1. Using B2C Service
  2. Add or Edit a Data Import Template

Add or Edit a Data Import Template

You can create data import templates for use in the Data Import Wizard. Templates let you skip some import wizard steps, such as mapping columns to database files and customizing duplicate criteria, when performing imports of multiple data files that have the same column ordering.

After a template is created, you can select it when mapping data field columns through the Data Import Wizard. This can be useful if you frequently import records from an external source where the data format does not change but the data is more current.

Note: Data import features are designed to import specific data sets into the knowledge base, not to support full data migrations. For this reason, you should be aware of certain restrictions when preparing an import.
  1. Click Configuration on the navigation pane.
  2. Expand Database, and then double-click Data Import Templates.
    The Data Import Templates tree displays on the content pane.
  3. Do one of the following:
    • To add a template, select a record type in the tree and click New on the ribbon to display the editor.
    • To edit an existing template, click it in the tree.
    The Data Import Templates editor opens. It consists of a set of fields for mapping columns to database fields in primary and associated tables, defining criteria for detecting duplicate records, and viewing interface visibility information for the template.
  4. Enter field information.

    Data Import Templates Editor

    Field/Icon Description
    *Name Enter the name of the template.
    Column Mappings This section defines how columns in the data file are mapped to fields in the database.
    Add Click this icon to create a new row in the column mapping grid.
    Remove Click this icon to remove a selected row from the column mapping grid.
    Column in File The column number that the data file will be mapped to. The maximum allowed value is 9999.
    Field For each data column that you want to import, click the drop-down list and select the database field that you want to map the column to. The data from the column is inserted into the specified database field. If the data file contains columns that you do not want to insert into your database, leave this field blank. For information about database fields, see the data dictionary found on the navigation pane (Configuration > Database > Data Dictionary).
    Tip: If you map a column to ma_org_name, the Data Import Wizard populates the field with the text value from the data file. If you want to associate a contact with an organization, you can either map the org_id to Organization ID or map the name of the organization to Organization ID. The Data Import Wizard looks up the organization and associates the name to the correct organization. If the lookup fails, an error occurs.
    Ignore on Update Select this check box if you want this column to insert to the database for new records, but do not want the column updated for existing records.
    Note: This option has no effect if you selected Keep Original Data from the Duplicate Records drop-down menu.
    Default Value Enter the default value to insert when an imported record does not contain data for the column.
  5. To map a column to a table associated with the import record type, click Add in the section corresponding to the associated table.
    • Notes—Maps columns to the Notes (notes) table for answer, contact, and organization imports. Supported fields include chan_id and text.
    • Threads—Maps columns to the Threads (threads) table for incident imports. Supported fields include chan_id, seq, note, and entry_type.
    • Addresses—Maps columns to the Organization Addresses (org_addrs) table for organization imports. Supported fields include oat_id, city, country_id, postal_code, prov_id, and street.
    Note: For information about database fields, see the data dictionary found on the navigation pane (Configuration > Database > Data Dictionary).
  6. Enter field information.

    Associated Table Mapping

    Field/Icon Description
    Add Click this icon to create a new entry in the mapping grid.
    Remove Click this icon to remove an entry from the mapping grid.
    Column in File Enter the column number that the data file or header file will map to. The maximum allowed value is 9999.
    Field This field displays the database field that you can map a column to. The data from the column inserts to the specified database field.
    Default Value Enter the default value to insert when an imported record does not contain data for the column.
  7. To define custom criteria used to identify duplicate records, click the Criteria field and see Duplicate Record Handling for Data Imports.
  8. To enter a different name for the template based on interface, select the Label value next to the interface name in the Visibility section and enter the name. (This is helpful if your site has multiple interfaces of different languages.) By default, each Label value is populated with the name of the template you defined in step 4.
  9. Click Save.