Introduction

Configio enables you to create CRM Leads and Organizations by importing a file. This is especially useful when first integrating with Configio to migrate your data from your old system and into Configio.

Note: the process for importing Leads is very similar to that for importing Organizations. For simplicity, this article focuses on importing Leads.  

Creating a Template

Login to the Administrative side of your database, and navigate to Settings --> Management --> Import Manager. Click on either Leads or Organizations, depending on whether or not you want the Leads that you will be importing to be marked as Organizations.

The Template Section

Scroll down to the Template section. There are four different categories of data that can be imported for Leads and Organizations. There is a Main category is for creating the Leads themselves. There are also sub-categories for creating Contacts, Communications, and Opportunities under the Leads. The Import Manager can be used to create or update Main Lead fields, however it can only create new Contacts, Communications, and Opportunities when creating a new Lead or Organization - it cannot update existing ones.

The data types are organized into columns. Each column lists the data fields for that data type.


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. In the case of Contacts, Communications, and Opportunities, the key identifiers indicate the minimum required fields to create a new record.

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.   

Field Categories

There are four different types of Fields that can be imported for Leads. The main type is Leads itself. You can import new Leads, or you can update existing Leads.

The other types are Contact, Communication, and Opportunity. Unlike with the Main (Leads) fields, you cannot use the Import Manager to update existing Contacts, Communications, and Opportunities - you can only create new ones when also creating a new Lead or Organization.

Main (Lead) Fields

These fields populate the Lead's profile. The Key Identifiers are Account CRM ID, Lead Name, an Export Value. Please note that the Account CRM ID is a system generated number, so please do not populate this with a different value. If it is a new Lead, just leave it blank. If it an existing Lead, then the ID can be gathered from the "idaccountcrm=<ID>" URL argument when viewing the Lead in your CRM (as well as a number of reports). 

Contact Fields

These fields create a Contact record under the Lead. The Key Identifiers are Contact First Name and Contact Last Name. 

Communication Fields

These fields create a Communication record under the Lead. The Key Identifier is Communication Subject.

Opportunity Fields

These fields create an Opportunity record under the Lead. The Key Identifier is Opportunity Title.

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 Lead. Do not input data for one Lead 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 a Lead's birthdate, 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. For example, the Communication Type field requires data that matches Communication Type List Item, which can be found by looking at an existing Lead in your CRM.

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 Lead and Organization Import is final. Ensure the data you import is 100% accurate, as future edits must be manually processed on each Lead or Organization.

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. Resave 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 Leads 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 Organizations or Leads that were imported will be listed, and there will be a count of the number of Organizations or Leads that were imported, a count of the number of Organizations or Leads that were updated, and a count of the number of Organizations or Leads that were created. The Lead's Name will be a hyperlink to easily navigate to your new or updated Lead.