Import records from another system
If you are moving to enrola from another system, or have a large batch of records to add, the enrola team can import them for you from CSV (comma-separated values) files. Imports are run by the enrola team, not from your own screens. This article explains how to prepare your files and what happens next.
To start, contact support at support@enrola.co.uk.
What can be imported
| Records | Required columns | How they link to other records |
|---|---|---|
| Employers | Name | Give each employer an External ID if you are also importing its contacts or Opportunities. |
| Contacts | First Name, Last Name, Email, External Employer ID | External Employer ID must match the External ID of an employer already in enrola. |
| Opportunities | Title | External Employer ID links an Opportunity to its employer. |
| Applications | First Name, Last Name, Email, External Opportunity ID | External Opportunity ID must match the External ID of an Opportunity already in enrola. |
Learners are not imported this way.
Prepare your files
- Ask the enrola team for the import template for each kind of record. Each template lists the columns enrola can take.
- Make one CSV file per kind of record, with the column names in the first row and one record per row.
- Write dates as DD/MM/YYYY, for example 31/01/2000.
- Fill in the required columns on every row.
- For records that link to others, use the same external reference in both files. For example, give an employer the External ID EMP-0042, and give each of its contacts the External Employer ID EMP-0042.
- To import your own custom fields, add a column named exactly as the field's label in enrola.
- Remove any rows you don't want in enrola, such as test records and duplicates.
Send the files in this order, so the links work: Employers, then Contacts and Opportunities, then Applications.
Tip. Columns don't have to be in the template's order, and your own column names are fine. The enrola team matches each column to an enrola field during the import.
What happens during the import
- The enrola team uploads your file and names the import.
- enrola matches each enrola field to a column in your file. Matches are marked Exact match, Best guess, please check or Your choice, and fields left out are marked Not imported. Required fields are always imported.
- enrola checks every row before importing anything. If any row has a problem, such as a missing required value or a date in the wrong format, the errors are listed by row and field. The enrola team fixes them or asks you for a corrected file.
- When every row passes, enrola imports the records in the background. Large files can take a few minutes.
Nothing is imported until the whole file passes the checks, so you never end up with half a file.
After the import
- The records appear on their lists straight away. Check a few of each kind.
- An import always adds new records. It does not update records that are already in enrola, and it does not spot duplicates. If you need to re-import a file, tell the enrola team first.