You can use the import feature to update a database or create an entirely new database.

• Importing to a new database creates a completely new database in Acoustic Campaign. The new database has standard Campaign system fields and custom fields. Only the data and custom field headings from the imported database are imported.
• Importing to update transfers data to existing fields.

Note: If you are importing databases regularly, you can schedule recurring imports to have Campaign import your databases automatically.

When importing a database, you must identify the data in the database by column name and type of data. Information is mapped from the existing column to a column in a new database. (You can change the field type during the import, but change the field type after the database is saved).

Campaign has system fields that are automatically created in all databases. Information in the imported database can be mapped into the system fields.

We recommend that you import UTF-8 files.

Importing a new database

Navigate to Import New.

Select file

1. Enter a new name for the database in the Name field.
2. Click Select to choose a Private or Shared location for the database.
3. Select the database type from the drop-down list.
4. Select a Flexible Database or Restricted Database.
5. Select a radio button to choose to upload a file from a local hard drive or to choose a file previously uploaded to Stored Files. Click Browse to select the file.
6. From the drop-down list, select one of the following three delimiter file types to import:
   • CSV (comma-separated values)
   • TSV (tab-separated value)
   • PSV (pipe-separated values)
7. Click Next.

Define data format

Define Data Format presents the data according to the delimiter selected (CSV, TSV, or PSV). Only the first few rows and columns of the file being imported will display. Confirm that the data has processed correctly.

Note: If all the data displays in one column, verify whether the correct delimiter file type (CSV, TSV, or PSV) was selected in the Select File step.

In the illustration above, the field names in the database are: email, first name, and last name. To prevent these headings from being imported as contact data, check the box next to First Row Contains Field Names. Checking this box allows default field mapping when possible. The first row of information -the field names- will be disabled and will not be part of the file import. If the first row of data does not contain field names, do not select this check box.

Acoustic Campaign supports UTF-8 character set data at the database level, however, you must also ensure that the actual file itself is authored in the UTF-8 character set.

For system fields with date values and fields that you will assign the Date type in the next step, you may need to use the Date Field Formatting option. If the dates in your file are formatted differently from mm/dd/yyyy, choose the appropriate formatting. Examples below are based on the date January 2, 2020.

1. Select which portion of the date value comes first in your file. Choose either month first, day first, or year first.
2. Select the formatting for each element.

   First	Choice	Example
   month	mm	01
   month	m	1
   month	mon	Jan
   month	month	January
   day	dd	02
   day	d	2
   year	yyyy	2020
   year	yy	20

3. Type the separators that go between each of the date elements. The separators can be up to tow characters in length, and the following characters are valid

   Punctuation	Punctuation Mark
   Period	.
   Comma	,
   Question Mark	?
   Space
   Forward Slash	/

   • You can clear the settings at any time.
   • You have a sample date that updates as you change the settings.
   • Date value combinations such as January 32nd, 2020 will be converted to February 1st, 2020 during import.
4. Click Next.

Map fields

You must map the fields when importing a file to create a brand new database. You first need to decide which fields, if any, will not be included in the new database. These fields will be ignored. For each field to include in the new database, you will be asked to choose a field type. You can either map the fields in the imported database or import a file into an existing database.

• One field must be mapped to the system field called Email. Be sure that Email is selected as a Field Type from a drop-down menu under Database Fields.
• All segmenting fields must include numeric data only. If text is found in a segmenting field, the record is no imported.
• For the date formatting selections made in the prior step to be active, date fields must be labeled with a date type.

To map fields in an imported database, do the following.

1. Check Ignore next to the field number of any field that you do not want to include when importing to the new database.
2. For each unchecked field, choose a Field Type from the drop-down list. Selecting System Fields creates a selection in New Database Field. For example, selecting Email under Field Type presents a selection of system field names in the New Database Field box.
3. Type in the Database Fields Name (if it isn't a system field). This will be the field name for the field in the new database.
4. Click Add Field.

