Hi @MICEE ,
The most common CSV import errors include:
The file size is too large - The CSV import tool of the program you’re using might have a file size requirement. To reduce the file size, you can delete unnecessary data values, columns, and rows.
Matching issues - A good data importer should make it easy for users to match the headers in their CSV file with what the software expects but plenty of data importers aren’t built to handle this well. To succeed, you might need to rename your header rows to what is expected and try again. Other matching issues can occur if the expected columns are in the wrong order or if certain required fields are missing.
Data translation errors - Data translation is essentially pulling the data from the CSV into what the software program can use. If there are non-standard characters or if the data is encoded, data translation (and the entire import) could fail. To fix this, pay attention to any error messages stating the presences of non-standard characters and edit them out of your file.
Data value issues - A CSV import tool will typically expect a certain type of data value. If you have a date entered where there should be a dollar amount, the CSV upload could fail. Check any support documentation about expected values and edit your CSV file accordingly.
Missing data - Certain data sets might be required in order for the import to work. For example, if you’re uploading a list of products into an inventory management system but don’t have a column for SKUs, it might be a bust. Check the error messages and support docs to figure out what data is required.
Non-digestible formats - This simply means the data might not be in the right format. For example, let's say you have phone numbers in a column in your CSV file using the format 5555555555 but your CSV importer requires the format to be (555)555-5555. You’ll need to edit all instances and try your CSV import again.
Addressing these common issues will cure the majority of CSV import failures, so give them a go and edit out the relevant Microsoft Excel errors from your file.
And if you’re part of a product team and want to resolve these import issues for customers automatically, consider using a pre-built data importer to improve the data onboarding experience.
