Import users and companies from CSV

Add or update customer records, map your columns, and check import results.

Written By Markus Palm

Last updated About 5 hours ago

Overview

Import a CSV file to create or update users and companies in Featurebase. You can review column mappings and data changes before the import starts.

You need a Full seat with the Manage Users permission to import records.

Import your data

Prepare your file

Save your file as CSV UTF-8, with column names in the first row and one record per row. Each file can contain up to 100,000 rows, 100 columns, and 100 MB.

Include the identifiers for the records you want to import:

Records	Required data
Users	Email or User ID. Use the same User ID as your app.
Companies	Company ID and Company name when creating companies.
Users and their companies	User details plus Company ID. Include Company name to create a company that does not exist yet.

Upload your file

Open the Users directory
For users, select 'Add users' → 'Import people from CSV'. For companies, open Companies and select 'Import companies'
Upload your CSV file. If the file contains users and company details together, use the people import

Map your columns

Check each suggested mapping in Map columns. Leave columns unmapped when you do not want to import them. You can also create a custom data attribute from the attribute picker.

For company details in a people import, choose the fields under Company. Map Company ID to link users to the correct company. A company name or website alone does not identify the company.

Choose how to handle records:

Create and update records: Create new records and update matching records
Only create new records: Skip records that already exist
Only update existing records: Skip records without a match

Only mapped values are updated. Blank cells leave existing values unchanged.

Review values

In Review values, check values that need attention. Correct a value or select 'Skip value' to leave it out. A correction applies to every occurrence of that value in the column.

Check the date format, decimal separator, and value separator where relevant.

Preview and start

In Preview import, check which records will be created, updated, skipped, or rejected. If your file also changes companies, check the Companies tab.

Open 'Import settings' if you want to add a tag to imported people, subscribe new people to Update emails, or send imported changes to Salesforce or HubSpot. Available options depend on your permissions and connected integrations. Update subscriptions and CRM sync are off by default.

Before you start:

Pause live emails with a Dynamic audience if you do not want them to reach newly matching users
Only enable Update subscriptions for people who agreed to receive them
Check tags carefully because they can grant access to restricted categories

Select 'Start import' and confirm.

Check the results

When the import finishes, check the results for created, updated, skipped, and failed records. Select 'Download failed rows' to correct failed records and import them again.

You can return to previous imports under Settings → Imports & Exports → Import history.

FAQs

Can I use Featurebase IDs to update records?

Featurebase ID and Featurebase company ID can identify existing records for updates. They cannot create new records. If this is your only identifier, select Only update existing records when mapping your columns.

Does a people import create or merge leads?

No. People imports create users. They do not create leads or merge an existing lead into a user.

Does canceling an import undo its changes?

No. Canceling stops the remaining work. It does not undo records already imported or updated.

Was this helpful?

Still need help? Ask the team