Import Errors & Data Issues

Common CSV Format Problems

• Wrong encoding: Save your CSV as UTF-8. Files saved in other encodings (e.g., Windows-1252) can corrupt special characters like accented names.
• Extra columns: The importer ignores unrecognized columns, but extra commas within cell values can shift data. Wrap any field containing commas in double quotes.
• Date formats: SteepleOS expects dates in YYYY-MM-DD format. Dates like "01/15/2024" or "January 15, 2024" will fail validation.

Duplicate Handling

When the importer detects a duplicate email address:

• Default behavior: The existing record is preserved, and the duplicate row is skipped. A report of skipped rows is available after import.
• Merge mode: Enable "Merge duplicates" before uploading to update existing records with new data from the CSV (e.g., a new phone number overwrites the old one).

Missing Required Fields

The minimum required fields are firstName, lastName, and email. If any row is missing these, it will be rejected.

• Download the error report after import to see exactly which rows failed and why.
• Fix the issues in your CSV and re-upload only the failed rows.

Large File Performance

For files over 5,000 rows:

• Split into smaller batches (2,000-3,000 rows each).
• Allow each batch to finish processing before uploading the next.
• Processing time is approximately 1-2 minutes per 1,000 rows depending on server load.