Importing profiles

To import profiles into the system, this data must be summarized in a tabular text file. This is usually done in a spreadsheet program such as Open-Office or Excel. The system can import different types of files, but these files should have a clean data structure. For fast and reliable data import, we strongly recommend importing a simple CSV file -UTF-8 encoded. Only import fields and columns that are needed. Unused fields (columns) should be omitted, this will reduce the file size and speed up the import. A profile import can be performed in the pool under the Import navigation tab. Here you can import profiles from a file or format existing profiles.

 

 

A CSV file should be your preferred choice for data import. Since a CSV file has the smallest file size compared to other file formats and only data that is necessary for the import is read, the import is the easiest and fastest.

 

You should pay attention to this during an import!

• Recommended data format: CSV
• Character encoding: UTF-8 or ISO 8859-9
• Text separator: Semicolon
• Clean table structure without blank lines, special characters or formulas, no values or notes outside the table
• We recommend to divide imports into 10.000 - 25.000 profiles per import.
• Import only valid e-mail addresses and only necessary data.

 

 

Manual profile import

For a manual profile import, open the Profiles folder in the left column and select the pool intended for it. Now click on the Import tab in the navigation bar.

You import the data in the Profile/Pool folder.

 

Here you can choose between different file types for the import (XLS, XLSX, CSV, HTML). We recommend the use of CSV files. Click on File.

It is best to use a CSV file for an import.

 

An input mask will appear in which you can name the import and select the corresponding file via the Source selection item on your computer. Click Next. You will be directed to the control view, where you can check whether the profiles to be imported - including special characters such as "ä", "ö", "ü", "ß" - are displayed correctly. If this is not the case, change the file encoding and click Update.

 

Choosing the right text separator and file encoding

You can see whether the correct delimiter and file encoding was used in the control view. Here, the columns must be divided correctly and the special characters must be displayed correctly, and you may have to update the view.

 

Control view with matching text separator and correct file encoding

To display all characters and special characters correctly, the file must be UTF-8 encoded. Whether all characters are displayed correctly can be determined in the control view. With the appropriate settings, columns are divided correctly and special characters are displayed correctly.

 

Control view with matching text separator

With the appropriate separator, the columns are correctly separated as shown here. If the settings are changed, the control view must be updated.

 

Control view with wrong text separator

If the message "Only one column could be recognized" appears, a wrong separator was selected.

 

If everything is displayed correctly and you click Next, you will be taken to a page where the columns of the import file are compared to those in the pool. Here you can make additional settings for the import - e.g. what should happen if profiles are already contained in the pool. All profiles that are imported into the system via an import receive the permission Opt-Out.

 

Mapping Fields

The system tries to assign the columns of the import file to the fields in the pool as far as possible. If it finds a match, you see a green check mark, otherwise a red cross. In this case, select the correct pool field from the dropdown menu on the right. The red X will then become a green check mark. When all check marks are green, click on Import in the lower right corner and the import will start. After the successful import you will receive a confirmation e-mail.

 

You can set the following here:

• Unique assignment of the profiles in the import file to the profiles in the pool (by eMail).
• Duplicate check using : (eMail).
• Delete column (do not import unnecessary columns)
• Assign columns (Column caption: Source -> Column caption: Pool)
• Advanced settings (add own value)

 

Unique assignment and duplicate check

Here you can select the unique assignment by e-mail and duplicate check on the basis of e-mail.

 

Unique assignment per: This is the primary key of the import, i.e. the data records to be imported are compared e.g. on the basis of the field "eMail" whether these already exist in the pool. If this is the case, the existing data records are updated. If the field is left empty, no check takes place, all profiles are newly created.

Duplicate check using: If a field is selected for the duplicate check, the import source searches for duplicates using the duplicate check field. If duplicates occur, only the first record is imported.

Add only: Only new records are added to the pool. Existing records are not updated and therefore ignored.

Update only: Only existing records in the pool will be updated. New records are ignored.

Use pool default values: If this option is activated, new profiles are created with the defined pool default values (if no other corresponding value is imported).

 

 

Assign Fields (Mapping)

Fields can also be mapped manually. If the import file has a different column caption than the column in the system, you can assign the columns manually.

If the column caption does not match the field name in the pool, the column in the import file can be manually assigned to the field in the pool.

 

If the import file contains a column that is not to be imported, you can select it and click Delete to exclude this row from the import.

 

Field Configurations

Depending on the data type of the selected pool field, different data type configurations are available in the column configuration.

There are four different type configurations:

• Data type: Text
• Data type: Date
• Data type: Boolean value
• Data type: eMail
• Advanced settings (add own value)

With these four type configurations the following field types can be mapped.

Single line input: One line of free text can be entered.

Multi-line input: One or more lines of free text can be entered.

Single selection: One of these options must be selected from a list of options.

Multiple selection: 0 to n options can be selected from a list of options.

Salutation: Default single selection.

