How to Import Contacts
Regardless of the type or source, you can import contacts into your Sumac database. In this example, we'll import new contacts.
Before importing your spreadsheet, it is important to clean up the data. Use Sumac's Import Workspace to do this.
Only certain users are allowed to import data. If you are going to import data, your Sumac administrator must give you the Bulk Import capability in your user profile.
After cleaning up your spreadsheet, click Utilities, Import, and Import.
Indicate that you are importing contacts, and that they are new.
Choose the data file and click OK.
The data file appears on the right-hand side.
You must tell Sumac which contact record fields should hold which data. The left-hand side of the window holds a list of all the fields in contact records. Match field names to data columns by dragging field names and dropping them onto the data columns.
Once all the contact columns have been matched, you must check the data before you can import it. Click “Check Before Import” to tell Sumac to check all the data. Sumac checks every row in every column to make sure that the data is correct.
If something is wrong, perhaps an email address that is incorrectly formatted, Sumac highlights the incorrect cell and puts an error message at the start of the row.
If you encounter multiple records with errors, such as in the example below, fix the data in your original file and start again.
First, save your column choices so that you don't have to map the column choices to the data again. When you import the corrected data you can save some time by clicking Load Column Choices.
After correcting your data, go back to Utilities, Import, and Import. Choose your data file and tell Sumac you are importing Contacts. Then Load Columns.
Alternatively, if there appears to be something wrong with an entire column and that information is not needed in Sumac, you can select the column and click Clear Column Title to tell Sumac to not import that column.
If you encounter errors with a specific record, you can tell Sumac to ignore that row of data in the incoming file.
Then click Import.
Indicate if you would like to record the file of origin for the imported records. If you choose Yes, the name of the original file will be available in the Import File Name column in the Contacts list.
All the contact records are imported into Sumac. They turn from black to green to indicate successful importing.
If you now look at the contacts list, you see that the newly imported contacts have been added to the end of the list.
If you plan on importing on a routine basis, consider using Universal Import! This helpful tool allows you to save your import preferences so that it is quick and easy to import contacts any time. Check out this article to learn more about setting up Universal Import.
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