Set aside at least 48 hours to prep and import your data before it needs to be used in an Effort. Make sure it meets all of the minimum requirements, and as many of the best practices as possible. For instructions on re-importing a failed import, see Import Failure Causes and Resolution.
Minimum Requirements
If your data does not meet the following requirements, you will receive an error message.
- File type must be CSV
- Records must be fewer than 50,000
- Include the following fields:
- Primary ID – a unique identifier assigned to each voter or contact
- First Name
- Last Name
- Street Number
- Street Name and Type
- Apartment Number
- City – (only required if the Zip is not included)
- State – (only required if the Zip is not included)
- Zip Code
- Fields can be either numeric or text, as indicated by the icon next to the field name. When cleaning your data you must ensure you have used the fields correctly. For example, Precinct is a numeric field, and will not upload correctly if your precinct column contains a letter. Numeric fields will not recognize text (non-number, including "-" and "/").
- Street number, street name, and apartment must be separate fields. If needed, use the concatenate function to combine all elements of the street name (prefix, street, suffix, type: North Main St).
Best Practices
The following best practices will help ensure your import is as effective as possible.
- Filtering is unavailable in Canvassing during List creation, so filter the raw data in your file before importing.
- Include geocodes in your file with Longitude and Latitude fields.
- Ensure that values do extend beyond the existing data, such as when pasting or dragging a formula down many rows.
- Remove any unwanted fields.