This page primarily allows the import of new person records, but can also be used to bulk update certain information for existing records. A file (in a particular format) can be uploaded which can contain a mixture of new (which have no ID supplied) and existing (which have an ID supplied) person records.
New records are added to the person list, whereas existing records are modified. A number of data validation rules must be satisfied before data is changed.
This section allows you to generate an import template file in the correct format - which may optionally include current data to update.
Template field options |
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Template preview: Fields and validation rules |
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Participant filtering options |
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Click the Download import file template link, and save the file to your hard disc. The file will be in tab delimited format with a header row.
You will need to review the file and fix the information in case of updating in bulk. In case of importing new records, you will need to enter the information in the correct formats and validations rules.
If importing/updating custom fields, then you can remove custom fields you don't want to import/update. For example, if the template you downloaded includes 4 custom fields, and you only want one, then delete the other 3 custom field headings, and data relating to these for all rows of information. If importing custom fields the Import Custom Fields checkbox must be checked, otherwise any custom fields present in the import file will be ignored.
Do not remove any Standard Field information or headings from the import file. |
This is optional. You only need to download helper files if you want to import certain custom information for example roles, registration type and participant team lists. The helper file will provide you a list of correct roles names, team names and registration type to fill in the import file for both existing and new records.
Tick this checkbox if the import file contains custom fields
These options determine the behavior when updating existing records from the import file. It is not relevant for importing new records.
Overwrite ALL data - any blanks in the import file will be written, which could lead to loss of data. Use with care! Example:
Home phone | Work phone | Mobile phone | |
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Value for Player X in database | 9399 9999 | 9488 8888 | 0411 111111 |
Value for Player X in import file | 9877 7777 | (blank) | 0411 111111 |
Value for Player X in database after file is imported | 9877 7777 | (blank) | 0411 111111 |
Only overwrite missing data - only fields that have been provided in the import file AND are missing from existing data will be written. This option means that you can leave fields blank in the import file without overwriting existing data. Example:
| Home phone | Work phone | Mobile phone |
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Value for Player X in database | 9399 9999 | 9488 8888 | 0411 111111 |
Value for Player X in import file | 9877 7777 | (blank) | 0411 111111 |
Value for Player X in database after file is imported | 9877 7777 | 9488 8888 | 0411 111111 |
A Role and at least one sub role must be selected. This only affects new person records. These selections are used for:
Tick the check box if you want to register people as part of import process
Untick the check box if you do not want to register people as part of import process
Once all options have been selected, including the file to import, click the Upload and Preview button. The system will validate your choices, and if import is possible, a preview screen will display. This screen lists data for the records present in your import file, and gives an indication of what the values of each field will be after the import.
Note: No import has occurred at this time. Each row is colour coded to give an indication of the actions that will take place: |
LIGHT GREEN | A new record which will be added to your person list |
LIGHT PURPLE | An existing record which will be modified in your person list |
WHITE | An existing record which has no changes, and will not be modified |
RED | A record which has an error, and will not be imported/modified. This may be due to a number of reasons such as creation of a duplicate record, failure of various validation checks, or the fact that the organisation may not have the access to edit an existing record. |
At the Preview screen you can click the Re-upload file to make changes to the import file and reload into the Preview screen.
Once you have reviewed the data in the Preview screen, click the Import Data button to save your changes to the database. Any records that have been marked as in error (in red) will be skipped. Once imported, changes cannot be undone, although data can be re-imported, and/or individual records can be edited in the usual way. A final confirmation screen displays after import which indicates the import status of each row with colour coding the same as in the Preview screen.
Files can be imported in any of the following formats:
Note: If removing rows of data from Excel, make sure that the row is deleted rather than just clearing the cell contents. Even though the rows may look empty, Excel sometimes considers there to be data in to cells which can affect the import. If the import is giving problems and the data looks correct, try saving the Excel file as a CSV or TSV file, and trying to import in that format. |
Note: If there are commas in the data (e.g.) in an address field, this format cannot be used. In this case convert to Excel or TSV format. |
Note: Data downloaded by clicking the Download import file template link will be in tab delimited format, with a header row. |
Further information about whether a field is mandatory, and the allowable values can be found within the_Required file format and validation rules_ table which displays during the import process. The same validation rules apply irrespective of whether records and added/modified using the bulk import process, or manually editing records one by one using the person edit screen.
Field number | Abbreviation | Definition | Allowable values |
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Standard fields | - | These fields MUST be supplied, in this order, and the header/field name (if provided in the import file) is ignored. |
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1 | ID | The person's ID. This is a 7 digit number that can best obtained by generating an import template (see below). | Integer- leading zeroes are ignored, or left blank. |
2 | First Name | The person's first name. For existing records any changes to this field are ignored. Must be supplied for new records. | Text |
3 | Middle Name | The person's middle name(s) (or initial). | Text |
4 | Last Name | The person's last name/surname. For existing records any changes to this field are ignored. Must be supplied for new records. | Text |
5 | Address1 | Person's street or postal address. Use as many of these as required. | Text |
8 | Suburb | Suburb, or city/town related to address. | Text |
9 | Postcode | Postcode/zipcode related to address. | Text |
10 | State | State (or county) related to address. | Text |
11 | Country | Country related to address. | Text |
12 | Date of birth | Date of birth for person. Allowable formats: d/m/yyyy (eg 3 April 1963 is 3/4/1963), yyyy/m/d (eg 1963/4/3), formats such as Apr 3, 1963 also allowable. Hyphens - may be used instead of slashes /. Please use the full year (1963 instead of 63) and avoid the US style m/d/yyyy format. | Date format as listed. |
13 | Home | Phone numbers for person. Mobile phone numbers should be specified as they would be called from your country - avoid international and other codes. | Text |
16 | Email address | Email address for person. Recommended. Must be a valid email address. Multiple addresses can be entered by separating with a semi colon (;) - eg: fred@example.com;fred@work.com | Text |
17 | Gender | Preferably enter M or F. Anything starting with M or F is accepted, anything else ignored. | Text |
18 | Next of Kin / Emergency Contact - Name |
| Text |
19 | Next of Kin / Emergency Contact - Number |
| Text |
Custom fields | These fields MUST follow all standard fields, order is not important, but the header/field name as obtained from the downloaded template must not be changed. Custom fields that are not required to be uploaded/modified can safely be removed/omitted from the import file, and any data in such fields will not be changed within the system. |
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20+ | Custom Fields - as many as required. | Text | *Custom fields are only imported if the Import Custom Fields option is checked. |