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Hi! Is there a specific course that can help me design an Import Template that will help me import all the information I need to import during summer? Connect RE does not work for us and it has been too scary to try it again based on the mess we dealt with in the past.

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  • Elizabeth Johnson
    Elizabeth Johnson ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 4 Name Dropper Photogenic

    Hi @Cassie Allen and welcome to the Community!

    Blackbaud has several resources that help with import. I've not seen what this might look like in the web view aside from bringing in data using Power Automate so I'm going to stick to the database view options. I love the Import tool - it is definitely a feature I use every week. I can't wait to see what the web view version will look like.

    Here are some resources that I think will help you with your desire to learn more about import:

    A few tips as I'm also from a school (assuming you are bringing new families/students in - I'm curious if that is true and if so what system you are importing from - our academic system is Veracross)

    • When setting up your spreadsheet if your headers match what you see in the guide it will be easier.
    • When I first learned Import down in SC at BBU I was taught that every column had to be mapped. In my training last summer I learned that wasn't true - a real game-changer for me.
    • Always test with a small amount of varied data
    • I like my first column and last column to be populated. I generally start with an ID and end with the key indicator depending on the type of import.
    • You can do most of your work with bringing in new families with the built-in Imports and global add features but you will not be able to do it with one pass. It is easier to do this for new records - it gets a little more complicated when you are trying to add fundraisers (solicitors) to an existing action. Do the checklist - your future self will appreciate it.

    There are third-party options to help if you are not yet a low-code developer (Power Automate) - there are a lot of threads in the community for those. Look for Ziedman's Importacular, Omatics ImportOmatic (IOM)** and Cloud solutions, and for Power Automation - take the class - go to bbdevdays and you can also check out PSG's AutomateGenius.

    *These are very valid but so old they still say “The Raiser's Edge” which once was accurate but the “The” was dropped approximately when they launched RE NXT.

    **I'm also an IOM customer and honestly, I use the native import more frequently. IOM I use for the more complex imports.

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