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Import into a Data Extension
Import subscriber data into a data extension in Email Studio.
Your account must be configured to use enhanced FTP to use the Data Extension import wizard. Before you can import a file, you must create a data extension and create the import file. Your import file must contain a header row and at least one row of data. Your import file must be a comma-delimiter, tab-delimiter, or other delimited file. The file size can’t exceed 20 MB when using the import wizard. For files 20 MB or larger use an Automation Studio import activity. You can use an import activity or the import wizard to populate your data extension.
After you have imported into a data extension, you can include the data in your messages with AMPscript functions. For example, you could summarize the customer's transactions for the month in an email.
You can view the data in a data extension, and a count of the records. From the data extension workspace, select the name of the data extension and click the Records tab.
- Hover over Subscribers.
- Click Data Extensions.
- Under Actions click Import for the data extension to import into.
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Complete the Import Into Data Extension dialog box:
- File Location and File:
- My computer—If the file you want to import is on your hard drive, click the Browse button and locate the imported file on your computer. If the file size exceeds 20 MB, you must use the FTP option. The file name must be 99 characters or less.
- FTP—To use a file that you've uploaded to the enhanced FTP site, type the filename in the File name field. File names are case-sensitive. See the Enhanced FTP Guide for details on using the FTP option.
- Compressed—Determines whether the system uncompresses the file when the activity runs. If you select this checkbox, the value you enter in the File Naming field must have a .zip extension.
- Encrypted—Determines whether the system decrypts the file when the activity runs. If you select this checkbox and don’t select the File is compressed checkbox, then the value that you enter in the File Naming field must have a .pgp or .gpg extension.
- Delimiter:
- Comma—If you choose this file type, the value that you enter in the File Naming field must have a .csv extension.
- Tab—If you choose this file type, the value that you enter in the File Naming field must have a .txt extension.
- Other—If you choose this file type, you must enter a 1-character delimiter in the Other Delimiter field.
- Data Format—You can select a date format from the dropdown menu in this section to use as part of the import. Choose the date format that most closely matches the region from which you’re conducting the import.
- Import Type:
- Add and update—If the import file contains records with a primary key or email address that doesn’t exist in the data extension, the import creates a record for that information. If the import file contains records with a primary key (or email address) that does exist in the data extension, the import updates the record to match what is in the import file.
- Add only—The import creates records for primary keys that don’t exist in the data extension and ignores records whose primary keys exist.
- Update Only—If the import file contains records with a primary key or email address that does exist in the data extension, the import updates the record to match what is in the import file.
- Overwrite—The import overwrites all records.
Note When a Primary Key field is configured with a default value, the default value isn’t applied during imports. - Import Options:
- Skip rows with bad data.
- Respect double quotes as a text qualifier—If you select the checkbox, the system treats double quotes as a text delimiter. If you don’t select this checkbox, the system ignores double quotes in your import file.
- File Encoding—Select the type of file encoding you want to use. If no type is selected, the system defaults to UTF-8.
- File Location and File:
- Click Next.
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Complete the Configure Mapping dialog box that appears.
- Map by Header Row—The import updates the columns in the data extension with the information in the import file by matching the column headings.
- Map by Ordinal—The import updates the first column in the data extension with the first column in the import file, the second column with the second column, and so on. When Import File has column headers is checked, the header value in the import file is displayed in italics.
- Map Manually—The import file columns that directly match a data extension column are mapped automatically. To manually map an import file column, select the column name in the dropdown next to the data extension column. An import file column can only be mapped to 1 data extension column.
- Click Next.
- Review the Review & Import dialog box that appears.
- Enter an email address to receive an email when the import completes. You receive a list of errors. By default your Notification Email Address is populated.
- Click Import.
