Data

Data: Sources

Suppliers of contact and business information like Hoovers, Spoke, Jigsaw, or
infoUSA deliver their information in text files. Outlook can export contact
information into text files. Spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel or
OpenOffice Calc will both read and write text files. Most sales automation and
CRM programs provide text file import and export.

Data: Files that can be imported

Both comma (CSV) and tab (TAB/TXT) delimited text files can be imported. For
detailed information on the file format details of comma delimited text files,
search the Internet for RFC 4180 Common Format and MIME Type for CSV Files.

Preparing

Preparing: Preview your import data fields

Preview your data using a spreadsheet program or text editor to get an
understanding of the data fields - the columns of information. For example:

Joe Doe, Acme Fireworks, 1235 Front Street, Anytown, Texas, 123456,555-1212  

has data fields that contain

Name, Company, Address, City, State, Postal Code, Telephone  

Preparing: Adding or removing fields

You may choose to use a spreadsheet to add or delete columns of information
in your import file. For example you might be importing leads from a trade show
and wish to add a "date created" field and set it to the date of the trade show.

Importing

Importing: Choosing the source and destination

1. In the program's Deal tab and Ribbon Bar Pipeline area choose Open -->
   Import Contacts
2. Choose the file to import using the browse button or by entering the
   file name. You may choose between .CSV, TXT, or TAB files using the "Files
   Of Type" option when browsing.
3. Choose the destination - merge into the current pipeline or create a new
   pipeline.

Importing: Connecting your import data with contact fields

In many of the steps that follow, you create a connection between an import
file data field and a Contact field. These connections tell the program where in
the Contact to put data from each record that is imported.

For each import-data-field-to-Contact-field connection there is a three-click
process:

1. Select one of your import data fields from the "Import my information
   from:" list as the source
2. Select the Contact field where this data should land - the target or
   destination field
3. Press the Connect button to make the connection between your source data
   and the target Contact field

Repeat this process until you have connected each of your import data fields
to a Contact target/destination field

Importing: First Name / Last Name fields

If your data file uses just one field for the first/last name information 
- like John Doe, - connect your Name import data field to the Contact
field labeled Name [First Last]. If the first/last name information is
on separate fields - like John, Doe, - then connect your first name
import data field to the Contact field First, etc.

Importing: Website Links

If your data file has fields that contain website links you can import them
into the Contact as Links rather than connecting to a Contact field. The process
of connecting the data field that contains the website information to a Link is
slightly different. You can create an unlimited number of links to your data
fields that contain website information.

Keywords: CRM, sales automation, leads, contacts, contact management, sales software, business, marketing.