Narrative 13: Import - Data mapping

Narrative 13: Import - Data mapping

Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series

Narrative 13: Importing your data


When importing data into an application, it is crucial to prevent data loss or duplication. These types of errors can hinder the development of a clean and well-organized database, which is essential for effective data management and security.

Zoho Desk provides robust functionality for importing your data. The system intelligently automates the mapping of modules and fields to reduce the risk of data loss and maintain data integrity. Users have the advantage of verifying the field mappings in advance, thus adding an extra layer of security to the import process.

This capability is essential not only for clarity but also in mitigating the challenges associated with user adoption. For instance, clients can be accurately mapped to the "Contact name" field, while company names align with the "Account name" field to maintain an organized database, which helps ensure user trust in the system. 

Related knowledge base article: Importing data into Zoho Desk

Quote

Prerequisites

  1. Users can upload a .csv file or a .zip file containing multiple .csv files. 
  2. The .zip file must be named, for example, Contacts.zip, Accounts.zip, etc.

What are Identifier Fields?  

Identifier fields are fields used to find and match existing records when importing data into the product. They also help link related records, like connecting a contact’s name with their email address.

Each module supports different unique identifier fields for identification, as described in the table below:.  

Modules

Unique Identifier Fields

Accounts
​

Account ID

Account External ID

Account Name

Contacts

Contact ID

Contact External ID

Last Name

First Name

Email

Phone Number

Mobile

Tickets

Ticket ID

Ticket External ID

Ticket Number

Products

Product ID

Product External ID

Product Name

Tasks

TaskId

Task External ID

Calls

Call ID

Call External ID

Events

Event ID

Event External ID

Article Translation

Translation: External ID

Translation ID

Custom Modules

​

Record External ID

Custom Module Name

Quote

Points to remember: 

  1.  These fields help find matching records. 
  2.  If multiple records match the value, the first matching record will be selected automatically. 
  3. This can lead to unexpected matches or data being updated in the wrong record if you're not careful. 

Background:

  • Some users expressed a preference for matching Contacts by Last Name instead of Email, highlighting the importance of flexibility in their workflow. 
  • Other users approached matching through the use of a custom field, emphasizing the need for tailored solutions to fit their unique requirements. 
  • We also heard from many users who requested that the functionality be enhanced by updating existing records with the relevant entity's Zoho Desk ID to streamline their processes and improve data accuracy.

Working with the Identifier Field

When importing data into Zoho Desk, the Identifier Field is important because it helps identify existing records and avoid duplicate entries. 

Commonly used identifier fields

  • Find By is used to identify an existing record during the import process.
  • Map By is utilized to link a child record to a parent record, for instance, by linking a Contact to a Ticket.
You can now select specific fields for matching, providing enhanced control and customization during bulk processes or integrations. This functionality enables more precise data handling, ensuring that the information aligns with your specific requirements. By tailoring the matching criteria, you can streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and provide better outcomes for your team. This flexibility enables you to harness the full potential of your data.

Improvements in user experience 

Transparent process and status tracking 

We’ve implemented a straightforward, step-by-step process for data imports, complete with real-time status updates for each stage. This transparency enables users to monitor import progress and understand the current state of the process.

Unique identifiers for entity mapping 

New fields have been introduced to help users identify if a parent entity already exists when importing related child entities. For example, users can seamlessly map a contact to an existing account in Zoho Desk to streamline the import process while minimizing the risk of duplicate entries.

Enhanced error handling and log accessibility

We’ve made significant improvements in error handling by allowing users to download detailed error logs right from the history page in case of import failures. This enhancement provides users with greater insight into any issues and facilitates faster troubleshooting and resolution.

Support for custom modules

The import UI has been revamped to support custom modules, providing users with greater flexibility and customization options. This enables a more personalized and efficient data import experience.

Coming up soon

Custom unique fields

Identifying key data points, such as a Customer ID in the Contact Module, ensures that every customer has a distinct reference, which streamlines ticket management and resolution. By establishing these fields as identifiers, support agents can quickly access and update customer records, enhancing response times and accuracy.

External ID fields 

Integration with various systems often generates External ID fields, such as CRM ID, Invoice ID, and Bug ID. Utilizingthese fields as identifiers enables agents to cross-reference relevant records seamlessly. When records need to be updated or retrieved from different systems, these unique identifiers are crucial in maintaining data consistency across platforms.

Composite identifier fields

Often, relying solely on a single identifier may not be sufficient to pinpoint a customer accurately or a record.Implementing multiple fields as composite identifiers can enhance data integrity and accuracy. For example, considering both the Last Name and Email of a contact can significantly reduce errors in data retrieval and ensure that support inquiries are directed and resolved correctly.

Wrapping up

Using these features positions support teams to operate more effectively and improve overall customer interactions. For instance, a large corporation merging client data from multiple legacy systems into Zoho Desk modules will benefit significantly from automatic field mapping to ensure that contact and account names are accurately aligned. This attention to detail not only improves the user experience but also enhances overall data integrity during the merging process.


