Audience Imports 101
Walkthrough
Did you know?
If you plan to import the same file structure (same columns, same order, just updated data) repetitively, you're in luck! Import your file manually the first time, then email your future files to the email address Tarvent provides. Tarvent will use the same settings to import each file emailed to that unique email address. This feature makes automated imports a breeze!
By default, Tarvent only imports new contacts. Make sure to turn on updates if you want to update existing contacts. However, please understand that updates do take considerably longer. It's a "feature" of databases, not Tarvent.
Don't worry about duplicate contacts in your data file. Tarvent will import the first record of a contact and ignore all other occurrences automatically.
Importing a contact's data will not change their status. For example, if a contact's status is "Unsubscribed," they will remain unsubscribed after being imported again.
Due to Tarvent's deduplication process, you can use Tarvent to merge contacts from multiple sources into a single Audience with no duplicates.
You can zip large files before being uploaded or emailed to Tarvent to reduce the time it takes to transmit the file. If the zip file contains multiple files, only the first file will be processed.
Your import file must include the contact identifier column(s). Typically, the email address is the identifier. However, you can use one or more fields to identify a contact uniquely. These fields must be included in the import file.
FAQs
What delimiter should I use in my import file?
Use a tab, comma, semi-colon, or pipe as your field delimiter. When using a comma, make sure any values that contain a comma have quotes around the value.
What file types can my import file be?
.txt, .xlsx, .xls, .zip
If I upload an Excel document, will all sheets be processed?
No. Only the first sheet will be processed while ignoring all others.
How long does it take to import data?
Various aspects of your data file and import settings affect how long a file takes to process. If you are updating data, importing a large number of data fields, or having a large number of records, it will take longer.
How do I know when my import is done?
You will be notified via email and receive an in-app notification when your import is completed. If you receive import notifications for imports in your account that another user performed, check your preferences and make any changes you need to make.
Learn more about imports