Define lookup mapping during import

Data in your source file can reference other records. This could be other records in the same source file, other files in the same source .zip file, or existing records in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. To establish a relationship between a column in the source data and a field in the referenced data, while importing the data, you must map the column in the source file to a lookup field in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

For example, you want to import the file Contacts.csv that contains contact records. The Parent Customer column in the Contacts.csv contains the associated account data. These contact records in the file can be associated with account records in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You must map the Parent Customer column to a lookup field in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Then, to resolve the lookup, you must specify which Microsoft Dynamics CRM field or fields to reference.

1. In the Import Data Wizard, navigate to the Map Fields page.
2. For the field in the Source Fields column, click the item that is a lookup type in the CRM Fields list. The lookup fields have "(Lookup)" as part of the name of the list item.

   For example, when importing a contact record that references an account in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can click Parent Customer from the CRM Fields list.

3. Under Related Record Type, select the check box or check boxes for the record type that contains each field that you want to use to find the referenced records.

   Note

   A lookup The primary field from the related record. field can be related to more than one record type. For example, the Parent Customer field is related to the Account and Contact record types. To search for the records in the Account record type, select the Account check box.

4. For each record type selected, click the Lookup button for the Referred Field box. This opens a list of fields to resolve the lookup. Select the check box or check boxes for the fields to search during import to retain the relationships between the records.

   Important

   When mapping your source column to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM lookup field, you must specify the related entity and referred fields. These referred fields are used to find the referenced records in your source file. When you select a field in Referred Field, the Import Data Wizard uses the value of that field to find the referenced record. When you select a lookup field in Referred Field, Microsoft Dynamics CRM uses the unique identifier value of the selected lookup field instead of the name of the record referenced by the lookup field. If the source file contains the name of record referenced by the lookup field, the Import Data Wizard will not find the referenced record.