Bulk Update for Existing Accounts using the Import Manager – Neon One

Introduction
Required Fields
Data Structure
Available Fields
Updating Company Accounts
Exporting Data for Update
Conducting an Account Batch Update
Account Batch Update Assistance

Introduction

You can use Neon CRM's Import Manager to overwrite or delete existing data - like email address or All Account custom fields - from the specified accounts. You can also add new transactions to existing accounts.

Note, however, that you cannot change information on existing transactions with the Import Manager.

Required Fields

As noted in the Available Fields section of this guide, an account ID is required to perform an account batch update. These can be:

Neon CRM account IDs. This works in all situations.
Account IDs from another database which you have previously used the Import Manager to bring into Neon CRM.

Data Structure

When performing an account batch update, Neon CRM will overwrite existing account data with any data that appears on the imported spreadsheet. Importing blank cells will overwrite any existing information.

For example, if I were to use the following spreadsheet:

Neon would change the First Name on this account (see below) from "Gregory" to "Greg."

As such, we strongly recommend that you only include columns on your account batch update spreadsheet that you wish to update in Neon CRM. Account batch updates cannot be undone; deleting an account batch update from the Import Manager does NOT roll back the updates made to existing Neon CRM accounts.

Available Fields

Only certain fields are supported for update using the Import Manager. In addition to the fields below, account custom fields can be updated using the Import Manager.

Field Name	Explanation	Example	Configure in NeonCRM before importing?	Required for Importing?	Required Values?	Field Selection Type	Type of Data	Max Characters
Account ID	Account ID number. Must be from Neon or an external system previously migrated using the Import Manager.	123		Yes
First Name	First name	Bill				Free-entry	Text	30
Last Name	Last name	Smith				Free-entry	Text	30
Pinned Note	A note about an account. Appears in NeonCRM as a Pinned Note.	I had a nice conversation with this account on the phone. He likes fishing.				Free-entry	Text
Note Title	The title (subject) of an imported account note.	Stewardship phone call		Required for rows that include an account note.		Free-entry	Text	30
Address 1	First line of somebody's address.	534 Main Street				Free-entry	Text	64
Address 2	Second line of somebody's address. Commonly used for mailbox numbers and Unit numbers.	Apt #4				Free-entry	Text	64
Address 3	Third line of somebody's address. Not often used.	3rd Floor				Free-entry	Text	64
Address 4	Fourth line of somebody's address. Not often used.					Free-entry	Text	64
Address Type	Which type of address is recorded?	Home, Business, School			Home, Business, School	Drop-down	Text	50
City	City Name	Chicago				Free-entry	Text	50
Country	Country Name	United States				Drop-down	Text
County	County Name	Cook				Free-entry	Text	50
Deceased	Is this person deceased?	Yes			1=Yes 0=No	Check Box	Boolean
DOB	Date of birth. Must be in MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY format.	01/01/2011				Date	Date	15
Email 1	Email address.	steve@example.com				Free-entry	Text	80
Email 2	Secondary email address.	steve@secondexample.net				Free-entry	Text	80
Email 3	Third email address.	steve3@thirdexample.net				Free-entry	Text	80
Fax	Fax number.	555-555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Fax Area	Fax area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555				Free-entry	Text	10
Fax Number	Fax number, without the area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Fax Type	Type of fax number.	Home, Work	Yes			Drop-down	Text	20
Gender	Gender	Female	Yes			Drop-down	Text	15
Ind/Com Type	Categorization of individuals and/or companies.	Foundation, Volunteer				Check Box	Text
IsPrimaryAddress	Indication of if the address that you are importing / updating should be the primary address for the account.	Yes			1=Yes 0=No	Check Box	Boolean
Job Title	What is their job title in their company?	Executive Director				Free-entry	Text	100
Login Name	The login name for this account to use to log in to the Neon CRM front-end system.	exampleloginname				Free-entry	Text	25
Login Password	The password for this account to use to log in to the Neon CRM front-end system.	examplepassword				Free-entry	Text	25
Middle Name	Middle Name	Clifton				Free-entry	Text	20
Email Opt-Out	Has this account opted out of receiving emails?	Yes			1=Yes 0=No	Check Box	Boolean
Do Not Contact	Has this account opted out of receiving emails or physical mailings?	Yes			1=Yes 0=No	Check Box	Boolean
Company Name†	Name of Organization / Company / Employer	ABC Foundation				Free-entry	Text	200
Phone 1	Primary phone number.	555-555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Phone 1 Area	Primary phone number's area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555				Free-entry	Text	10
Phone 1 Number	Primary phone number without area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Phone 2	Secondary phone number	555-555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Phone2 Area	Secondary phone number's area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555				Free-entry	Text	10
Phone2 Number	Secondary phone number without area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Phone3	Third phone number	555-555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Phone3 Area	Third phone number's area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555				Free-entry	Text	10
Phone3 Number	Third phone number without area code. Use this if you want to be able to run reports on area code information separately.	555-5545				Free-entry	Text	20
Preferred Name	The name this account prefers to use: e.g., "Bill" instead of William. This field can also be used to include additional contacts' names in a usable field for emails and letters: e.g., "Bill and Marcia" or "Bill Smith and Marcia Jones".	Bill				Free-entry	Text	200
Prefix	A prefix or title to a name.	Dr.	Yes			Drop-down	Text	20
Territory	Use instead of State/Province if the address is outside the United States or Canada.	Lapland (Finland)				Free-entry	Text	50
Salutation	The Primary Contact's name as it would appear in the addressee line of a letter.					Free-entry	Text	50
Source	What is the Source of the account?	Community Event
State/Province	Region for US or Canadian addresses.	Rhode Island				Drop-down	Text
Suffix	A suffix for a name.	Jr.	Yes			Drop-down	Text	20
URL	A website to associate with an account.	www.mywebpage.com				Free-entry	Text	80
Zip	ZIP code	60661-4205				Free-entry	Text	10

