Today we added a new import feature that makes it extremely simple and efficient to import Contacts from spreadsheets, third-party application and custom databases.

The input file needs only to be in a CSV (comma separated value) format i.e. have a single row for each contact and a column for each field of data (each field of data is be wrapped (delimited) with double quotes and separated by commas).  The first row in the file is used during the field mapping step so it’s helpful to use it to enter the field names there.

When you import your file our system will analyze the contents then present you with the option of mapping your fields to the fields configured in your account.  Did you catch the subtle point there?  You can import data into any fields including any fields you’ve added to your configuration.  More specifically for each field provided the system will provide you with the option to:

- Map it to an existing field
- Create a new field
- Ignore the field

Got it? This saves a lot of time and headaches.

Special features:

- Multiple fields can be mapped into a single field (values from each field are shown on separate lines).  This is commonly used for the Address and Background fields when you need to combine multiple values into a single field.
- The Category field can be used to assign Category Tags for each contact.  Multiple tags can be specified by separating each value with a semi-colon e.g. “Tag name one; Tag name two; Tag name three;”
- If an imported contact record matches an existing contact record on both the first name and last name fields, the existing contact will be updated and a duplicate will not be created.

This new feature is in the Contacts window under Data > Import > “Other (Excel CSV)”