Importing Data in Zoho Desk
Most organizations maintain a secure data repository for internal usage and reference. When there is a need to import that data within an application, it's essential to avoid any data loss or duplication that prevents the building of a clean, well-organized database.
Zoho Desk allows users to import data in bulk. The system automatically maps the modules and fields, which significantly reduces the chances of data loss and also maintains data sanctity by allowing users to verify the field mappings beforehand.
This plays an important role in preventing confusion and significantly reduces the challenges of user adoption. For example, clients can be mapped to the "Contact name" field. Similarly, the company name can be mapped to "Account name".
Availability
Permission Required Users with the Import Records permission can perform import.
Check Feature Availability and Limits
Initiating data import
Zoho Desk allows admins to import tickets, accounts, contacts, products, tasks, events, calls, custom modules, and KB articles. Only a ZiP file with CSV files can be uploaded. The ZIP file must contain one file per module. All files have to be zipped together before uploading. For example
- Tickets > Tickets.csv
- Contacts > Contacts.csv
- Accounts > Accounts.csv
- Tasks > Tasks.csv
All four files need to be zipped to one .zip file and uploaded.
Note:
- Only the .csv file format is supported.
- The maximum file size for the ZIP upload is 30 MB. A maximum of 10,000 rows or a maximum of 30MB file size (CSV file) can be imported.
- User can also upload just a .csv file in order to import just one module.
Importing data comprises the following steps:
File upload
Select the Desk modules that are about to be imported and upload the respective .csv or zip file. The CSV files must be named appropriately to auto-map them to the selected module.
Unmapped files
The system will analyze the uploaded file. If the file name doesn't match the required format, it will be moved to the un-mapped files. From there, users can drag and drop it to the Mapped Files and proceed with the import.
Field mapping
Users need to select what should be done with the records:
- Create a new record and skip the existing records. The system will identify the duplicate records and skip it during import. If the records are unique or are not already present in the respective module, a new record will be created. Users can select a unique field using which the system will identify duplicate records. For example, Account ID, Last name, Ticket ID, phone number, email address, and so on. Users can also identify duplicates by using one of the following methods: external ID, module name, or by choosing the None option. Refer to the table for a complete list of module-specific unique fields and external IDs.
Note: If a user doesn't have a unique ID for the records in their CSV file, they can choose the None option. However, entities created with this option cannot be updated later. Without a predefined field, the import tool cannot identify if the entity already exists in Zoho Desk, and therefore cannot update it. - Update only the existing records. The system uses the specified unique field to identify existing records within the modules. If a single matching record is found, its field values will be updated using the data from the import file. If multiple matching records are found, the system will update the first returned record.
- Both the above - If both options are selected, then the field value will only be updated if a duplicate record is found; if not, a new record will be created in the respective module.
The fields from the CSV file will be automatically mapped against the fields present in the Desk module if the field name in Desk and the column name in the csv file are same . User can manually map it to change by selecting the right field from the dropdown. During field mapping, users can choose to update the Desk fields.
GlossaryExternal ID - A unique identifier for each entity, is used to identify duplicates during import and map parent entities (e.g., associating tickets with contacts). The Ticket ID field in a CSV file from FreshDesk or ZenDesk can serve as an external ID for data migration.
List of modules from CSV file that can be mapped to the Desk module during import:
Module | To be mapped to (Module) | Mandatory Fields |
Accounts |
|
|
Contacts |
|
|
Tickets |
|
|
Events/Calls/Tasks |
|
|
Knowledge base |
|
|
Notes
- If the order isn’t followed, related records may fail to import. For example, importing Tickets before Contacts won’t create new contacts for those tickets. Always import Accounts first, then Contacts, followed by Tickets, and finally any other dependent modules to ensure all records are linked correctly. Modules must be imported in the following order:
- Accounts
- Contacts
- Tickets
- Other Modules
- Users must map the original import field to None and map the system generated field to the appropriate Desk field to make sure any given format is added in the format in respective to Zoho desk. The table below is for field mapping reference.
Alternatively, users can change the fields in the accepted format and re-upload the file by initiating a fresh import. - Tags must be entered in array format when importing data. Each tag should be separated by a comma and enclosed within square brackets. For example, [urgent,high priority,refund].
