How Data Import Works

To import data, you need a data file containing the information you want to import. The most commonly used file format is CSV (comma-separated value), but delimiters other than commas can also be specified.

In addition to importing data to the primary table of a supported record type, you can map data to certain database fields in associated tables. For example, when importing data to the Incidents (incidents) table, you can map columns to the Threads (threads) table to create customer proxy or note threads associated with each incident.

The data import features are designed to import specific data sets into the knowledge base, not to support full data migrations. You should be aware of the following restrictions when preparing an import.

• If Service is disabled, answer, asset, and incident record types are not available for import.
• The maximum number of fields that can be mapped is 50.
• Associated table mapping is applied only when the import creates new records. Such mapping is ignored when existing records are updated by the import.
• Only certain values can be mapped to the associated tables of a record. For example, you cannot map a value for the threads.entered field. This value is set to the date and time the import occurred.
• If the input mask for a field contains fixed or formatted characters, exclude those characters in the CSV data. For example, if the mask for a custom field is defined as F$M#M#F.M#M# in order to store dollar amounts in the $12.34 format, edit the CSV data to contain the value '1234'.
• The Products and Categories fields are not available for mapping to answers. If you want to associate imported answers with products or categories, you must update them manually from within B2C Service.