Import Contacts

Goal​

To import contacts and profile attribute data into a group. The import file can be in CSV, XML, or text format.

You can no longer use this procedure to import system users into Mapp Engage. To add system users, see Create Mapp Engage System User​.

Prerequisites​

• Contacts are imported into an existing Mapp Engage group. Create this group before you start.

• You can import contacts from a CSV, XML, or text file. The maximum size of the import file is 50 MB.

• The file must be formatted correctly.

• Contacts must be uniquely identified in the file with one of the following:

  • Contact ID

  • Email address

  • Mobile number

  • Mobile app alias

  You can also import contacts with an external identifier, for example from a CRM system. For instructions, see Update Contacts with External Identifier​.

Procedure

1. In the ​top navigation​, click ​Audience​ > Administration​.
2. From the ​Group​ drop-down list, select the group that you want to import contacts into.
3. Click the ​Import​ ​Contacts​ button.
4. To locate the file on your local computer, click the ​Browse...​ button.
5. In the ​File Type​ area, choose whether the import file is a CSV, XML, or text file. If your file is a CSV file, select the appropriate separator character. You can easily open the CSV file to see what separator is in the file. It is easier to work with the file in a text editor (rather than Excel).
6. From the ​Character Set​ drop-down list, select the character set of the file.

7. From the ​Import Mode​ drop-down list, select how imported members and their profile data interact with the existing group. For more information, see ​Import Contacts (window)​

   

   The ​Replace​ import mode treats all members of the group as new members. The ​Add Contact​ options ​With Notification​ and ​Invite​ ignore existing memberships. Every contact added to the group receives a welcome message or invitation, even if they were already members before the import.

8. You can select ​synchronization qualifiers​ that further refine the import mode. Some qualifiers are automatically activated when you select an import mode. Some qualifiers cannot be applied to certain synchronization modes. For more information, see ​Import Contacts (window)​

9. From the ​Add Contact​ drop-down list, select whether the new members receive a notification, invitation, or nothing. For more information, see ​Import Contacts (window)​.

   

   To send notifications or invitations via SMS, enable the system message for the SMS channel. For instructions, see System Messages via SMS.

10. To enter extra specifications, expand the ​Advanced Options​ area:
    
    

    Option	Description
    Time Zone	Defines the time zone that is used for attributes with date data types. Use this setting only if the date value in the import file does not contain time zone information.
    Use External Identifier	The system identifies contacts with a unique ID rather than email or mobile number. Normally, Mapp Engage uses an email address or mobile phone number to update or create contact information. If you want to import contact data into Mapp Engage with the external identifier, the value must be unique for each contact. This type of file requires a special import procedure. For more information, see Update Contacts with External Identifier​.
    Set Read Mode System-wide	Uses the read mode in the import file to set the system-wide read mode of all contacts in the file. The read mode setting for each contact is overwritten for all groups this contact is a member of. This option is only available when contacts are added with one of the following modes: ​Replace​ ​Update Members Only​ ​Add and Update Non-members Only​ ​Add and Update All ​

    

    Mapp Engage uses ISO-8601 date formats. Enter the time zones as follows: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss(+/-)GMT difference. For example, the time zone US/Eastern is formatted: 2012-12-25T15:15:15-05:00. ISO-8601 is recommended for formatting date information in the import file. Deprecated formats are not fully supported.

11. To begin the import process, click the ​Import​ button. When the import is finished, an ​Import Report​ with status information is sent via email to the system user who started the import.

Related Topics​

• For detailed instructions on how to format an XML file, see XML Format for Contact Imports​
  For a quick guide for XML, see Quick Reference: Contact Import XML​.

• For detailed instructions on how to format a CSV file, see CSV Format for Contact Imports​
  For a quick guide for CSV, see Quick Reference: Contact Import CSV​.

You can also automate imports. When you use an automation, you can configure the import once and use these settings every time you import contacts. You do not have to schedule the import - you can use the ​Run Once​ function whenever you have an updated contact list. For more information, see Automate Contact File Import​ .