- The Article Module has a field called "Status" which only accepts the following values [draft, publish, review].
- Ticket Owner must be specified using the agent’s email address or Agent ID, not the agent's name. For example
Agent's Email ID | ✔ | |
Agent ID | 890001 | ✔ |
Agent name | John Doe | ✘ |
Review
Users can review the import details and make changes if needed.
To import data to desk modules
- Navigate to Setup > Data Administration > Import.
- Select the desired department.
- Click Start Import.
- In the Upload Files section:
- Select the Modules that need to be imported.
- Upload the zipped file by either dragging and dropping or clicking Browse Files to select a file from the local device.
- Uploaded files will be separated into two tabs:
- Supported Files - Files that are in the correct format and ready for import.
- Unsupported Files - All Files with unsupported formats such as .xls, .pdf, or any file type other than .csv will appear under this section.
- Click Next.
- In the Module Mapping section, drag and drop the .csv file of the module from the Unmapped Files column to the relevant Modules.
- Click Save.
- In the Field Mapping section:
- Select the module from the left panel.
- Choose an appropriate import type:
- Create - Imports all the records as new entries from the import file.
- Overwrite - Updates existing records based on the identifier field. New records that do not match will be ignored.
- Both - Updates existing records and creates new ones for unmatched entries.
- Select the identifier field for the module, which is a field that uniquely helps identify each record within it.
- In the Import fields section, cross-check the mapped fields:
- Field in file - Field name as per the first row from the file.
- Desk fields - Field name in the desk.
- Field format - Choose the appropriate Field Format in the manner that it is contained in the uploaded file. For example, DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM or MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM).
- Sample data from file - Displays example data from the second and third rows to ensure the field mapping of the columns is correct.
- Click Save.
Under Review, the mapping details will be shown. - Click Start import to initiate the import process.
Once the import is initiated, an import record will be created to show its progress. The import process may take a few minutes to complete.
Viewing imported records
Under Data Administration > Import, users can view the records from the previous imports.
Import records detail view:
- Import ID: System-generated unique ID.
- Modules: All modules are included in the ZIP file for import.
- Stage: Current stage, such as review in progress or import completed.
- Status: Import status, such as in progress, success, failed, or waiting.
- Imported by: User who initiated the import.
- Imported time: Date and time of import.
Upon clicking one of the initiated imports, you will get three options:
- Add data - Add more records to the same modules using the exact field mappings from the original import. For example, if the original import mapped the “Email Address” column in the file to the “Primary Email” field in Desk, the same mapping will automatically be applied to the new file. No changes to the mapping can be made at this stage.
- Revert - Undoes the recently imported data.
- Error logs - Shows a report of records that failed to import.
Points to remember
- Adding data to existing import:
- Add data is only available if the original import was successful.
- Once selected, the user is taken back to the "Upload Files" step with the previous module and field mapping setup already in place. However, no changes can be made to the field mappings at this stage.
- If the uploaded file includes a module that was not part of the original import, it will be ignored. For example, if the original import included only Tickets and Contacts, and the Add Data file included Accounts, the Accounts module will not be imported.
- Similarly, if the file contains additional fields that were not mapped originally, those fields will be skipped. For example, if 15 fields were mapped during the original import and the Add Data file includes only 13 of those fields, the import will not be processed and the records will move to the error log.
Viewing the error log
Some records that are not successfully imported can be viewed under Completed with error under the error log. The report can be exported for reference.
Reverting import
The UI Import feature supports reverting, allowing users to undo the creation of all entities and their mapped child entities. However, entities that were updated during the import process cannot be reverted. Only the import that was successful or completed with error can be reverted within two weeks of import. If the import was completed more than two weeks ago, you will not find the option to revert.
Action Configuration | Data Revert Behavior |
Create | Yes. The system will delete the newly created records. |
Update | No. Updated records cannot be reverted. |
Both | Partial. The system will delete the newly created records, but the updates to existing records cannot be reverted. |
Note: In reverting data, when an original import is followed by Add Data 1 and Add Data 2, selecting Revert Data will only remove Add Data 2.
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