Topic

How to create and upload a CSV file for loading contacts in to Everbridge Suite.

Description

Contacts may be uploaded at the account level and the organization level. This is done via the Everbridge manager portal user interface or via SFTP. Either method requires a properly formatted contact upload file (CSV file.) The attached file, Contact Upload Sample Records.xlsx, provides examples of populating fields in a contacts upload file for loading contacts into Everbridge Suite.

Please see the video below for a visual walk-through of how to create a contact upload file. The video also includes a demo of uploading a CSV file via the manager portal user interface. For instructions on uploading a CSV file via SFTP, see knowledge article EBS: SFTP Access Guide - Configuring SFTP for Use With Everbridge Suite.

Below the video, please find written steps for creating and uploading a contact upload file.

Video

Written:

Check the Prerequisites

1. Check that Record Types are defined:

   1. Log in to your Organization.

   2. Click Settings > Organization > from the top menu bar.

   3. Expand Contacts/Assets in the left column.

   4. Click Contact Record Types and ensure at least one record type is defined.

2. Check that Delivery Methods are defined:

   1. Click Settings > Organization > from the top menu bar.

   2. Expand Notifications in the left column.

   3. Click Delivery Methods and ensure at least one delivery method is defined.

Create the Contact Upload CSV File

1. Download a CSV template file that contains no data:

   1. Click Contacts/Assets > Contacts > Uploads from the top menu bar.

   2. Select the Download Template tab.

   3. By default this file is downloaded to your "Downloads" directory.

2. Enter the contact data into the CSV file:

1. Open the file you just downloaded.

2. For each contact, fill out all the fields in the CSV file for which you have data and you want that data in Everbridge Suite. Note that there are four required fields that must be filled out: First Name, Last Name, External ID and Record Type. If these four fields are not defined, the record will not be loaded into Everbridge Suite. All other fields may remain blank. However, for contacts to receive notifications, at least one Delivery Method must be defined.

3. Save the spreadsheet to a location on your computer that you can easily find. In the video demo the file is saved to the desktop. However, it is recommended you create a directory on your computer specifically for contact upload files.

3. Ensure your file has a .csv extension. Even if you're working in Excel, save the file as a CSV format before uploading.

4. To include location data in the Everbridge system, make sure your CSV file includes the following fields in the header, even if they are not populated with data: 'Location 1', 'Street Address 1', 'Apt/Suite/Unit 1'.

5. Do not put all the column headers and data in one column. Each header and associated data should have its own column in the CSV file.

6. Do not put the Organization name as a column in the CSV file.

Upload the Contacts

• To upload the contacts via an SFTP file, see knowledge article EBS: SFTP Access Guide - Configuring SFTP for Use With Everbridge Suite.

• To upload the contacts via the Manager Portal, follow these steps:

1. Click Contacts/Assets > Contacts > Uploads.

2. Select the Upload to portal tab.

3. In the pop-up, click on the Upload Contacts link.

4. Choose the contact upload file just created in the above step. Once the file is selected, four options appear: Update, Replace, Restore and Delete. Update is the default.

5. Choose Update. This will insert any new records and update any existing records that match on the external ID. This option will not delete any records.

6. If you're updating existing contacts with missing information, select the 'Update' option. This will preserve existing data while adding or updating the new information.

7. Select the Upload to Portal button at the bottom right of the pop-up.

8. In the Alert pop-up box, press OK.

Verify that the Contact Upload was Successful

1. Click Contacts/Assets > Contacts > Uploads from the top menu bar.

The most recent contact upload is at the top of the list and includes the file name, upload date and time and some other important information.

Note: If there are any values under Records Loaded With Error and/or Records Not Loaded greater than zero, this means one or more errors have occurred during the upload process. See knowledge article EBS: Troubleshooting Contact Upload Error Messages in Everbridge Suite for information on troubleshooting contact upload errors.

2. Click the Contacts tab right below the top menu bar.

3. Verify the contacts in the upload file are in the list. To verify field information that is not one of the columns in the list such as delivery method, click on the pencil icon next to the contact to see more detailed information about their record.

4. If you're uploading contacts for a specific company, verify that the 'Record Type' field is correctly populated for the newly added contacts.

5. Note that if an upload fails, the system will retain the previously uploaded data, as failed uploads do not replace existing data.

Best Practices

It is recommended that you backup your contacts regularly. For example, create a directory on your computer for contact download backups. Each backup can be date and time stamped. To backup your contacts:

1. Click Contacts/Assets > Contacts > Contact List from the top menu bar.

2. Select the Download button. This action creates a zip file of your current contacts. By default this file is downloaded to your Downloads directory.

3. Optionally move the file to another directory such as a backup directory specifically created for that purpose.

4. When preparing your CSV file for upload, download a current contact list from Everbridge to see all required columns, including the 'Record Type' column. This is especially important when uploading contacts for a specific company or organization.

Troubleshooting

For information on troubleshooting contact uploads, see knowledge article EBS: Troubleshooting & Configuration Guide for Contact Uploads - Main Page.