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Data Imports

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Leslie Chamberlain
  • Updated
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Article Sections

  • Types of Data Imports

  • Getting Started with New Users

  • User Data

  • Education Data

  • Work Data

  • Importing a file (with short video)

  • Creating a recurring data sync

 

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 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
  • Check for incorrect emails
  • Check for blank emails
  • Check for leading or trailing “spaces”
  • Blank rows
  • Blank columns (an import will not run with blank columns)

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.

 Here are the 3 most commonly run import types: 

  • Import Users
  • Import User Schools

  • Import User WorkHistory

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 are 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, and email addresses (at a minimum). 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.

Education and work records can be overwritten but only if they were previously imported. In order to give end users control over their own information, if an end user enters their own education record or modifies an imported education record, that record cannot be overwritten. In that case, the imported education record would be appended.

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

  • Email will send exactly as imported. 
  • Multiple users cannot be connected with the same email address; email address 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.

Recommended field

Database key

  • This is a unique identifier from your system.
  • We strongly recommend including this to sync data with another system.
  • Multiple users cannot be connected with the same database key; database keys must be unique for each individual.

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."

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

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 is required, we highly recommend matching by database key. Users can change their emails, since 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

Creating a recurring data sync.

  1.  Create a .CSV file with the data you wish to import.
  2.  Upload the file to your secure file storage bucket.
  3.  If you have no folders set up yet, you’ll be asked to create and name one now.
  4.  Save the file path (folder name + file name). For example:    
  5.  recurring_syncs/RecurringStudentImport.csv
  6.  Visit the Import Data tool, and create a new Recurring Data Sync.
  7.  Name the sync
  8.  Select the import type
  9. Enter the file path.
  10. Select the day(s) of the week and the hour at which you want the import to run.
  11. Set your import settings.
  12. Return to the Recurring Data Sync page to Enable the import.
  13. You can edit your import setting by clicking Edit Settings next to the import.

Training video

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