Please stay tuned for more in the Desk behind-the-scenes series.

 

Regards,

 

Kavya Rao

The Zoho Desk Team


    • Recent Topics

    • Books & Desk. Client mapping

      Hi, I’ve been using Zoho Books for several years and am now looking to improve my customer service. I'm experimenting with Zoho Desk and want to sync and map my client data from Zoho Books. However, it seems that mapping requires both contacts to have

    • String handling

      If I cut a currency string from a quote and try and paste it into the Deal "Amount", it will fail unless I manually delete any commas. Dollar signs are no problem, but comma's seem to fail. Please correct this Input Validation error.

    • Allow Stripe Credit Card and Stripe ACH payment methods to be enabled separately on an invoice.

      I need to be able to pick at the invoice level whether Stripe Credit Card and/or Stripe ACH payment methods are available. Currently, I'm not able to select from the two Stripe payment methods individually on an invoice. However, there are some larger

    • YouTube Live streaming? how to? Zoom has this feature, built-in. Can't find it on zoho meetings.

      YouTube Live streaming? how to? Zoom has this feature, built-in. Can't find it on zoho meetings.

    • Feature Request - A Way To Search Item Groups

      Hi Inventory Team, I can't find any way to filter or search by fields of Item Groups. It would be great to see that functionality added. I have a use case where a single product might come from 5 or more suppliers and each supplier's item is an Item in

    • Feature Reqeust - Include MPN In Selectable FIelds

      I have noticed that the MPN is not available to show in the list view of Items. Please consider adding it as EAN, UPC and ISBN are all available, so it doesn't make much sense to exclude this similar option. Thanks for considering my feedback.

    • Feature Request - Option To Hide Default System Fields on Items

      Hi Zoho Inventory Team, As far as I know it is not possible to hid some of the defult system fields on Items, such as UPC, MPN, EAN, ISBN. A good use case is that in many cases ISBN is not relevant and it would be an improved user experience if we could

    • Campaigns does not work!

      I am running into so many problems trying to use Zoho Campaigns, that I am seriously considering dropping the app from my (shrinking) list of Zoho applications I actually use. Apart from having to fight the software trying to create a design and email,

    • Feature Request - Make Available "Alias Name" Field In Item List View

      Hi Zoho Inventory Team, I have noticed that the "Alias Name" field does not appear on the list of selectable columns in the Customise Columns feature in the Items module. This would be very useful to see for businesses who are using the Alias Name field

    • product name field issue-n8n

      Hey guys, I have a question. I want to create a new product using the workflow. The problem is with the product name field; I don't know how to fill it in. The workflow starts with retrieving information from the leads table, retrieving links to scrape

    • How to filter Packages in zoho inventory api

      Hi Team, I want to perform some tasks in a schedular on the packages which are in "Shipped" state. I tried to use filter_by in my api call but in return I get response as {"code":-1,"message":"Given filter is not configured"} My Api request is as follows

    • CRM

      Is anyone else experiencing this issue? Our company is not moving out of using Gmail's web app. It just has more features and is a better email program than Zoho Mail. Gmail has an extension (Zoho CRM for Gmail) that we're using but we've found some serious

    • Syncing with Google calendar, Tasks and Events

      Is it possible to sync Zoho CRM calendar, task and events with Google Calendar's tasks and events. With the increasing adoption by many major tool suppliers to sync seamlessly with Google's offerings (for instance I use the excellent Any.do task planning

    • How can i view "Child" Accounts?

      It can be very useful in our field of business to know the parent-child account relationship. However, there seems to be a shortcoming in the parent account view: no child account list. How can we view the child accounts per each account?

    • Easily perform calculations using dates with the new DATEDIF function

      Hey Zoho Writer users! We've enhanced Zoho Writer's formula capabilities with the new DATEDIF function. This allows you to calculate the difference between dates in days, months, and years. Function syntax: =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit) Inputs:

    • Adding Comments Using Workflows - How to Change User Attributed

      We have worklflows in Desk where a comment is added to a ticket based on certain criteria. It seems that the comment added is always attributed to the user who last edited the workflow. This does not make sense for us because: - It's misleading to other

    • Add Attachment Support to Zoho Flow Mailhook / Email Trigger Module

      Dear Zoho Support Team, We hope you are well. We would like to kindly request a feature enhancement for the Mailhook module in Zoho Flow. Currently, the email trigger in Zoho Flow provides access to the message body, subject, from address, and to address,

    • Conect chat of salesiq with zoho cliq

      Is there any way to answer from zoho cliq the chat of salesiq initiated by customers?

