The Importer is how you load a spreadsheet of existing data into include GO without retyping everything. Upload a CSV or Excel file, map the columns to include GO fields, validate the rows, and import the ones that pass — all in one place.
It's especially useful when you're first setting up include GO: bringing over your Chart of Accounts, customers, vendors, employees, existing projects, catalog items, or anything else you already have in another system or in a spreadsheet.
Where to Find the Importer
From anywhere in include GO, click the Settings icon in the left sidebar. In the Settings sidebar that opens, under the Integrations & Data section, click Importer.
Navigation path: Dashboard → Settings → Integrations & Data → Importer
The Importer Page
What you see on this screen
# | Element | What it does |
|---|---|---|
1 | Sheet file picker | Click Choose File to pick the CSV or Excel file on your computer. |
2 | Importer dropdown | Pick what kind of record your file contains — Chart of Accounts, Customers, Vendors, People, Resources, and so on. |
3 | Validate button | Checks every row against include GO's rules without writing anything. Highlights rows that need fixing. |
Other things visible on the page:
Upload button — stages the file after you pick one.
Import Valid Rows button — commits the rows that passed validation.
Reset button (top right) — clears everything and starts over.
Run Progress card — live counters as rows validate and import.
Column Mapping card — where you match sheet columns to importer fields.
Import Runs section (bottom) — history of previous imports you can open and inspect.
The Import Flow
Importing is five steps, in order:
Pick an importer. Choose what kind of record the file contains (e.g., Chart of Accounts).
Choose a file. Click Choose File and select your CSV or Excel spreadsheet.
Upload. Click Upload to stage the file. include GO detects the columns and moves you into Column Mapping.
Map columns. For each required importer field, pick which spreadsheet column supplies the value. Required fields have a red asterisk; unmapped required fields block validation.
Validate and import. Click Validate to run every row through the app's rules. Fix any rows flagged warning / invalid / failed, then click Import Valid Rows to commit them.
Row statuses
After validation, every row is tagged with a status:
Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
Valid (green) | Row is ready to import. No changes needed. |
Warning (amber) | Row can be imported but has something worth reviewing (possible duplicate, unusual value). |
Invalid (red) | Row breaks a validation rule (missing required field, bad data type, unknown reference). Must be fixed before it imports. |
Edited (blue) | You changed a cell after the initial validation. Re-run validation to promote it. |
Imported (solid green) | Row successfully landed in the database. |
Failed (solid red) | Row passed validation but a database constraint rejected it (very rare). |
You can edit cells directly in the row grid to fix validation errors without re-uploading the file.
Column Mapping
The Column Mapping section matches your spreadsheet's column headers to include GO's importer fields. Required fields must be mapped; optional fields can be left blank to accept the default.
For fields that reference lookup records (e.g., Person Type on the People importer), the mapping offers either a column or a default value dropdown — pick the default to apply the same value to every row.
Reviewing Past Import Runs
The Import Runs section at the bottom of the page lists every import you've done, most recent first. Click a run to see:
Which file was uploaded and when.
Who ran the import.
The final status (Completed, Completed with Errors, Failed, Cancelled).
Every row with its status.
Past runs are read-only — they're there for audit and troubleshooting, not re-execution.
Canceling a Running Import
If you catch a problem partway through, click the X (cancel) button in the toolbar. Already-imported rows stay; the remaining rows stop processing.
Who Can Access the Importer?
Users need the Data Import Access permission to see this page. By default that's Super Admin and Accountant. Because the Importer can create a large number of records quickly, this permission is deliberately narrow — keep it with trusted users only.
Tips & Best Practices
Start small. Import 5-10 rows first to confirm your mapping works. Then upload the full file.
Use CSV unless you need Excel features. CSV is simpler and encounters fewer parsing issues. Excel is handy when the file has formulas or multiple sheets you've already prepared.
Name your columns clearly in the spreadsheet. Headers like Account Number and Customer Name auto-match importer fields so you barely have to map anything.
Set defaults for fields that repeat. If every row has Person Type = Employee, set Employee as the default in Column Mapping instead of adding a column.
Fix errors in the grid. You can edit cells directly in the row grid — no need to re-upload the file.
Import related records first. If customers reference locations, import Locations before Customers. Otherwise the location lookups will fail.
Review warnings before importing. Warnings often catch duplicates — if you blindly import you'll end up with two of the same record.
Back up before big imports. A bad mapping on a 5000-row import is painful to clean up. Run validation, review the preview, then import.
Common Questions
What file formats are supported? CSV and Excel (.xlsx). The first row must be column headers.
What happens if I upload a duplicate row? Behavior depends on the importer. Most look for a unique key (account number, email, code) and flag duplicates as warnings so you can decide whether to skip or overwrite.
Can I update existing records, or only create new ones? Most importers support both create-and-update based on a unique key (e.g., Account Number on Chart of Accounts). If an Account Number already exists, the row updates that record; if not, it creates a new one.
Can I undo an import? Not automatically. Each imported record is a normal entry in the database and has to be deleted or edited individually. That's why validation + starting small matters.
Why did some rows fail after validation passed? Usually a race condition — another user created a record with the same unique key between validation and import. Rerun validation on the failed rows.
How many rows can I import at once? There's no hard limit, but importing runs as a background job and very large files (tens of thousands of rows) can take several minutes. Watch the Run Progress card for live counters.
Which entities can I import? The Importer dropdown shows the current list. Common ones: Chart of Accounts, Customers (Client Accounts), Vendors (Vendor Accounts), People, Resources, Projects, and Tasks. More are added over time.
Related Topics
Chart of Accounts — Popular first import target
Client Accounts — Customer records you can bulk-import
Vendor Accounts — Vendor records you can bulk-import
People — Bulk-add employees, contacts, and subcontractors
Resource Catalog — Import your existing catalog
Roles & Permissions — Control who can use the Importer