To import a file to an existing database, do the following. If you are importing a file to an existing database, each field in the file will appear in a table.

1. Check Ignore next to the field # of any field you do not want to include when importing to the existing database.
2. For each field that is not selected, choose a Field Type from the existing database using the drop-down menu in the Database Fields column.
3. If there is a new field to add from the file to the database, type the field name and select a Field Type from the drop-down menu.
4. Click Add Field.
5. Click Next.

Editing field settings

1. Edit the default fields or any new fields.
   1. Click the Edit link next to any field name to change its settings. Settings you can edit include:
      • Field Name
      • Required Status - check if the field is required
      • Field Type - choose from the drop-down list
      • Default Value - value assigned to the field if it is empty
   2. Click Save.
2. (Optional) Edit the unique identifiers (UID). This cannot be done after the database is created. If you wish to keep email as the UID for this database, click Next and skip the following steps.
   1. Click Edit Unique Identifiers.
      • To assign fields as unique identifiers, select the Unique identifier needed button, and then select the check boxes next to the desired fields (you can choose up to ten UIDs)
      • To sync this database with your CRM system, choose the No unique identifier is needed option.
   2. Click Save when you are done.

Click Next and then click Submit to begin the import data job. To receive email notification when the job's status is complete, select the Upon completion of the data job , send an email notification to the address below check box, enter your email address, and click Submit.

Use the Data Jobs screen to check the status any time.

Import update into a flexible database

The import update feature gives you the ability to import data into a flexible database and make updates to a single contact record or mass updates to the database.

For example, if you have a contact with three records on the database, you can now update just one of those records. You also now have the ability to clean up data fields on the database. List Import lets you map contact identifier (Recipient ID) and CRM sync ID, from your import file, such as a CSV, TSV, or PSV files to the database.

You can import into a flexible database and map export contact identifier (Recipient ID) and CRM Sync ID 'update field values in the contact source'.

Navigate to Data > Import update

Select file

1. In the choose Import update type list, select the contact source you wish to update.
2. Select Import update. (Or learn more about Recurring import updates.)
3. Select the contact source you wish to update.
4. Decide how to update the database. (Add new contacts, update field values in the contact source, Add new contacts and update existing field values in the contact source, Opt out contacts).
5. Select whether you are importing from stored files or from your computer.
6. Click Next. If you have a CRM, you can only use contact identifier and CRM sync ID as a sync field for a Update field values In the contact source import.

Define Data Format

If your file has headers, select First row contains field names. If you have headers, the system tries to map the columns from your file to the database fields. If your file does not have headers, manually map the headers.

1. (Optional) If your date field is not formatted mm/dd/yyyy, manually select the Date Fields from the dropdown menus.
2. Click Next.

Map Fields

1. Select any fields to ignore.
2. You cannot import both the contact identifier (Recipient ID) and CRM sync ID at the same time.

Edit Field Settings

(Optional) If required, edit any field settings as appropriate. Only new fields with default values can be edited. Click Next.

Select sync fields

If you import a file with either contact identifier (Recipient ID) or CRM sync ID they are selected for you.

1. Click Next.
2. Review the job details and select Upon completion of the data job, send an email notification to the address below to receive a notification and enter an email to be notified of job completion.
3. Click Submit to begin the job.

Import update

An import update allows you to update your contact sources inside Acoustic Campaign. You can perform an import update for either single or recurring updates. By updating an import, you can change settings as necessary.