Country: Default single selection.

State: Default single selection.

Mobile area code: Default single selection.

Date/Date with time: Fields for entering a date (with time).

As an alternative to the static date entry, you can also enter a dynamic date in the form of text-to-date (e.g. "today - 5 days" for: "today five days ago").

For more information on relative dates, click here:

Relative dates with StringToDate

Language: Default single selection.

eMail: Text input with validation to a valid eMail address.

True/False: An input field with a yes/no option

Integer: A number that can simply be incremented in the form and used there for scoring procedures. Note: due to the limited 32-bit number space (0 to 4,294,967,295), this field is not suitable for long IDs or customer numbers.

ZIP Code: An input field for numbers

IP address: Read-only field for the IP address of a profile

 

Field: Text

When importing a text field, the text field can be given its own value. This is useful if, for example, you are importing data from a company. The value "Company XYZ" can be assigned to each profile here.

When importing a text field, the text field can be given its own value.

 

Field: Date

If a date is imported, the structure of the date format can be specified in the "Format" field. The structure d=day, m=month, y=year, H=hour and M=minute must match the import file. Make sure that the separators (points/double points) of the import file match the separators in the Format field. If there is no date in a line of the import file, enter a character for a "blank format" in this field, in this case "-".

If a date is imported, the structure of the date format can be specified in the "Format" field.

 

Format: Date format of your import source. Attention with Excel files: If a field is recognized as a date field, the date is automatically converted to the format DD.HH.YYYY HH:MM.

Separators must always be specified between the time units. The format ddhhyyyy is not valid.

Use Regex: Use a regular expression.

Regex: If you use regex, you must specify the regular expression here.

Dates with time: If you use a regular expression, you have to specify if the dates are provided with a time.

Two-digit year: If you use a regular expression, you have to specify whether the year is only two digits long.

 

Field: Boolean value

For Boolean values, use yes, true, yes, or 1 for true, all other values are automatically interpreted as false.

 

Field: eMail

With the field type eMail the option "Only valid eMail addresses" is available. If this checkbox is activated, only profiles with a valid e-mail address will be imported.

 

Field: Multiple selection

In the case of a multiple selection field, individual values can be added during import or removed from the profile with a check mark.

 

Field: Single selection

Importing a single selection field allows you to store your own values during an import and to overwrite or delete existing values with an empty value.

 

Advanced Settings

Under Advanced Settings, you can specify your own value for an entire column, such as a company name, during an import. All profiles of an import are then given this value. A check mark for Overwrite overwrites all information in the field with the values, including empty information.

When importing a text field, this field can be given its own value in the advanced settings.

 

Check character for column assignment

The configuration of this column is ok.

The column could not be assigned to a pool field, possibly the column can be mapped manually.

The configuration of this column is not finished yet.

 

Import History

In the import history, you can see exactly how and when an import was performed. You can display the import details by clicking on the name of the import. In the detail view, you can view all details of the import and define the import settings and mappings as templates for further imports.

The import history shows all imports made in a list view. A click on the name of an import shows the details of the respective import.

 

Detail view of an import

On the detail page, you can follow all the settings of an import exactly. The detail view is divided into three areas.

 

Overview

 

In the overview, you can see general information about the import, such as the name, date, and initiator of the import.

Import ID	ID Number of the import
Name	Name of the import
Import as template defined	yes/no
Pool used	Name of the pool
Import source	Name of the import file or target group
Initiator	Name of the user
Date	Date of import
Status	Status of the import: In process / Finished

 

Status information

The status information shows how many profiles have been added, updated, or deleted.

Added profiles	Number of newly added profiles
Updated profiles	Number of updated profiles
Duplicates	Number of duplicates
Deleted profiles	Number of deleted profiles
Profiles without changes	Number of profiles without changes
Profiles with invalid email address (ignored)	Number of profiles not imported

 

Configuration

In the Configuration area you can see how the unique assignment of the profiles and the duplicate check was set, as well as the assignment of the columns to the fields in the pool.

Unique assignment of profiles by	e-mail (recommended)
Duplicate check by	e-mail (recommended)
Import mode	Profiles added/deleted/updated
Use of pool default values	yes/no
Delete mode used	deactivated / delete all profiles of the import list / import list and delete all other profiles

 

Target group Import

Enhancing Profiles with Values

You can use the Target group import function to select or enrich profiles of a target group in your pool with a flag. With this type of import, profiles can have their own value (option), set in a selected field, or be removed. This is primarily used to make profiles selectable in a target group using the flag set.
If not already done, a new pool field must be created in order to edit the values of the field.

In this example, the Whitepaper 3 option is added to the Downloads multiple selection field for profiles in the Purchase Orders target group.

 

Select target group

Select a target group whose profiles you want to manipulate.

1. Click on the Target group button in the Import tab of the pool and enter a name for the import.
2. In Source selection, select an existing target group for the import.
3. Then click on "Next".

