Required Fields in the File
Required fields can vary, depending on whether your data import will add new records or update existing records. If you are creating a new record, you must provide at minimum this field:
- Primary Email (for which the column in the database is PRIMARY_EMAIL), an email address consisting of up to 255 characters.
If a constituent does not accept email, the minimum required fields are:
-
Last Name (LAST_NAME in the database), which can be up to 50 letters. The constituent's First Name, while not required, should also be imported to enhance record matching.
-
Member ID (MEMBER_ID in the database). This is a unique identifier used for data synching (and not related to Constituent ID).
If you are updating an existing record, you must provide one of:
-
Constituent ID (for which the column in the database is CONS_ID), a number that is generated by the system when a constituent registers. To find the CONS_ID for a constituent, click on Constituents under Constituent360. Enter the person's name and click the Find button. Mouse over the Edit icon in the table that displays. In the string that displays in the status bar at the bottom of the page, you will see the cons_id (near the end of the string). It will look like this: consID=1001022.
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Member ID (MEMBER_ID in the database). This is a unique identifier used for data synching, and in no way related to Constituent ID.
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Primary Email (for which the column in the database is PRIMARY_EMAIL), an email address consisting of up to 255 characters. Note: you cannot use Primary Email if a constituent does not accept email.
For more information about possible fields that can be included in the import file, refer to the table Understanding the Custom Constituent Import Data Fields.