)

• This must match an email address that exists in your system or was imported with user data.
• You can match by database key if you do not want to match by email address; if matching by database key, it must match a database key that exists in your system or was imported with user data.

Company

• It is best practice to match the spelling of the company in your system, but this is not a requirement.

Position

• Will be imported as a text field
• Can only contain alphanumeric characters

Optional fields

Location

• Will be imported as a text field

Start month

• Must only contain numbers ("1 for January, 10 for October, etc." PeopleGrove does not require 2 digit [XX] formatting.)

Start year

• Must only contain numbers (formatting of the year should be a four digit number, ex. 20XX.)

End month

• Must only contain numbers

End year

• Must only contain numbers

Is current?

• Used to indicate the current job
• Multiple jobs can be current for one user
• Will be imported as a boolean field and must be true or false**

 Importing a file 

1. Compile and format your .CSV spreadsheet data based on the guidelines in this spreadsheet
2. Go to your Hub Admin → Initial Setup → Import Data 
3. Click the Start New Import button
4. Choose a title for your User Data import
1. Ex. Fall 2019 Soft Launch Alumni
2. Ex. Fall 2020 First Year Students
5. Click Select File
6. Select your formatted .CSV spreadsheet file to upload
7. Click the Upload button
8. Choose Import Users in the drop-down next to Type
1. Always choose Import Users for your initial import (when importing new users)
2. For future imports, you may choose the other options
9.  Add additional user tags (optional)
1. User Tags can be used to locate the population of users in Explore Users to select them as recipients for a Bulk Email and Bulk Matching, .
2. You may want to create tags with key information regarding the import, such as when it was run, what type of import it is, and who is being imported. For example: June 2019 Grads or Alumni Custom Field Update
10. Click Create Import Job button
    1. You can navigate away from this page and return to it later to complete the import (instead of waiting for it).
1. Your upload will now process. It may take a while depending on the size of your file.
11. Once your upload has completed you will see a full page with options of what to do with your data.
1. If the users you're importing all belong to the same user type, you can select that user type from Import all users as a specific user type drop-down menu. This is an optional setting.
12.  Choose your Import Behavior 
1. Choose Import New Only if your import file only contains records of users not yet on your site.
2. Choose Update Only if your uploaded file contains information you want to update for existing users only.
3. Choose Both Import or Update if your uploaded file contains new users and information you want to update for users already on the platform. 
13.  Choose how you would like to match your users with Match Users On.
1. Though email or database ket, we highly recommend matching by database key. Users can change their emails as this information changes it is not as reliable as a database key they cannot change.
2. Strong examples of database keys are Student ID or Alumni Database Number.
14.  Map your Imported Headers to the Mapped Headers.
    1. Ex. Imported Header = first name, the system will already show Mapped Header = First Name
    2. Ex. Imported Header = email, the system will already show Mapped Header = Email Address
1. Imported Header is a header from your import file
2. Mapped Header corresponds to a field on the platform
3. You can choose the most appropriate header from the Mapped Header drop-down menu. This includes Do Not Import, if you choose.
4. The system will attempt to help you by mapping closely related headers at import
5. If you have created any custom fields, you can import end-user responses to these. You'll see all of your custom field questions listed as options in the Mapped Header drop-down menu.
15.  Click the NEXT button.
16.  Your data is now importing. It may take a while depending on the size of your file.
1. You can navigate away from this page and return to it later to complete the import (instead of waiting for it).
2. If you discover you made a mistake, you can choose Abort Import Process on the right to stop importing.
17.  When the import is completed you will see one of the following messages:
    1. Under this message, you will see the total number of users imported.
    1. From this point, you can download a .CSV file of all the resulting errors by clicking the Download Error CSV button.
    2. You can also view the errors from this page under the Error column along with the cause of the errors.
1.  “Import Job is completed”
2.  “Import Job is completed however we couldn’t import some of the data.”
18.  Potential next steps: Run secondary future imports; invite users 

*Example JSON array format:

• [“item1”]
• [“item1”,“item2”,“item3”]
• ["item1", "item with \"quotes\""]

**Example true/false format:

• True = t
• False = f

You can find formulas here in this document for working with JSON arrays.

Training video

Importing Data into a Hub within a Multi-Hub

First, following the directions in the import guide when importing data into a hub within a multi-hub. In addition, there are additional considerations.

Note: It is important to communicate with the administrators who have imported data in the other hubs on your multi-hub in order to streamline your importing process and to keep your data clean. 

Some end-user information is shared across all the hubs in the platform that the user has signed up for and/or has been imported into. This information includes: 

• Email Address
• Database ID
• First Name 
• Last Name
• Education Records
• Work Information

Advanced data (education records and work history) only needs to be imported into one hub, as advanced data will transfer across hubs with each user and is attached to their email address and database ID. 

Once advanced data is imported into one hub, only basic data imports (Email address, Database ID, First Name, Last Name, and Hub Custom Fields) are needed for importing data into the other hubs. Because of this, it is very important that the database ID/Key conventions and email addresses are the same across hub imports in order to ensure advanced data transfers and stays with each user and that errors are not returned in the import process. Database keys must be unique within the same cluster.

Note regarding Enrollment Hubs:

Wherever possible, you should standardize on one Database ID. If admitted students don't have a Database ID/Key yet, you could import them with a different Database ID/Key. You can always run an update job to change it later. Yet, for the ambassadors which already have a Database ID/Key, that should be used.

Secure File Storage Bucket, Recurring Imports, and Recurring Exports

Secure File Storage Bucket:

You can find a video to watch the process of creating a secure file bucket here.

Creating a Secure File Storage bucket is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Go to Hub Admin > Initial Setup > Secure File Storage

2. Click the Setup Storage button

3. Wait for the page that shares your storage bucket is hooked up.

Note: This process creates an Amazon AWS file storage bucket which you can manage from your PeopleGrove site. Once the storage bucket is created, a CSV containing your security credentials to the AWS bucket will download. You will only need these if you wish to make programmatic calls to AWS API operations or to use AWS CLI commands. We recommend saving your security credentials somewhere secure, but you won’t need them to access the bucket from your PeopleGrove site.