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Download an example spreadsheet to use as a starting point for your import.

The Import Records feature allows authorised users to upload spreadsheet-style data into Colleague and create or update records in bulk. It is intended for structured imports of Candidates, Companies, Contacts and Leads.

The import process guides you through uploading a CSV file, mapping file columns to Colleague fields, validating the data, reviewing any warnings or errors, choosing how duplicates should be handled, and then completing the import.

Access requirements

• You must be signed in to Colleague with permission to access Admin → Import Records.
• You should understand the type of records you are importing and which fields are mandatory.
• You should have permission to create or update the records included in the import.

Prepare your import file

• Prepare your data as a CSV file before starting the import. Use one row per record and include a header row so that each column can be mapped to the correct Colleague field.
• Keep column names clear and recognisable, such as Forename, Surname, Email, Company Name or Source.
• Check that mandatory fields are populated before importing.
• Remove blank rows where possible.

The Import Records feature is designed as a step-by-step process. You should review each stage carefully before committing the import, especially where the file contains new data, duplicate records or custom fields.

1. Go to Admin → Import Records.
2. Select the record type you want to import.
3. Choose the CSV file from your computer.
4. Confirm the upload to continue to the mapping step.

Colleague processes the file on the server, which helps support correctly formatted CSV files, including files with quoted commas, quoted line breaks and UTF-8 formatting.

After the file uploads, Colleague displays a mapping screen. Use this screen to match each column in your CSV file to the correct Colleague field.

• Where possible, Colleague will suggest mappings automatically based on the column headers.
• You can change any suggested mapping using the field dropdown.
• Fields are grouped to make selection easier, including main record fields, related Company or Address fields, and Custom Fields where applicable.
• Leave columns unmapped if they should not be imported.

If you use the same layout regularly, save the mapping as a template. The template can then be selected on future imports of the same record type to avoid manually mapping the same columns again.

Before records are created or updated, Colleague validates every row in the file. Validation helps identify issues before the import is committed.

• Rows marked OK are ready to import.
• Rows marked Warning can still be imported, but should be reviewed first.
• Rows marked Error will not be imported until the issue is corrected.

Typical validation errors include missing mandatory fields, invalid lookup values, unrecognised dates, invalid custom-field values, or rows with a different number of values than the header row.

If Colleague detects that an imported row may match an existing record, you can choose how the import should handle that duplicate.

• Create creates a new record, even where a potential match already exists.
• Update existing updates the matching record with the imported values.
• Skip existing does not import the duplicate row.

Duplicates may be detected against existing database records and also within the import file itself. For example, duplicate Candidates may be identified by email address, while duplicate Companies may be identified by company name.

Where the selected record type has custom fields, those fields are available during the mapping step. They are grouped under Custom Fields to make them easier to identify.

• Map a CSV column to the required custom field.
• Ensure the imported value matches the custom field type, such as text, date or number.
• Mandatory custom fields must be populated before the row can be imported.

Once you have reviewed the validation results and duplicate-handling options, confirm the import to commit the rows that are eligible for import.

• Rows with errors are skipped.
• Rows with warnings are imported unless you choose not to continue.
• Successful rows are created or updated according to the selected duplicate policy.

For multi-step imports, such as creating a Company, Address and Contact together, Colleague commits the row as a single transaction so partially created orphan records are avoided.

After the import completes, Colleague displays the per-row results. Review the results carefully so you can confirm which rows were imported, skipped or rejected.

• Use the summary counts to check the number of successful, warning and error rows.
• Review any skipped duplicate rows to confirm the selected duplicate policy behaved as expected.
• Download the validation or results report if you need to keep a record of the import outcome.
• Correct any error rows in the source file and re-import them separately if needed.