Importing a list of your singers is often the first step to getting your site set up. It's a task that can seem a bit daunting at first, but with some streamlining of your spreadsheet, the import process is quick and painless!
Quick guide to importing
Very important reminders
Specific information for adding Members
Specific information for adding Contacts
Quick guide to importing:
- Navigate to Settings and Tools:
- Go to the Admin Settings and Tools page.
- Locate the Imports and Exports page. - Access Account Import:
- Click on the link to import accounts. - Review Formats and Templates:
- On the import page, find information about allowed formats for each field.
- Downloadable templates are provided for guidance. - Select and Upload Your File:
- Choose your file and upload it to the system. It must be formatted as a "CSV" (Comma Separated Value" file. - Map Columns to Fields:
- A page will appear for mapping column headings to allowed fields.
- There is automatic mapping for matching column headings.
- Manually match any columns as needed by dragging and dropping. - Test the Import:
- Test the import, and if necessary, retest it after making mapping adjustments. - Configure Date and Update Options:
- Check the box to guess the date format if required.
- Be cautious and check the box to allow updates to pre-existing accounts only if needed. Note: Do not include your own name in your import file to avoid accidentally removing your Admin role. - Preview Data:
- Review the first 10 rows of data to ensure accuracy using the lower down the page. Issues will be highlighted in red. Hover over them for more details. - Initiate Import:
- If everything looks okay in the preview, click to import the data.
- If it does not look correct, edit your csv file and re-upload it to begin again. - Address Import Issues:
- If there are issues after importing, the system will notify you. Check the list of the import results to find any errors.
- Roll back the batch to undo any created accounts (updates cannot be rolled back). - Accept Batch:
- If the import is correct, accept the batch
It is recommended to NOT import your file with the User ID column. This column should only be used to match lines to existing accounts in the CG system.
The system will avoid creating duplicates where possible. It will match accounts based on one of three columns: User ID, Login name, or Email address.
If you have two rows with the same email address (and are choosing not to import with User ID or Login name - which is often the case for a first time import), it will create the first row, and then update the information using the second row.
Specific information for:
Adding Members
- You do not need to enter a login name for each row - the system can auto-create a login name for them if you leave this column blank (the format will be firstname.lastname)
- You do need a name for each account - either in a "whole name" column, or "first name" and "last name"
- You do not need an email address for each account, but it is recommended. Without one, they cannot receive their login invitation or notifications/emails.
- Accounts should have the “Member” role for the correct level of access if they are active singers within your group
- Status should be “active”, this allows them to login
- Add their relevant voice part as well, for easy organization
- Add their subgroups. These are often defined as groups where the members within them are in contact with each other. This is different from labels, which are only seen by management, so it is used to organize accounts privately. A subgroup might be a smaller ensemble within your choir, and a label might be “donor”.
Consider customizing your login invitation to provide more context/instructions.
This is done under: Admin Settings & Tools > Account emails
Automatic invitation emails will not send while in setup mode. When you are ready to invite your members, take your site out of setup mode and the site will automatically invite them to login within about 3 hours.
Take your site out of setup mode by going to: Admin Settings & Tools > General Settings
Specific information for:
Adding Contacts
- These accounts should not have a role, or they could have the "community" role if they might need to login in. This is useful for volunteers who are not singers within your group.
- Their status should be active. Blocked accounts cannot receive email.
- These accounts will need a label for organization. It might just be “mailing list”, or it might be something like "donor", "patron", "advertiser", or "volunteer"
- Accounts without roles can technically login to your site,
- Community role accounts can login, but they see a very limited view of just the public dashboard, and the events they have been invited to, or have had added to their calendar. They do not see the members list, nor will they have access to the music area. They will receive notifications from the site for events for which they are invited to RSVP.
- Accounts that have no role or have the Community role are not sent login invitations or login reminders, but they can request their own password reset.
