Each advanced import you run requires you to specify all the following components:
- The import data file from which you want to import content.
- The import folder for new contacts created during the advanced import. For more information, see Choosing the Folders into Which Contacts Are Imported.
- The import instructions to use for the advanced import. For more information, see Creating and Editing Advanced Import Mapping Instructions.
- The import options used for the advanced import including using a validation only pass and checking for updates. For more information, see Checking for Recent Updates to Information in InterAction When Updating Contacts.
- The status file to which any errors or warnings that occur during the advanced import are written. For more information, see Status File.
Choosing the Folders into Which Contacts Are Imported
When you import contacts, you can choose the folders into which any new contacts created are added. You can choose any of the following:
New Contact Review - Sources the contacts in the New Contact Review - People or New Contact Review - Companies folders.
Public - Sources the contacts in the Firm Contacts - People or Firm Contacts - Companies folders.
Other - Sources the contacts in the folders you specify on the Advanced Import dialog box.
Note: If a contact in the import file is matched with a contact in InterAction, the contact is linked into the folder you have selected. Note however, InterAction does not attempt to link the contacts into the Public folders if you have chosen those folders for the import.
The folders you choose to import contacts to should be determined by where you are in your implementation. If you are performing your initial load of contacts into the InterAction database, you should choose the Public folders. If you are performing an ongoing load of contact information, you should choose the New Contact Review folders. You may choose to use other folders in specific situations, such as loading working-list specific contacts.
Checking for Recent Updates to Information in InterAction When Updating Contacts
In many cases, you may wish to not update InterAction with information you are importing if you know that the value has been updated in InterAction recently. When configuring the advanced import, select the Check for recent updates in InterAction check box.
[A] Specify the date and time after which updates made should be maintained. This is often the date that the information was exported from InterAction, if using Data Quality Services.
For example, assume you exported contact information from InterAction on May 5 and that information has been sent for data cleansing. On May 10, Ed Roberts updates Jane Tarnoff’s phone and address information because she has moved to a new location. On May 20, you are going to import the standardized versions of the information you exported from InterAction on the 5th. Because you don’t want to lose the change Ed made to Jane’s information on the 10th, you can select an option to specify that the advanced import should not overwrite any changes made to contact information after May 5.