Mass Update Data

Using the import tool to update records en masse.

Updated over a week ago

If you want to do a batch update of records, you can use Method's Import / Export tool to do so instead of editing each record individually. The steps below will outline how this can be done.

NOTE: The Import / Export tool will be unable to delete data from a table. In order to do so, you would need to customize a screen to do mass deletes.

In this article, we will:


Export existing records

We always recommend exporting the latest data first. Below, we will use the example of exporting the Opportunities Stages table. 

  1. Click your profile icon in the upper right and select Integrations.

  2. Select Export Settings.

  3. Select the table where your data is stored from the dropdown list.

  4. Choose fields you wish to update. Note that linked fields cannot be updated, so do not bother exporting those (Unfortunately, linked fields are not marked so you have to note this ahead of time). Furthermore, you will be unable to update any record that ends in _RecordID , so do not export them either.

  5. You MUST have the RecordID field as a field to export. 

  6. Click the Export button. This will download a .csv file.

NOTE: You can filter what you export. For more information, see our article Use Filter with Script to Export.


Update the exported records

It is now time to update the file with your new data.

  1. Open the downloaded file from above.

  2. Update the file with the new data.

  3. Do NOT alter the RecordID column. That identifies which records to change.

  4. Save the file as a .csv or .xls.


Import the modified records

You should now be ready to update the data back into Method. The import flow will mostly follow the Importing a File into Method article, however, there are minor changes.

  1. Click your profile icon in the upper right and choose Integrations.

  2. Select Import & Export.

  3. Select Other for the type of data you wish to import.

  4. For Select an import method, upload your import file and make sure you select the table you want to import into.

  5. For What are you looking to do, make sure you choose Update records.

  6. By default, the RecordID column in the import file should be mapped to the RecordID field in the table.

  7. Continue with the import from here.

And we're done! The records have been updated.

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