Prepare a file for import

Can I do this task?

Follow the guidelines in this topic to make sure that your file imports successfully.

1. Put records for each record type A group of records. For example, all account records are grouped as the Account record type. Also called an entity. in a separate file.
   • Store Notes and Attachments in separate files from their associated records.

     More information: How Notes and Attachments Are Imported

   • Store Addresses in a separate file.

     More information: How Addresses Are Imported

   Note

   If your exported source file contains data for contacts and accounts, use the Generic Map for Contact and Account data map. This is one of the default data maps provided with the Import Data Wizard.

   If your source file contains records for two record types other than contacts and accounts, make a copy of the Generic Map for Contact and Account data map to customize for the records types in your source file. Import the customized data map into Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and use this data map to import your data. For more information, see Work with Data Maps.

2. Make sure that the file is in one of the following formats:
   • Delimited text A file that contains data in which individual field values are separated by commas, tabs, semicolons, or other characters. Delimited text file names typically end with a .txt file extension (for example, "my_file.txt"). (.txt) format, with columns separated by commas
   • Comma-separated value (CSV) file A data file with a .csv file extension. Typically a CSV file consists of fields and records, stored as text, in which the fields are separated from one other by commas. (.csv) format
   • XML Spreadsheet 2003 (XMLSS) file (.xml) format
   • Compressed file in a .zip format

   A .zip file can include files using the .csv, .xml, or .txt formats. All files in a single compressed file must be of the same format.

3. Make sure that each file is correctly delimited.

   You can create delimited a file in the .txt, .csv, or .xml format by using Microsoft Office Excel.

   If your file uses only ASCII characters, save the file as a comma-delimited values (.csv) file.

   1. In Excel 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Save As.

      - OR -

      In Excel 2010, click the File tab, and then click Save As.

   2. In the Save as type list, click CSV (Comma delimited (*.csv).

   If your file uses non-ASCII characters, save the file as a Unicode text (.txt) file.

   If your import file contains non-ASCII A set of non-accented uppercase and lowercase letters A through Z, American English punctuation symbols, and the digits 0 through 9. characters, the import file must be in a Unicode A character set that defines all characters needed for writing the majority of living languages on computers. or UTF-8 A unicode character set that is backward-compatible with the ASCII character set. format. For more information, see Importing data that contains non-ASCII characters.

   1. In Excel 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Save As.

      - OR -

      In Excel 2010, click the File tab, and then click Save As.

   2. In the Save as type list, click Unicode text (*.txt).
   3. Use Notepad to open the .txt file.
   4. Search for commas in the file. Enclose any data that includes commas with quotation marks. For example, if you have 23 State Street, Apt 2, change it to "23 State Street, Apt 2" in the file.
4. Make sure you complete the preparation tasks for specific record types.
5. Make sure you complete the preparation tasks for specific data types.

   If you want to transform data as part of the import process, identify whether the provided transformations Types of mappings used to modify data before migrating it.Transformations include concatenation, split, replace, substring, assignment, and date modifications. can do the required changes. If not, decide if you need to edit your source data before importing it. For more information, see Transformation Reference.

6. Make sure the first line of a file is the column headings.

   Edit your file and add column headings Text used in the first row of a spreadsheet or file that labels the data in each column. if they are not already present.

   Note

   Make sure that the .csv file does not contain:

   • Multiple lines in the first line (header row).
   • Quotation marks in the first line. In Microsoft Dynamics CRM, quotation marks are used as data delimiters.
   • Data separated with a semicolon (;) or comma (,). In Microsoft Dynamics CRM, semicolons and commas are used as field delimiters.

   Important

   To use automatic mapping Importing a data file where the column headings exactly match the Microsoft Dynamics CRM display names. No data map is necessary. With automatic mapping, you can map columns that establish a relationship with existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM records., which is required for importing data that contains references to existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM records, column headings must match field display name The label that is used by default when an attribute is displayed on a form, in a list, or in a report. The Display Name for each attribute can be changed in the Customization area by a user with an appropriate security role. values in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

   • To identify display name values, open the form for the record type as if you were creating a new record. The labels on the form typically match the display names, although it is possible for your system customizer to have changed the form label values. If you have the appropriate security role, you identify display names in the Customization area:
     1. In the Navigation Pane, click Settings, click Customizations, and then click Customize the System.
     2. Open the entity, and then click Fields.
   • If you are working in a multi-language environment, automatic mapping of columns uses the display names from the user interface language The language in which Microsoft Dynamics CRM displays text for textual elements, such as labels and list values. If your organization has enabled additional languages, you can select the language in which you want Microsoft Dynamics CRM to display the user interface., set on the Regional Options tab of the Set Personal Options dialog box. More information: Set Personal Options
7. Make sure data exists for all business-required fields.

   A record will only import if all Microsoft Dynamics CRM business-required Attributes that are required before a record can be saved. Required fields are marked with an asterisk. fields are mapped, and if the data exists in each of the source columns that are mapped to the required fields. You can either determine the required fields in advance, or use the Import Data Wizard to identify missing required mappings. In either case, make sure you have required data in each record. To determine which fields are business-required, open the form for the record type as if you were creating a new record, and identify fields that are marked with a red asterisk (*).

   The following list shows default business-required fields for commonly imported record types.

   • Account: Account Name
   • Contact: Last Name
   • Lead: Topic, Last Name, Company Name
   • Product: Default Unit, Unit Group, Decimals Supported
   • Campaign Response: Parent Campaign, Subject, Owner

   Example showing sample leads to import.

   The following lines show what the data might look like for a .csv format file containing leads to import. The first line contains the field names, and the remaining lines are imported as data.

   Company,Last Name,First Name,Topic,Email,Mobile Phone

   Designer Bikes,Groth,Brian,Mountain bikes,someone@example.com,555-555-0112

   Major Sporting Goods,Bedecs,Anna,Components,,555-555-0171

Note

By default, the maximum size of the files that you can import is 8 megabytes (MB). This means:

• Any .csv, .txt, or .xml file must not exceed 8 MB in size.
• The total size of the .zip file, including the attachment folder, must not exceed 8 MB. The system administrator can change this limit to be up to 32 MB in the web.config file settings.

  The total size of the extracted files must not exceed 200 MB.