The Apricot Import tool can be used to create new Tier 1 records in your database. This is helpful when you have a large amount of data that needs to be added to your system, including from an Excel file or from a historic database. The Import tool will guide you through the process of preparing a template, uploading your data, and validating the information before it's added to your database.

Follow the steps listed below to learn how to create batches of Tier 1 records efficiently.

Notes:

Before using with the Import tool, you'll have to clean up the data you plan to import into Apricot. Keep in mind that each import must be assigned to a program, and you'll need to do a separate import for each form in Apricot that will be receiving the imported data. This means that your data should be separated into multiple files by program and by form to ensure that all records can be accessed appropriately after the import.

To learn more about how to format your data for an Import template, click here.

On the Administrator tab, expand the Record Manager category of the navigation bar and select "Imports". This page displays any previous imports uploaded into Apricot under each form name. Select "Prepare For Import" in the Import Actions palette to continue.

In the "Form" dropdown, select the Tier 1 form you're importing data into. Tier 1 form names are left-aligned, whereas Tier 2 forms are indented below them.

There are three different import types for Tier 1 forms:

Select "Data", then check the "Enforce All Required Fields" box to include information for all required fields in the form when creating new Tier 1 records with this import.

Next, select "Create New" for the Record Action field to add new unique records to your database with this import. The Import tool will "reconcile" or match the data for Duplicate Check fields included in the Import template with existing data in your system to ensure the import doesn't create duplicate records.

In the Column Selection section, you can choose which form fields you want to provide data for within your import. Required and Duplicate Check fields will be grayed out, meaning you must include values for these fields in your Import template by default. Other fields can be removed by unchecking the individual boxes or clicking the "Unselect All" button.

The CSV Preview displays the column IDs and header names for the selected fields as they'll appear in the spreadsheet once the Import template is downloaded.

Some field types accept a variety of data, while others require the data to be formatted in a specific way. These are listed in the "Import Instructions" section of the page, but you can also select "Print Instructions" from the Import Actions palette to reference our best practices as you edit your Import template.

Select "Download CSV File" to generate the spreadsheet where you'll enter the form field values to be imported into your database.

Open the spreadsheet you prepared in Step 1 that contains the information you want to add to the database. Next, open the CSV file you just downloaded in Step 5. The CSV file will already contain two header rows that should not be changed in any way. Each column represents a form field, and each row after the header rows will represent an individual Tier 1 record.

Copy the data from your spreadsheet and paste it into the appropriate columns under the headers of the CSV file. Then, save the updated file to your computer as a CSV file type.

Note: If you're importing new users with this import, be sure to enter their password into the "Password: hash" column. The "Password: mod_time" column can be removed from the CSV file, as this can be run in the Post Processing step of the import.

Return to the Imports page in Apricot and select "Upload File" from the Import Actions palette.

Click the "Choose File" button, then select the CSV file you just updated with the data for your new Tier 1 records. Next, click "Upload" in the Import Actions palette to start the import.

The Import Overview page allows you to edit the name of the import to help differentiate it from other imports you may upload. The section below the name displays details about the uploaded file, such as the file name, who uploaded it, and the date and time it was uploaded.

The Import Progress palette to the right shows each step the import must go through in order to upload the data successfully. You can choose to walk through each step individually or have the Import tool run through the steps all at once by selecting "Run All" from the Import Actions palette. A green check will appear next to each step to show its progress.

Note: Clicking "Cancel Import" after choosing to "Run All" will not stop the import. The only way to undo an import after clicking "Run All" is to revert the import after it has run.

Continue reading below to learn more about each import step.

This first step will already be complete as soon as the page refreshes with the Import Progress palette. To continue the import process, click "Assign Access" from the Import Actions palette.

If your import does not include the Assigned Programs column, this step will assign every record in the import to the current program. If your import does include the Assigned Programs column, the current program will become the default program for any records in the file that don't have a proper value entered in the Assigned Programs column. To learn more, click here.

If User Record Level Access is applied to a permission set, you'll need to select a user to assign to the records. The "Owner" will default to the Administrator running the import. If User RLA is not applicable, the record owner will not affect access for these records.
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Move any available program(s) into the "Assigned Programs" box by clicking "Add >". Then, click "Apply" to close the window.

Here, the Import tool checks the structure of the uploaded CSV file to ensure it's suitable for importing. You can view the data in the "Fields Used For Reconciliation" section. If your file contain errors, you'll see a red "x" in the Import Progress palette. Details about the error are found in the "Verified" section of the Imports page.

At the bottom of the page, you'll either find instructions for fixing the error or the following message: "This file cannot be used for import." A new CSV file with corrected columns and headers must be re-uploaded to continue past this step.

Once this step returns no errors, select "Prepare" from the Import Actions palette.

The Import tool will load your data and count how many rows are being imported (not including the header rows). You can view the data in the "Data Read" section, and you can also download the CSV file by clicking the "Get CSV" button. If your file contains errors, you'll see a red "x" in the Import Progress palette. Details about the error are found in the "Prepared" section of the Imports page.

At the bottom of the page, you'll either find instructions for fixing the error or the following message: "Please verify that your file contains data." A new CSV file with at least one row of data must be re-uploaded to continue past this step.

Once this step returns no errors, select "Validate" from the Import Actions palette.

"Validate" checks the quality of your data to ensure it's suitable for importing. If your file contains errors, you'll see a green alert icon instead of the typical "x". Details about the error are found in the "Validated" section of the Imports page.

Unlike the previous steps, there are options for how to address invalid data that don't involve stopping the import and re-uploading the file. Click "View" to display the rows that did not pass validation. Then, choose an option from the dropdown to the left of the "View" button:

You can also click "Get CSV For All Errors" to download a CSV file with just the errored rows to fix later then upload as a separate import.

To continue with the import, select "Reconcile" from the Import Actions palette.

This step reviews records in your database to ensure the new import data doesn't already exist. If your file contains errors, you'll see the green alert icon again in the Import Progress palette. Details about the error are found in the "Reconciled" section of the Imports page.

You can continue reconciling the import even with errors present; the errored rows will just be omitted from the import. A pop-up message will also tell you how many rows from the file will be imported and how many rows will be skipped.

Select "Import" from the Import Actions palette to successfully complete the import.

Rows of data have now been imported to your database! A pop-up message at the top of the screen will state how many rows were imported. You can view the data in the "Imported" section of the Imports page or click "Get CSV" to download a CSV file of the rows that were imported for future reference.

Select "Run Post Processing" from the Import Actions palette to continue to the final step.

Post-processing refers to any action that is usually performed when manually filling out and saving an individual record but is considered "pending" when importing records. This could include setting a default value where appropriate or performing a calculation in a calculation field. Details about available post-processing actions are displayed in the "Post Processing" section of the Imports page.

Notes:

Once post-processing is complete, the "pending" status will become a green check mark.

"Revert" is also considered a post-processing action. This will undo the fully processed import and should only be used if an import was done in error and needs to be removed or redone completely.