CRM On Demand Learning Blog

Data import — gotta do it but don’t know where to start?  Importing data is a particularly important task to do right. If you don’t, you end up with incorrect or missing data and end-users that have no confidence in your beautiful new CRM application.

So, what do I suggest? You might have already noticed that there are a lot of resources to help you learn about importing data into CRM On Demand. Here are my thoughts about which to focus on first:

• Read the whole Import and Export Tools topic in Online Help, just to get a general idea of how it all works.
  
  
  
  • Click the Help link on any page in the CRM On Demand application and find the topic on the Contents tab under Administering Siebel CRM On Demand > Data Management Tools.
    
  • Pay close attention to the Preparing for Data Importing page to learn about some important considerations.
    
  • Download and read the Before You Import Data document.
    
  • Notice that there is a page for each type of record, which lists data preparation tips for each field of that record-type. That will help later when you are cleaning up your data before you import it.
  
  
• Take the Importing Your Data Webinar, available via the Training page. Look for it in the Administrator browse category in the catalog.

If I was responsible for importing data for my company, either to get our initial data into the application or as an ongoing maintenance task, I would also:

• Sign up for the Data Import Workshop — IMMEDIATELY.

Do not underestimate the importance of data import tasks. Using the Import Assistant to get data into the application is the easy part. It’s the preparation and cleansing of the data that will get you.  This one-day class gives a lot of great information about the realities of preparing data for import into CRM On Demand, gathered from consultants who do this work every day.  And, it lets you practice doing it in someone else’s environment before you have to do it in your own.

• Search the knowledge library to find import tips and resources that others have found helpful, including:
  
  
  
  • The Address Mapping Template and Phone Mapping Guide — download this for help with importing address or phone number information from multiple countries.
    
  • The Import Error and Warning Messages documents — download these for help with troubleshooting import errors.
    
  • If these links don’t work, click here for instructions to access the Knowledge Library Then click the Login to MetaLink 3 link.
  
  
• Visit the Administrator Forum to connect with a community of administrators, to search for discussions, and post your own questions about importing data.