Importing Data

In order to be able to import data ensure that you have permission to do so. To see how to modify User Permissions in RealtimeCRM see the following article.

The import feature is located under the ‘Import Data’ heading in Settings.

Selecting your record type

Our data import feature allows you to pre-define which record type you’re importing. You can choose from Companies, Contacts, Opportunities, Projects, Products, Tasks, and Activities.

The simplest way to do this is to create a spreadsheet and save it as a CSV file. If you download your data from an existing CRM system, you may have the option to do so in this format; if not, please just convert it in Excel by saving it as a CSV file making sure to use the first row for the column headings. By this, we mean the information that labels your data. For example, “CompanyName”, “Address”, “Address 2” and so on.

We provide you with template CSV files that you can fill in to make things easier:

• Just click on your Username and then from the drop down menu select ‘Settings’
• Next click on the ‘Import Data’ panel
• Under Select record type choose the record type you want to import and then select it for example ‘Contacts’
• If you’re importing brand new records then make sure under Import type: you have ‘Insert’ selected, if you’re updating records that already exist in RealtimeCRM then select ‘Update’. This is important as the CSV template will differ depending on whether you’re importing new records or updating existing ones
• Now click Download template CSV file for Contacts to download the Contacts template CSV file that you can fill in and then import back into RealtimeCRM

Select your CSV data file

After choosing your desired record type, you can then select the CSV (comma separated value) file containing the records you want to import into RealtimeCRM.

Choose data columns

The system will take the headings you’ve got in the CSV file and place them all in columns for example… First Name, Last Name, Company, Job Title, and Email. Saving you time going through each record and sorting all of the above details.

Tip: If you’re importing a list of Contacts who are associated with a list of Companies we recommend you import the Companies first then the Contacts. Even if your list of Contacts and Companies are in the same CSV file it doesn’t matter as you can choose which data columns you import.

Have more fields?

If you have more headings than the standard fields that come out of the box with RealtimeCRM. For example a heading in your CSV file which records whether your Contacts have opted into your mailing list then you should first create a custom field within RealtimeCRM that can record that information once you come to actually import your CSV file into RealtimeCRM. In order to create the extra fields you need. See the section titled ‘Adding a Custom Field’ in the help article here.

Importing your data

• From the Dashboard click on your Username in the top right corner of the page
• A menu will drop-down, you need to then click on ‘Settings’
• You will be taken to your profile page. If you look in the menu on the left-hand side you will see the ‘Import Data’ panel
• Click on that and you will be taken to the Import Data page
• You will be asked to choose your record type: Companies, Contacts, Opportunities, Projects, Products, Tasks, and Activities. If you’re importing a list of Contacts then you would select ‘Contacts’ from the drop-down menu
• Under Import Type: you should click ‘Insert’ as we are importing brand new records then simply click Select a CSV file
• Then you will need to choose your data columns. Luckily, RealtimeCRM sorts these into the right order but it’s always worth a double check
• Then click Import data to import the data into RealtimeCRM
• In addition, RealtimeCRM will review your data import and flag things such as duplicates
• You are now ready to use your imported data

Note: Your newly imported records will be tagged with the date and time they were imported into RealtimeCRM.