CSVs

CSVs are a simple file format used to represent structured data. The overwhelming majority of systems that work with data support CSV files in some manner and so Adestra uses CSV files for imports and exports. This gives the best possible chance for successful and unambiguous communication to and from other systems.

On this page:

• Formatting Data for Import
• Creating a CSV File
• Common Issues
• Promo Codes
• Downloading Data
• FAQ

Formatting Data for Import

The file format for CSVs are as follows:

• Delimited with a comma, pipe or tab
• Fields can be optionally quoted with double quotes
• Comma, or pipe-delimited files may contain commas or pipes within fields, if the field is quoted
• Backslash escapes are not supported
• First row contains fieldnames
• All files must contain an email address column
• Fieldnames must contain at least one alphabetic character
• One record per line
• No non-printable characters in fields (no tabs, newlines etc.)
• DOS (\r\n), Mac (\r) and UNIX (\n) line terminators are supported
• UTF-8, Windows-1252 or Latin-1 format text is acceptable
• All fields will be trimmed of whitespace
• Records containing invalid or missing email addresses will not be imported
• Records with incorrect number of fields will not be imported
• Files may contain a primary key column, which may be used to dedupe instead of the email address
• Dates should be in YYYY-MM-DD format

Creating a CSV File

A CSV is a text file and so can be created using any text editor.

Your first row should include the headers for your data, with the first being 'email'—which is required. Records are then line separated, with their data comma separated. For example:

email, first_name, surname, nation_residence
john.smith@example.com,John,Smith,UK
nao.cruz@example.com,Nao,Cruz,USA
robert_hanson@example.com,Robert,Hanson,UK

When saved with the extension .csv these can then be opened in programs often used to display tabular data, such as Excel.

Saving a CSV with Excel

When using a Mac OS Excel the file should be saved as 'Windows Comma Separated (.csv)', found under 'Speciality Formats'.

With Windows OS Excel the file should be saved as 'CSV (Comma Delimited)(*csv)'.

Common Issues

There are certain things that must be taken into account when importing a CSV file into Adestra. If there are issues with a CSV it will fail to upload your contact data. These issues are discussed below.

Field Mapping

Field mapping is how Adestra applies the data in your CSV to the table fields in your core/data tables. For lists, Row 1 should be made up of headers for the data in the spreadsheet's columns. These headers should ideally match up to the fields you have on your core table (avoiding capitals and special characters), as this will enable Adestra to 'Guess matching fields'.

ISO Format Dates

Adestra will accept dates in any format; however, should you wish to filter on the date of a contact, it will need to be in the ISO standard YYYY-MM-DD.

Field Limit

Unless the core/data table field is classified as a 'Large Text' area, there is a limit of 255 characters for a field.

Empty Columns

We would advise deleting any columns without data in them, as this can create an error upon import.

Delimiters

Adestra does support other delimited data formats, such as tab, pipe or semi-colon. We recommend leaving the delimiter option as 'Auto-detect', unless you find Adestra misinterpreting your CSV. If this happens it is worth checking what is locally set as your delimiter. If there are still issues however, contact Adestra Customer Support (adestra-support@uplandsoftware.com).

No Carriage Returns

CSV imports are unable to accommodate for carriage returns, as it treats data as a new row and thus separate data. If carriage returns exist within your CSV file, upon import, this will be identified as an incomplete record—as there would be no email address.

For example, the below contains a carriage return:

email@example.com, name, surname, , address, post_code

But this is how it would attempt to be imported:

email@example.com, name, surname
address, post_code

It is possible to check and delete any carriage returns by using ALT+010 and then leaving the 'replace' field empty.

Import Error

If you receive an error page when clicking 'Next', after you have selected your CSV file, it is worth resaving the CSV and trying again before requesting support—often this will resolve any issues at this stage.

If you receive an error page at the 'Import' stage, after fields have been mapped, this is likely to be something like a header error in the CSV. Check to ensure there are no errors and if the problem persists, contact Adestra Customer Support (adestra-support@uplandsoftware.com).

Promo Codes

Note: This feature is currently going through beta testing. If you would like to be a part of this process or would like more information please contact your account manager.

The process to import promotion codes is much simpler as no field mapping takes place. Depending on how your CSV of codes is formatted you can choose whether the first row is treated as a header or not.

For example, with the "Treat the first line of the list file as a Header" box checked, promo_codes would not be imported as a code.

Downloading Data

Table data can also be downloaded into a CSV using the download button. Whether this is the Launch Data, found in the Reports section or the information of items in a table (id, name, description, workspace).

FAQ

I want to import data that isn't in a CSV, can I do this?

Adestra only uses CSVs for imports—so simply converting your file into a CSV will solve this issue. However, if your data is in a different format, and must be kept that way, we may be able to create a bespoke solution for you. If this is the case, contact your account manager.