Formatting a .csv file for import into an object

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I was having trouble importing a .csv file that had a many to many connection. After a few tries, I came to find the solution. So, I will lay them out here for you guys.

If you are importing into an existing object:

  • Make sure that all header names in your .csv file match your field names Exactly. While this might not always cause an issue, It will occasionally create a new field for itself even if mapped.

  • Any fields that are connection fields need to have the values already in the object, spelled the same way, with the same capitalization.
    1. (Example: If I was importing lab reports into the Project object, and I had already entered “New Report 1004” into the Lab Report object, it would not allow me to import “new report 1004”
  • If you are importing a connection, make sure all connected values are in a single cell, separated by ONLY a comma. If there is a space after the comma, it will only take one value from the cell
    1. When you export a .csv file from knack it will export a many field with only a carriage return and no comma. This will not re-import and only use the first value in the many cell. To fix this:
      1. Open file in excel and choose "save as"
      2. Change the file format to ".csv"
      3. Save the file as .csv
      4. Select the cells or columns with the many values in them
      5. Ctrl-H (find and replace)
      6. In the “Find What” box, with Num Lock on, hit “ALT-010” you will see a small dot in the “Find What” field after you press these keys. (hint: the dot will go away after you focus on another object)
      7. Put a single comma with no space in the “Replace With” field.
      8. Choose “Replace All” and your cells should now be formatted correctly to import into knack.
      9. Re-save your .csv and upload to knack.

The same formatting rules apply to .csv files that you are uploading to create new objects. The connection files are where I found the most trouble.

Tips:

  • Make sure when you are uploading your file that all fields are mapped correctly.
  • When importing, knack will always update to the last value of the target record. So make sure that all of the entries for that target record are contained in a single row.

Feel free to contact me for advice or post here with any other tips or troubles you may have run into.

Hope this helps!