1. Navigate to Data > Import update.
2. On the Import update existing page, select Import update.
3. Select the contact source to update.
4. Under Contact lists (optional), you can add contacts in the source file that get added/updated within Acoustic Campaign by selecting an existing contact list or creating a new contact list. Note: Selecting to add/update contact lists may increase data job completion time.
5. Select the file that contains the contact source data by uploading it from your hard drive or selecting the file from the Stored files area in Acoustic Campaign.
6. Click Next.
7. On the Define data format screen, step 2, check the First row contains field names if your file contains field names. Format the dates if necessary.
8. On the Map fields screen, step 3, map your fields as needed.
   1. Check Ignore next to the field number of any field you do not want to include when importing to the existing database.
   2. For each unchecked field, select a field type from the existing database by using the drop-down list in the Database fields column.
   3. Type in the field name and choose a field type from the drop-down list. Click Add field.
   4. Click Next. One field must be mapped to the system field called Email To do this, be sure Email is selected as a field type from one drop-down list under database fields.

      • For the date formatting selections made in the prior step to be active, date fields must be labeled with a date type.

      • All segmenting fields must include numeric data only. If text is found in a segmenting field, the record will not be imported.
9. Optionally, you can edit the default settings for any new field. If no edits are needed, click Import database.
   
   1. Click the Edit link next to any field name to change its settings. Settings that you can edit include Field name,required status, field type, or default value.
   2. Click Next. A confirmation dialog is displayed.
   3. Confirm that the information is correct. To receive email notification when the job's status is complete, enter your email address and click Submit. You can check the status at any time on the Data Jobs page.
10. Optionally, you can select sync fields for flexible databases to help you resolve duplicates.

Note: You cannot change the database of a recurring import. If you want to make this change, you will have to create a new recurring import.

File formats for importing

Getting good email results from imported and exported data depends on careful planning when importing. Only specific formats are accepted.

Database worksheets such as Excel, that store customer information in a table format on your computer are often simple text databases, but they can contain complex data that is listed by type.

The file formats CSV, TSV, and PSV refer to the characters used to separate information in an imported or exported text file. Only one character is used. These standard characters are commas, tabs, or pipe characters ( | ).

For example, you can save a file from Excel as Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt), and then import it into Acoustic Campaign as a .TSV, and Acoustic Campaign will properly import the file.

Types of file formats

CSV, TSV, and PSV are the characters used to separate information in an imported or exported text file. Only one character is used. These standard characters are commas, tabs, or pipe characters ( | ).

• Tabs are not a visible character.
• A carriage return, line break, paragraph mark, or using the Enter key, all of which are common in word processor programs, are not compatible data delineators. Line breaks are used in the data text file to indicate a new record. But if the file has paragraph marks used as data separators, many word processors can convert paragraph marks to any of these three formats, and then save data in a text file.

Database worksheets, such as Excel, that store customer information on your computer, typically use proprietary formats. But they generally can import and export data in common formats. Several common formats are compatible with Acoustic Campaign Databases. Databases can be imported or exported in the following formats:

• Comma Separated Value (CSV)
• Tab-separated Value (TSV)
• Pipe-separated Value (PSV) - recommended for greater compatibility.

Because Acoustic Campaign allows up to 400 columns in a database, it is very important to separate the information in a readable form. Acoustic Campaign lets you choose one of three common separators (sometimes called prefixes or delineators) to identify these fields.

CSV, TSV, and PSV file formats export information in a way that both humans and computers can read. The information appears in a row that has several columns. (The intersection of a row and column, where information is contained, is commonly called a field).

Example of a database worksheet with rows, columns, and fields:

• Commas ',' (CSV)
• Spaces ' ' (TSV), created using the Tab key on your keyboard
• Pipes '|' (PSV), created by holding the Shift key while pressing the backslash ( \ ) key

Determine the file format you should use

Format	Advantages	Disadvantages
CSV	Compact, easy to read.	In Europe and other locales, commas are used as decimal points. Information in the file, such as text, might already contain commas. Computer operating systems in many regions of the world actually use the semicolon (;) in place of the comma in CSV files. CSV files might not be exchangeable with computers that use different list separators.
TSV	Easy to read.	Tabs are difficult to discern from spaces in a database field.
PSV	Easy to read. Not influenced by regional settings, so these files are exchangeable with other computers.

