Using RE Import to update a constituent attribute

Elizabeth Sarkady · July 2022

Hi all - we're almost done with the initial migration process and I am trying to update one specific attribute on a group of constituent records. Our constituent IDs and their import IDs for this group are the same.

The four columns I have in the csv file is:
- Constituent ID
- Attribute Category
- Attribute Description
- Attribute Comments

Every time I try to match a constituent by “Use the Constituent ID” it still says the Import ID field is required to update existing records"

When I try to map the Constituent ID column as the “Constituent Import ID” it gives me the same error.

How do I update these records as a group? What is the appropriate mapping?

Alan French · July 2022

@Elizabeth Sarkaday if you're updating existing attributes (rather than adding new ones) then you'll also need the import ID for the attribute itself - RE needs to be told not only which constituent the attribute is on, but which attribute needs changing, as constituents can have many attributes. The constituent ID by itself is not enough for the import to identify the correct attribute to update.

If you're adding new attributes then you don't need to provide an attribute import ID, but you need to select a different setting on your import to tell it that you're adding new attributes, and then it won't prompt you for an ID.

Most items of data in RE (constituents, addresses, phone numbers, actions etc.) will have their own ID numbers. You should be able to get them from a query or export - let us know if you're having trouble finding the attribute import IDs and matching them up to your data.

The constituent ID and the constituent import ID can be 2 different things (for example ours are the same for the records we migrated over to RE from our previous database, and different for records created in RE) so I wouldn't necessarily rely on those two fields being interchangeable in future imports.

Alan French · July 2022

Ooh and one other tip that might help you with future imports: on the Fields screen of the import setup, if you right-click on the left-hand list of available fields and click on the Legend option that pops up, you can colour-code the fields to make it more obvious which ones need to be mapped to a column in your file.

For example I have all my required fields in red font, and any conditionally required fields (ones that may or may or not need to be mapped depending on what else you're mapping) in blue, so then it's much more obvious what needs to be mapped as an absolute minimum before it'll let me import the file.

Elizabeth Sarkady · July 2022

@Alan French
Is it that a Constituent Attribute has an ID (such as “Attribute” attribute ID is Attribute1234)

OR is it that A constituent has an attribute ID specific to them and that attribute? Such as “Elizabeth has an attribute called "Attribute" and that ID is “Attribute123” and Alan has a different answer to the same Attribute so his ID is “Attribute456”?

Dariel Dixon 2 · July 2022

@Elizabeth Sarkaday If you are updating the attribute, you'll need the attribute Import ID for the attribute your are updating. You'll have to export that information out of the database to get it. From there, your import will have at least 5 fields (maybe 6).

ConsID (or Import ID)
Attribute Import ID
Attribute Category
Attribute Description
Attribute Date (I can't remember if this is optional or not)
Attribute Comments

From there, you should be able to run the import. I can't remember if you can manually set the Attribute Import ID, but if you are updating existing attributes, I think you would want to use what is already in the database.

Alan French · July 2022

@Elizabeth Sarkaday it's the latter one: every single attribute on every single constituent record will have a unique ID; it won't be the same as any other attribute's import ID even if they are from the same attribute category.

Daniel R. Snyder · July 2022

@Alan French:
Ooh and one other tip that might help you with future imports: on the Fields screen of the import setup, if you right-click on the left-hand list of available fields and click on the Legend option that pops up, you can colour-code the fields to make it more obvious which ones need to be mapped to a column in your file.
For example I have all my required fields in red font, and any conditionally required fields (ones that may or may or not need to be mapped depending on what else you're mapping) in blue, so then it's much more obvious what needs to be mapped as an absolute minimum before it'll let me import the file.

@Alan French ? I had no idea that was a legend area! Great tip #GNinja

Tom Ong · August 2022

@Elizabeth Sarkaday, you will need to have an Attribute Import ID column. If this is an update to existing records, you will need to export the Attribute Import ID for this attribute; however, if you are “adding new" attribute to constituent's records, this Attribute Import ID column will be blank…

Austen Brown · August 2022

@Dan Snyder SAME! @Alan French Thanks for the legend tip! I wish I knew this was possible when first learning how to import.

Erin Fariss 2 · October 2023

Dariel DixonSAME! @Alan French I want to thank you both of you for sharing your insights and wisdom on a topic that I am also dealing with. Like Elizabeth Sarkady, I am trying to update an attribute, and I'm facing the same issue. We have an attribute category named "Major Gift Active," and we want to modify its description from "MG High" to "MG Inactive." After reading both of your posts and following your steps, I was able to successfully update the attribute. Yay! Thank you so much for your help. I and my team truly appreciate it. ?

I'm assuming there is a similar process to updating phone types? e.g. from Landline to Mobile?

Daniel R. Snyder · October 2023

@Erin Fariss You are correct, updating the phone type would be a similar process. Take a look at this KB Article -

Erin Fariss 2 · October 2023

@Dan Snyder
Thank you, Dan ?

Using RE Import to update a constituent attribute

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