Introduction

DemandCenter provides an Import tool to help you expand your eTrigue database or update records in bulk. The most common use cases are that you acquired a list of prospects and want to load them into your  database, or you want to update data fields for multiple prospects at once.

The Import tool is very simple to use. All you need is a file of prospects, next you map the fields from your file to your database fields, and then you choose how data is updated.

 

Before You Start, Get Your File Ready for Import

It is good practice to make sure that your file is prepared for importing. Imagine that you are cooking a fine meal, you want to use the best ingredients right? Importing is like that-- you want to make sure the file is clean and has good data. To ensure a successful import, follow these steps to prepare your import file.

 

I am ready to import!

Awesome! Let's load those prospects. In the sidebar, click Prospects. Under Add Prospects, click Import List of Prospects.

Select File

Click browse to select your file to locate the appropriate file that you are going to load from your computer. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your file from your computer to the area designated on the screen. 

After your file has been selected, click Next to proceed to the next screen.

Specify Settings

Update Rules

Under Update Rules, select what you would like the import process to do with the data from your list when matched records are found.

1. Create new and update existing prospects - During import, the system will compare the contacts in your import file against the prospects in your database using the field criterion selected under Match Records Using (referenced in Step 4a). If an existing prospect cannot be found in the database, then a new prospect record will be created during import. If an existing prospect is matched to a contact in your import file, then the appropriate prospect record will be updated with data supplied from your import file.   
   
   
2. Create only new prospects - Only NEW prospects will be added to the database. Existing prospects found in your file will be ignored by the import process.

Create New List from Prospects

(Optional) If you would like to create a STATIC list during import, then under Create New List from Prospects, provide a name for the list and select the location that you would like the list saved in. All created and matching prospects will be tied to the STATIC list specified here. Note: You can always save a list using the List Builder after the import has been completed which allows you to define the criteria for the list. Additionally, you can choose to save the list as STATIC or DYNAMIC.

 

Assign Prospects to Categories

(Recommended) Under Assign Prospects to Categories, click on the  icon and select one category or multiple categories from the list to assign to the prospects in your file. Click OK when finished. 
If the category does not exist yet, click  to create a new category on the fly. Type in the name of the category that you wish to create in the text box provided and click Save Changes. After the category is created, locate it within the list and double-click on its name to select it. Click OK when finished.

During the import process, the prospect categories will be assigned to all prospects created or updated by the system. This allows you to group the prospects in your file together as one cohesive unit which will be helpful later if you need to search for and build a static or dynamic list of those prospects later on as you can use Categories as the criteria of your search.

Once you have finished configuring the settings on this screen, click Next.

Map Fields

Now you are going to map the fields from your file to your database fields. You will also specify how the Import tool will de-dupe records and manage the incoming data from your file.

Match Records Using

Use the drop-down menu to choose the fields that the system will use to identify whether or not an entry in your import file matches to an existing prospect record in eTrigue.

By default, Email will be selected as the only matching criterion. Matching on email address is recommended and usually the most accurate method for distinguishing unique records, but you may choose to use another field as the unique identifier, or match based on a combination of multiple fields by using the  icon.

Note: If you choose to use a combination of multiple fields, you increase the likelihood of having duplicate records in eTrigue. Even a slight difference in data between any of the selected fields (e.g. E-mail, First Name, and Last Name) will result in a new record being created.


File Header, Map to Field, Update Options

Use the provided drop-down menus to map the header rows in your file (File Header) to the appropriate fields in DemandCenter (Map to Field). Alternatively, you can select -- do not map -- within the drop-down menu if you would like the system to ignore the data for one or more columns in your file.

DemandCenter will attempt to match your file's fields to fields in your database. If you do not have an existing field in eTrigue that can be mapped to your file header, then you will need to create a custom field.



Next, for each mapping choose the appropriate Update Option to determine exactly how the Import tool will manage the incoming data from your file:

• Change - the eTrigue field will be updated with data from your file. However, if your file contains blank data, that blank data is ignored by eTrigue.
  
  
• Insert - the eTrigue field will be updated with data from your file only when the eTrigue field is blank. This means that if eTrigue did not have existing data for a field, then the file will be used to fill in that missing data in eTrigue. If data for the field already exists in the database, then the data from your file is ignored / not used.
  
  
• Overwrite - the eTrigue field will be updated with data from your file including blank data. In this case, existing data in eTrigue is replaced with "blank" data from your file.

Once all import options are configured as you would like, click Import to begin the import process.

 

Getting Notified When Your Import is Complete

You are free to navigate to other parts of the application while your list import is being imported. If you need to check on the status of your import, check out the Import Queue.

When your import has finished processing, a confirmation email containing summary statistics pertaining to your import will be sent to your Notification Email address. You can also monitor the progress of your import in the Import Queue tab as well.