Introduction
Configio enables you to create Affiliations & Coordinators by importing a file.
Note: The process for importing Coordinators is very similar to that for importing Affiliations. For simplicity, this article focuses on importing Affiliations.
Creating a Template
Login to the Administrative side of your database, and navigate to Settings --> Management --> Import Manager. Click on either Coordinators or Affiliations, depending on whether or not you want the Affiliations to be marked as Coordinators for an Organization when you import.
The Template Section
Scroll down to the Template section. There is one category of data that can be imported for Affiliations & Coordinators. The Main category is for creating the Affiliations and Coordinators.
The Main category lists all the data sets you can import.
The red fields are key identifiers. These are the fields that the system uses to determine if the record is existing and needs to be updated, or if it is new and needs to be created. Some data types have a single key identifier, and others have multiple key identifiers. If you are going to import a type of data, then at least one key identifier field needs to be populated.
Each field has a checkbox. You can uncheck the box to create custom Templates. If a box is unchecked, then the Template will not include that field. For convenience, you can toggle all of the checkboxes in a column. Alternately you can just keep a field checked, and as long as it is not a key identifier, then you can leave it blank in the Template.
Click the DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE button when you are ready.
Using the Template
We highly recommend using a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel to edit the template. The header row contains the names of the fields. Do not edit this row.
Each row is for a single Affiliation. Do not input data for one Affiliation on multiple rows. Input data that you want to import into the system into the cells of the spreadsheet.
Data Integrity
The data that you input into your Template must be formatted so that it will work in your CRM. For example, you wouldn't want something like "cat" to be an Affiliation's birth date, so if you try to import this, the System will ignore the bad data.
Some fields should have data formatted in a certain way. An example of this is the Email field. You can input badly formatted email address, like joe@acmecom, and it will be formatted that way in your database. Please be mindful.
Some fields require data to be inputted so that matches existing data in your database. An example of this is the Country field. The data that you input into the template must match the data that is in Settings --> Setup --> Countries and States. For example, inputting "US" for the Country would work, however inputting "USA" for the Country would result in an error.
Any List-based field requires the data to match a List Item.
Overall, the System has many guardrails for when data is inputted via the User Interface, however it has less when data is imported. Please be mindful that your data is correct prior to import.
Important Note: The Affiliation and Coordinators Import is final. Ensure the data you import is 100% accurate, as future edits must be manually processed on each Affiliation or Coordinator.
Previewing the Import
After you have downloaded your template, inputted the data, and saved the file, you are ready to begin importing the data. Click the CHOOSE FILE button and select your completed file. Click the PREVIEW IMPORT button. The system will then validate the data.
Viewing the Data Validation Results - If Errors Occur
If any errors occur, then each one will be listed on an error screen. In the below example, the System found that data in the Country field wasn't formatted correctly. It needs to be formatted like it is in the Country & States section.
If you see an error, then please review your file. Save the file after fixing it and upload it again. If errors persist, please contact us at 1-800-375-2191 or at
support@configio.com and we can assist.
Viewing the Data Validation Results - if no errors found
You will see a list of Affiliations that will be imported, and a count of the number of Accounts that will be created and a count of the number of account that potentially will be updated. If it looks correct, click the "Import" button.
Viewing the Import Results
A list of all Affiliations or Coordinators that were imported will be listed, and there will be a count of the total number of records that were imported, a count of the number that were updated, and a count of the number that were created. The Affiliation's or Coordinator's name will be a hyperlink to easily navigate to your new or updated account.