Notes on Importing Data

Field Accessibility

You can import values into a field only if you have read and edit access. User permissions, page layout assignments, and field-level security settings determine field access.

Field-level security is available in Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance, and Developer Editions.

New Values for Picklists and Multi-Select Picklists

If you import a picklist value that doesn’t match an existing picklist value:

• For an unrestricted picklist, the Data Import Wizard uses the value that’s in the import file.
• For a restricted picklist, the Data Import Wizard uses the picklist’s default value.

Multi-Select Picklists

To import multiple values into a multi-select picklist, separate the values by a semicolon in your import file.

You can import up to 100 values at a time in a multi-select picklist field. If you have more than 100 values in your import file for any one record, the import wizard leaves the field blank in that record.

Checkboxes

To import data into a checkbox field, use 1 for checked values and 0 for unchecked values.

Default Values

For picklist, multi-select picklist, and checkbox fields, if you do not map the field in the import wizard, the default value for the field, if any, is automatically inserted into the new or updated record.

Date/Time Fields

Ensure that the format of any date/time fields you are importing matches how they display in Salesforce per your locale setting.

Formula Fields

Formula fields cannot accept imported data because they are read only.

Field Validation Rules

Salesforce runs validation rules on records before they are imported. Records that fail validation aren’t imported. Consider deactivating the appropriate validation rules before running an import if they affect the records you are importing.

Geolocation Custom Fields

To import a geolocation custom field using the Data Import Wizard, supply two values: a latitude and a longitude. Import both values in one field, separated by a semicolon. If you enter only one value, it is imported as the latitude, and the longitude is interpreted as 0. If you supply more than two values, the import fails for the entire row.

Currency Fields

If you have currency data in your CSV file, format your values for your locale. For example, if you’re in the U.S. locale, use periods for decimals and commas for thousand markers. Using the incorrect currency format could change your imported values.