Bulk importing users with the data importer

Loading many users at once. The preparation is the job; the import itself takes minutes.

Loading many users at once. The preparation is the job; the import itself takes minutes.

Import them

1. Prepare the file with the required columns.
2. Clean it: duplicates, formatting, missing addresses.
3. Import a handful of rows first.
4. Check the result in the interface.
5. Import the rest.

Test with ten rows

Always. A column mapped wrongly across ten records is a minute to fix; across ten thousand it is a cleanup project, and the records are now live.

Clean the data first

• Duplicate addresses, which will either fail or merge unpredictably.
• Malformed addresses, which create records nobody can contact.
• Inconsistent organisation names, which create near-duplicate organisations.
• Names in mixed formats, which show up in every future email.

Fixing this in a spreadsheet beforehand is far easier than afterwards.

Decide about organisations first

Importing users without linking them to organisations means doing it again later, or losing the grouping your reporting depends on. Get that column right before you start.

Watch what notifications it sends

Creating users can trigger messages to them, depending on your configuration. Check that before importing several thousand people who did not expect to hear from you.

Import users, not agents

Agents take seats. Confirm the file contains only end users, or check the seat implications first.

Ask us for a large migration

Moving from another system involves more than users. Contact pluscloud support and we will plan the sequence with you.

See also

• Merging duplicate users
• Creating and managing organisations
• Importing your existing users and organisations