† When batch updating individual accounts, you cannot modify the existing Company Name, Department, or Job Title fields, but you can add new company records:

If the company name is blank on the individual account that is being updated, mapping Company Name, Department, or Job Title will add a new company record under the Employment History section of the individual account. This Company Name will be set as the current employer for the individual.
If the company name is not blank on the individual account that is being updated or is linked to a company account as a current employee, mapping Company Name, Department, or Job Title will add a new company record under the Employment History section of the individual account, but it will not be set as the current employer. No changes will be made to the existing company information.

For more information about Employment History, see the Relationships guide here.

Updating Company Accounts

Account batch update affects company accounts in the following ways:

Company Name can be updated using account batch update for company accounts.
If First Name and Last Name are included in the account batch update and the Names match an existing contact on the company account, no additional contact will be created on the company account.
If First Name and Last Name are included in the account batch update and the Names do not match the primary company contact, an additional company contact will be created and will not be set as the primary contact.

Exporting Data for Update

The easiest way to get data for an account batch update is to run a report in Neon CRM. For example, let's say I want to add address data for accounts that are missing that information.

First, navigate to Reports > New Report > Communication and Mailing > All Accounts Report.

Using Search Criteria, search to find the accounts that you wish to batch update. The report below shows 4 Neon CRM accounts that don't have addresses. We recommend that you save this report of the accounts you're updating so that you can easily bring them up in a report later to make sure that your updates were made.

Then, export this report to a CSV file by selecting the CSV button. Note that the account IDs on this sheet reference the existing accounts in the NeonCRM system.

Enter the data that you wish to update for these accounts in your spreadsheet.

Save your updated file as a CSV file. You are now ready to conduct your batch update in Neon CRM.

Conducting an Account Batch Update

To begin the account batch update, navigate to Tools Import Manager, then select New Import.

On the first screen, give your import a Title.

Then for Does your spreadsheet contain an Account ID column?, select Yes. Respond to whether the IDs are from Neon CRM. If they are not, select the previously-imported set of IDs. Select Next.

On the next page, ensure that the Accounts checkbox is checked, then click Next.

On the next screen, select how the addresses are formatted on your spreadsheet. Select Next.

Next, you will be asked to upload your spreadsheet. Select the appropriate options, then select Next.

You have the option to select an import that is similar to the one you are importing now. To skip this step, select Next.

On the next page, you will be asked to identify the Import Mapping that you wish to use. Import mapping tells Neon what fields your data should be imported to. You can either select a mapping that you have previously saved, or create a new mapping by clicking New Mapping.

On the next screen, you will be asked to confirm the mapping of your data from your spreadsheet to Neon. At the top of the screen, Neon will display a sample of your spreadsheet data. At the bottom of the screen, you can select the appropriate items from the drop-down Standard Field and Custom Field menus to map your data.

**Be sure to map the Account ID column to the Account ID Standard Field.**

The Field Mapping page may appear to confirm details about your import. When finished, select Check My Data.

Once your data has been successfully updated, Neon will give you a notification.

Account Batch Update Assistance

Assistance with troubleshooting account batch updates as well as formatting data for account batch updates is only provided via consultation. For more information and to fill out a form requesting a consultation, please visit our Neon CRM Consultation page here.

If you need to update account data that is not available via an account batch update, or you need to update transaction or other data, our Data Services team can provide an estimate for this work. More information on Data Services is available here.

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