    • Les dernières avancées en saisie de données et collaboration

      Après une année dédiée à la recherche et au développement, notre équipe est prête à dévoiler des améliorations majeures pour Zoho Sheet. Ces nouveautés seront lancées par étapes afin d’en assurer une prise en main optimale. Nous commençons avec des fonctionnalités

    • Rich Text For Notes in Zoho CRM

      Hello everyone, As you know, notes are essential for recording information and ensuring smooth communication across your records. With our latest update, you can now use Rich Text formatting to organize and structure your notes more efficiently. By using

    • Implement Meeting Polls in Zoho Bookings

      Dear Zoho Bookings Support Team, We'd like to propose a feature enhancement related to appointment scheduling within Zoho Bookings. Current Functionality: Zoho Bookings excels at streamlining individual appointment scheduling. Users can set availability

    • Service Account Admin for API Calls and System Actions

      Hello, I would like to request the addition of a Service Account Admin option in Zoho product. This feature would allow API calls and system actions to be performed on behalf of the system, rather than an active user. Current Issue: At present, API calls

    • Please can the open tasks be shown in each customer account at the top.

      Hi there This has happened before, where the open tasks are no longer visible at the top of the page for each customer in the CRM. They have gone missing previously and were reinstated when I asked so I think it's just after an update that this feature

    • How to Customize Task Creation to Send a Custom Alert Using JavaScript in Zoho CRM?

      Hello Zoho CRM Community, I’m looking to customize Zoho CRM to send a custom alert whenever a task is created. I understand that Zoho CRM supports client scripts using JavaScript, and I would like to leverage this feature to implement the alert functionality.

    • Send Whatsapp with API including custom placeholders

      Is is possible to initiate a session on whatsapp IM channel with a template that includes params (placeholders) that are passed on the API call? This is very usefull to send a Utility message for a transactional notification including an order number

    • ZO25: The refreshed, more unified, and intelligent OS for business

      Hello all, Greetings from Zoho One! 2025 has been a remarkable year, packed with new features that will take your Zoho One experience to the next level! From sleek, customizable dashboards to an all-new action panel for instant task management, we’ve

    • Introducing Multi-Asset Support in Work Orders, Estimates, and Service Appointments

      We’re excited to announce a highly requested enhancement in Zoho FSM — you can now associate multiple assets with Work Orders, Estimates, and Service Appointments. This update brings more clarity, flexibility, and control to your field service operations,

    • [Product Update] Locations module migration in Zoho Books integration with Zoho Analytics

      Dear Customers, As Zoho Books are starting to support an advance version of the Branches/Warehouses module called the Locations module, users who choose to migrate to the Locations module in Zoho Books will also be migrated in Zoho Analytics-Zoho Books

    • Introducing Schedules for smarter availability management

      Greetings from the Zoho Bookings team! We’re excited to introduce Schedules, a powerful enhancement to manage availability across your workspace. Schedules are reusable working-hour templates that help you define and maintain consistent availability across

    • Why Zoho Contracts Prefers Structured Approvals Over Ad-hoc Approvals

      Approvals are one of the most important stages in a contract’s lifecycle. They determine whether a contract moves forward, gets revised, or needs further discussion. The approval process also defines accountability within the organization. Zoho Contracts

    • Whatsapp Connection Status still "Pending" after migration

      Hello, I migrated my WhatsApp API to Zoho from another provider a day ago. So far the connection status is still “Pending”. There is a problem? How long does it usually take?

    • Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this

    • How to Filter timewise question to check uploaded one month or two months before in these community question ?

      i want to find the question that is asked some month or before any particular year, so how can i filter it ?

    • Proposal for Creating a Unique "Address" Entity in Zoho FSM

      The "Address" entity is one of the most critical components for a service-oriented company. While homeowners may change and servicing companies may vary, the address itself remains constant. This constancy is essential for subsequent services, as it provides

    • Workflow Down/Bug

      We have a workflow that sends an email to one of our internal departments 10 minutes after a record is created in a custom module. The workflow actually works correctly. However, we have now noticed that on January 8, between 3:55 p.m. and 4:33 p.m.,

    • Service Locations: Designed for Shared Sites and Changing Customers

      Managing service addresses sounds simple—until it isn’t. Large facilities, shared sites, and frequently changing customers can quickly turn address management into an operational bottleneck. This is where Service Locations deliver clarity and control.

    • Can I re-send the Customer Satisfaction Survey after a ticket closure?

      Hello, Some customers does not answer the survey right after closure, is it possible to re-send after a few days or weeks? Best Regards!

    • Is the app being developed?

      Hi, is this app being developed/improved? Or is it just another app started and let go like others (market automation, campaign, etc)?

    • Filter contacts based on selected category in Zoho Desk ticket

      Hello community, I’m setting up the Tickets module in Zoho Desk and I need help implementing the following: When a category is selected in a ticket, I want the Contact field to be filtered so that it only displays contacts that are related to that category.

    • Profile Page View Customization

      I need to change the fields, sections from the profile view of an emplyoyee.

    • Next Page