Import New People

Amelia Huchley
Amelia Huchley
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Introduction

Importing People

Uploading Notes

 

Introduction

The Import New People page allows you to simultaneously upload multiple people into your people database from an external data file. This process allows you to take the people data stored in a different software program and load it into PDI. Since no two programs store their data in exactly the same way, there may be some configuration involved in addition to simply uploading your file. Along with matching people to our default fields, you can also use this page to create/upload data to custom user created fields.

  • To access the Import New People page, hover the mouse over the People section of the Navigation Menu, click on Import/Export Data, and click Import New People.

 

Importing People

Importing People Step-by-Step

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  1. Click the Browse button, and browse for the file that will be used to import contacts.
  2. Use the Select File Type drop down menu to select the type of file that is being uploaded.
    1. If the selected file type is Text use the Field Separated By text box to designate the character that is used as the separator between the columns.
  3. (Optional) If the uploaded file does not contain titles in the first line, deactivate the First Row contains Column Title check box.
  4. Click the Load My File button to upload the file.
  5. Click the Next button at the bottom of the page. You will then see the Column Mapping page.

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  1. Use the drop down menus in the Map to PDI DB Column column to map the columns in your file to our standardized fields. Users can map basic contact/address information, as well as contact specific information such as volunteer status and social media accounts.
    1. If Custom Field was selected used the text box in the New Custom Field Name text box to name the new field.
    2. Use the Custom Data Type drop down menu to set the field's data type.
  2. Once all of the fields have been selected click the Next button.

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  1. Preview your mapping and make sure everything looks good.
  2. Click the Next button. You will be taken to the Data Source/Flags page.

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  1. Use the Data Source drop down menu to select a data source for the import.
    1. If the Data Source you would like to use does not exist, click the Create New Data Source button.

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      1. In the Data Source text box, enter in the name of the new data source.
      2. Click the Save button.
  2. (Optional) Use the 'Select a Flag ID' drop down menu to attach an ID Flag to the imported contacts.
    1. Note: Use the Advanced Flag sub-section below for instructions on adding advanced flags.
    2. Activate the Apply a Flag to Each Record in Your Import File check box.
  3. (Optional) Activate the Run Import Process Row by Row checkbox to run the import process with row-by-row data validation. This is slower than importing the data without validation, but if you are concerned about parsing errors in your data, activating this checkbox will process each row of your data individually so it can provide more accurate error messages in case the data fails to import successfully.
  4. Click the Import button.

 

Advanced Flag

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  1. Use the Question drop-down menu to select the question that contains the flag you would like to upload.
  2. Use the Select a Flag ID drop-down menu to select the flag you would like to attribute to the record.
  3. Use the Acquisition Type drop-down menu to select the acquisition type to associate with the flag.
  4. Use the Canvasser drop-down menu to select the canvasser to associate with the flag.

 

Uploading Notes

  • When uploading data to the Is Canvasser, Is Coordinator, Is Donor, Is Lead Coordinator, Is Member, Is Phone Bank Caller, Is Precinct Leader, Is Volunteer, or Is Volunteer Organizer fields, use the "Y" character to activate that property for the individual.
  • Typically uploading people using this method will create independent contact records, however, you can create People records linked to voter records by including a column that features the PDI ID's or CA ID's of the voter. Note: This is the only method that can be used for mass voter matching from within the program.