The import steps
- 1Make a copy and work on it
Leave the original file alone; it is your reference if something goes wrong.
- 2One header row
Remove decorative titles, merged cells and the totals rows at the bottom of the table.
- 3Make formats consistent
All dates in one order, numbers with no text beside them, phone numbers in one format.
- 4Remove duplicates
The same customer typed three ways becomes three customers in the system.
- 5Test on a sample
Import twenty rows and review them in the screens before importing thousands.
- 6Import and compare
Match the row count and the sum of the amounts against the original file.
The most common problems
- A date read with the day and month swapped.
- Numbers stored as text, so they do not add up.
- Trailing spaces that make 'Ahmed' and 'Ahmed ' two people.
- One column holding two facts, such as a name and a phone number together.
- Empty cells in a field that should be required.
Do and don't
- Import everything on the first attempt
- Move very old data nobody needs
- Edit the only original file
- A small sample first, then the rest
- Move what is actually used and archive the remainder
- A backup before every step