Before importing any file, make sure you have the proper permissions. Please see our article Giving Access to the Import / Export Tool.
Furthermore, your import file needs to be formatted properly in a spreadsheet. Spreadsheet templates are available. Please see our article on Import Templates.
There are only two types of files you can import:
.csv - comma separated values text file
.xls - Excel file
Furthermore, there are only two types of TimeZones you can import:
UTC
Account timezone specified under your display settings
NOTE: If no offset value is provided we will assume the timezone specified under your display settings.
To import a file, we've broken up this article into the following sections:
NOTE: Only one file can be imported at a time per account. If you close the browser and are in the middle of setting up the import, Method will save where you are and you can continue when you come back.
If you push final "import" button and close the browser, you will get an email whenever it is done. You don't need to wait on the page for it to finish.
Select Type → Choose data
Once your import file is ready, proceed with the following steps.
Click the profile icon in the upper right and choose Integrations.
Click Import & Export.
Select the type of data you wish to import.
Next you need to choose your data. Drag your import file into the dashed outline box, or select click to browse to find it. Note that you can also select Paste from Excel.
If you chose Other as a type of import, you will also get the option to choose the table you want to import to.
Once your file is uploaded, click the Next button at the bottom of the screen to continue.
→ Map fields
1. IMPORT OR UPDATE RECORDS
Before you can map which columns in your import file goes to which fields in the table, you will need to select whether you want to:
Import records - Create brand new records
Update records - Update current existing records
If you plan to update records, you will be informed of a unique and required field to be mapped, which is more than likely to be the RecordID field:
NOTE: When importing Leads or Customers, you do have the option to specify a unique field to identify one customer in case of multiple contacts. Please review Duplicate Customers within the Importing Leads and Customers article.
2. FIELD OVERVIEW
The Overview will show:
the number of fields from your import file that have been mapped
any field in the table which is required
any fields that have been mapped that have a warning (due to field restrictions)
3. FIELD MAPPING
When mapping fields, there are three columns:
Fields from document: Column headers from your import file
Mapping fields in Method: How your import file will be mapped to the data structure in Method
Preview: an example of the data as pulled from your import file
To map a field, click the down arrow ∨ and select a field from Method. You can also search for a field, or even create a new custom field.
If there are problems with the mapping, for example, you are trying to import text into a field that only accepts dates, then a warning will show with an exclamation mark:
Once you are happy with the field mapping, click Next to review your import data.
→ Review
The final step allows you to review the data before it imports.
Any conflicts will be highlighted and brought to your attention. In the below example, the last name data was longer than the maximum number of characters allowed:
You can fix the data on this editable grid, or you can download the conflicts to fix later (as shown below).
Above the grid, you can switch between the different filter views to display what shows up in the grid:
All conflicts: Show only records that have conflicts.
Errors due to duplicates: Show records that have errors due to duplicates.
All records: Show all the records.
Once there are no more conflicts, click Next to go to the final step.
If you do not resolve the conflicts, this warning will pop up:
Skipping the conflicts will allow you to download them so you can fix them in your own editor.
→ Next Steps
Before the import, you will be given some final details, as well as some options:
Data Type: This shows what you are importing. In the above example, Leads was chosen as a data type.
Source: The file holding the data you are importing.
Records: How many records will be imported.
Applying Tags To Records
Under options, you can add tags to every record that gets imported. The tags can be newly created or existing. Just type them in or select them from the list of existing tags, and they will be applied to all the imported records.
In the below example, the records will be tagged with the date it was imported. This will allow the records to be identified afterwards in case a mistake was made.
Assigning a Method User to a Record
If the table has an Assigned To field, for example the Customer table, then you can assign all the imported records to an existing Method User.
Importing Your Data
Once you are satisfied with the details, you can click the import button at the bottom of the screen. This will launch the import process. It may take a few minutes depending on the size of the import.
Downloading Records with Conflicts
If you skipped earlier conflicts, this will show up in the details. In the below example, one record has been skipped, but the rest of the records will be imported.
After you successfully import your records, you will get an option to download the records that were skipped as shown in the below image:
