The Importer is a guided, three-step flow: Import data → Match columns → Review. This guide covers how to start an import and what happens at each step.
Starting an import
- Click the plus (+) button at the top-right of SwiftFox. The Create panel opens from the right.
- Scroll to the bottom of the panel and select Import Data.
- If you cannot see Import Data, ask your system administrator to give your user group the Import people and organisations permission (Settings → User groups → List Management).
The panel may also list wizards your account has set up. Import Data is always at the bottom, under Add Person or Scan Business Card and Add Organisation.
Step 1 — Import data
The screen is headed Import data to SwiftFox. This is where you tell SwiftFox what kind of records you are loading and provide your file.
- Under Select the contacts you would like to import, choose either Both people and organisations (imports people and their related organisation details) or Organisations only (imports organisation details).
- Under Upload contacts, open the guide link to read the Guidelines, and use the Download link to get the sample CSV. Both set out the file rules you need to follow.
- Upload your file using Click here to upload an Excel file, or just drag and drop into this box. CSV and Excel (.xlsx) files are both accepted.
- The uploaded file appears as a row showing its name and size, with a bin icon if you need to remove it and start again.
- Click Next (top right) to continue.
Cancel sits at the top left if you want to abandon the import.
Step 2 — Match columns
The screen is headed Match your spreadsheet to SwiftFox and has three sections you can expand and collapse.
Let's get started
- What spreadsheet do you wish to import? — confirm the sheet from your file (for a single-sheet CSV this is filled in for you).
- How should we match your import to existing SwiftFox records? — choose your matching strategy. This is pre-set to Full name and contact detail, so change it if that is not what you want.
Additional import options
Expand this section to reach Do you want to skip or limit rows when importing?, which holds the Is the first row in your spreadsheet a header? tickbox (ticked by default) plus Skip rows, Skip end rows and Limit import rows.
Map your data to the right place in SwiftFox
- Apply a saved mapping profile under Select a saved profile of your mapped data, or give this mapping a name under Create a new profile of your mapped data to save it for next time.
- Check the mapping table. SwiftFox has already matched your columns to fields where it could — your job is to confirm those and fill in anything left blank.
- Any column without a SwiftFox field is not imported.
Click Next, then Confirm on the message This process may take some time to complete, do you wish to continue? SwiftFox then matches your rows against your existing records, which can take a moment on a large file.
Step 3 — Review
This is where you check the results of matching, deal with problems, and run the import.
- Read each row's Import status (New or Selected) and its Profile match (No matches, 1 Match, or a count such as 3 Matches).
- Open any row showing more than one match and choose what should happen to it.
- Find and fix rows flagged with an error icon.
- Use the Contact type and Record status filters to move through new rows, matches and errors quickly.
- Tick Show previous values to see what will change on the records you are updating.
- Use the tickboxes in the left-hand column to choose which rows to import. The button at the top right shows how many rows are selected, for example Import 3.
- Click Import to run it.
Tips
- Work left to right — each step depends on the choices made in the one before it.
- Back (top left) returns you to an earlier step to adjust your file, matching strategy or mappings.
- Nothing is written to your account until you click Import in Step 3.