 

Configuration: Assignment and duplicate check

To ensure that only profiles from the selected target group are imported, use the profile ID to compare the data.

1. For "unique assignment" and "duplicate check", select the value Profile ID.
2. Then click New row to create a new column configuration row. In this case, you need two new rows. One row for the profile ID to be able to assign the profiles uniquely and one row in which the manipulation is to take place.

Configuration: Specify column assignment and own values

After you have created two new rows, you must configure the columns for the import.

1. In the first row, assign the column (Source) Profile ID to the field (Pool) Profile ID to uniquely assign the profiles.
2. In the second row, leave the source empty and select the pool field to be edited (here Download). If the field does not yet exist, you must first create it in the pool.
3. To assign an own value for the import, check the box "own value".
4. Now you can add your own value to "New" for your import. To accept this value, click on "+". Now this value appears in the upper input field.
5. Now you can add your own value to "New" for your import. To accept this value, click on "+". Now this value appears in the upper input field.
6. Select the desired value for the import.
7. Then click on Import, the import will be executed and the profiles will be provided with the value. You will then receive an e-mail with a status report of the import.

 

Target group import: Result

Check the import by displaying the profiles of the target group and the column with the profile manipulation in the pool.

 

Remove values from profiles

You can also use a target group import to remove values from profiles. In this case, you want to remove selected values from the Download (Multiple Selection) field. Proceed as described for the previous topic (Enhancing Profiles with Values) up to step 8.

 

First you need to do the following:

• Select target group import
• Unique assignment and duplicate check per ID
• Creating New Rows
• Column ID with field Profile ID map
• column download with field download map

 

After you have carried out the steps described above, proceed as described in the screenshot.

Entered values of a multiple selection field can be removed with a target group import.

1. Click on Advanced Settings to open the area in which you can manipulate the field.
2. Click Remove Attribute Options to display all options of the field (multiple selection).
3. Now you can click on the X to select the options you want to remove.
4. Then click on Import. Now the import is executed and the selected values are removed from the profiles.

 

Removing field options

Example: A set of Profiles exists, which have the following options marked in a multiple selection field "Option field": A,B,C,D. However, option B and D shall be deselected for these Profiles.

The first step is to create a target group that contains the profiles to be updated. After that you can switch to the Importer interface as usual.

Now select the corresponding target group as import source, configure the other basic settings as you wish and continue to the column configuration.

To be able to select the target group, it must first be available in the folder Target groups.

 

Once there, select the pool field ID as the "unique assignment per" and the duplicate check using the pool field ID and delete all column configurations except ID and, in our case, the pool field option field to be edited.

To deselect the options, click on the Advanced Settings and there on Remove Attribute Options. All options to be deselected can be unselected with a single click on the X. Afterwards the import has to be started with a single click on Import.

 

Import templates

If you have successfully performed an import, you can call this import in the Import History tab and use it as a template. This means that you do not need to map the fields for future imports if you always want to import the same fields.

 

1. Select import as template

Select Import as Configuration for a Template

 

2. Define import template

Defining the Configuration of the Import as a Template

 

3. select import template

Now you can select the import as a template.

 

Important

Excel files

With an Excel file, it should be noted that it contains only text. Formulas, functions, formatting, fixed column headings, blank lines or similar should be avoided. The data must be within a spreadsheet and must be laid out in contiguous columns and rows, i.e. without empty spaces.

 

Large amounts of data

Note that for very large amounts of data, it is advisable to split them up before importing - if possible, do not import more than 30,000 records at once, otherwise a time-out error may occur. Normally, however, imports of up to 100,000 profiles are not critical.

 

Data transfer

If you would like to provide one of our employees with files for e.g. an import, please use the Cloud Service iDGARD for data exchange. Please contact one of our support staff beforehand, they will set up an account for you and send you a PDF with instructions.

 

Change date for an import

During an import, the change date is not set automatically, even if profiles have been changed. A new change date is only saved when you fill out a form or enter it directly in the pool. However, during an import, the system field "Change date" can be overwritten manually with its own value. Values in the date fields can be changed, but we advise against changing the entry and deletion date, as these fields can have legal relevance.

 

More profiles in the import than in the import file

If the import contains more profiles than appear in the import file, you should open the file in a text editor. Here you will find lines consisting only of separators - these lines have to be deleted.

 

Permission of an import is OPT-OUT (confirmed)

"Opt-Out (Confirmed)" is always the default permission for newly imported profiles. "Opt-Out" is an independent registration procedure in which the recipient must actively unsubscribe, as opposed to "Opt-In", in which an active registration takes place. If there is no own field assignment for the permission field during the import, the standard "Opt-Out" is used during the import. The reason for this standard is that it is assumed that the recipients of imported profiles have demonstrably agreed to receive e-mailings and that this proof lies outside the system.

 

Unchangeable field values

Changes in fields of type IP address or in field Profile ID are not possible.