Import files size limit

When using the Acoustic Campaign UI to import data, we recommend limiting the size of the files uploaded to no larger than 10MB. Files that are larger than 10MB consume a lot of browser resources, and the request might time out causing the upload to fail.

Data files that are larger than 10MB should be imported into Acoustic Campaign via SFTP. The SFTP import option can efficiently support files that are up to 5GB in size.

Carriage returns in fields affect your import

When you import a CSV file, you might see errors regarding missing email addresses, or the count may be different from what you expect.

Carriage returns cause row breaks in CSV files and are not easily visible in Excel.

You can find carriage returns by opening the CSV file in a program such as Notepad++. Carriage returns are marked with the letters 'CR' in Notepad++. To properly format the value, delete carriage returns so that the value is only one line of data.

Expected behaviors for import data jobs

Import scenario	Description	Example
Add new contacts to existing contact source with the sync field set as email.	When you import a file with different valid rows, but the email field has the same value for multiple entries, the unique email field records are imported. The other rows with the same email field are considered duplicate values.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: The data job result log shows the following two records as duplicate values on the designated sync field:
Add new contacts to existing contact source with a custom field for sync. For example, unique_id.	When you import a file with different valid rows but the unique_id field set as the sync field for the import has the same value for multiple entries, unique records are imported. The other rows with the same unique_id are considered duplicate values.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: The data job result log shows that row 1 is a duplicate. The unique ID value in row 3 is already in the database, and the row 4 value is now duplicated. It is also listed twice in the file.
Add and update contacts to existing contact source with sync field set as email.	When you import a file to add new contacts and update existing field values in the contact source with different field values for the duplicate email fields, only the first field value is imported for those entries.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: All records in the database for field 2 show the value of 1 compared to the source file, where field two values are 1, 2, 3, and 1. The data job result log shows that rows 3 and 4 were duplicates.
Add and update contacts to existing contact sources with a custom field for sync. For example, unique_id.	When you import a file to add new contacts and update existing field values in the contact source, with duplicate emails but different unique_id for each, all contacts are updated, and the new contact is added.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: The data job result log:
Add and update contacts to existing contact source with the same file, no changes to data, and a custom field set for sync. For example, unique_id.	When you import the same file that was previously imported to add new contacts and update existing field values in the contact source, with no changes to data, all contacts are updated.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: The data job result log:
Add and update contacts to the existing contact source with a new file containing two new contacts and four duplicates, and set a custom field for sync. For example, unique_id.	When you import a file to add new contacts and update existing field values in the contact source, with two new contacts and four duplicate emails but different unique_id for each, all contacts are updated, and the new contact is added.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: The data job result log:
Add and update contacts to the existing contact source with one duplicate record in the database and file, one new record, and a custom field set for sync. For example, unique_id.	When you import a file to add new contacts and update existing field values in the contact source, with one new contact and one duplicate record in the database and file, the new contact is added, and the other contacts are updated except for the duplicate record.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: The data job result log shows that row 8 as duplicate:
Add and update contacts to the existing contact source with a new file containing only new records with one duplicate record in the file and a custom field set for sync. For example, unique_id.	When you import a file to add new contacts and update existing field values in the contact source, with all new contacts and one record duplicated in the file, the new contacts are added except for the duplicate record.	Your import file has the following records: The following records are imported into your database: The data job result log shows that row 3 as duplicate:
Import a file to a relational table and an import list with a field called Email_address using the Email data type with an invalid email address record.	When you import a file to a relational table and an import list with a field called Email_address using the Email data type with an invalid email address record, the invalid email address is flagged as bad data in the relational table, whereas it is flagged as an invalid row in the import list. Note: When you import invalid email addresses, the error message displayed in the Database and Relational Table are the same. However, the behavior differs because it is considered an invalid row in the database but bad data in the relational table.	Relational table result log: Import list data jo result log :