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Importing the Subscription Status and Date of Contacts

This task allows you to import into Dialog Insight a file containing both the subscription date and status (whether subscriber or not) of your contacts. 

Providing the date on which the contact gave consent is required by law. Consequently, when importing data, you’ll be asked to provide the date on which you obtained each consent listed. There are 2 different ways to specify this date:

  • Date included in a column of the imported file (explained in this article)
    When you assign an opt-in field to a column in your file, a second attribute, called “Name of opt-in (effective date),” becomes necessary. Assign this choice to the column of your file that contains the date on which your contact gave consent (or unsubscribed).
  • One date for all the contacts in the file (explained in Import the subscription status of contacts)
    Alternatively, you can provide a single effective date for all subscriptions in your file. Use this method if you don’t have the exact date, but take care to include a date that’s representative of the records in this file, because the date that you enter will be used to build a history of subscriptions, and you do not, for example, want to accidentally resubscribe a contact who had unsubscribed.
Access Path
> Contacts > Import

How To

Validate the file to import

  1. It is important to make sure that the opt-in information columns contain valid data :
    • Subscription status:
      • 1 if the contact has subscribed
      • 0 if the contact has unsubscribed
      • Empty or null value, meaning that no status exists for this contact (neither subscribed nor unsubscribed)
    • Subscription date:
      • YYYY.MM.DD (ex: 2018.06.25)


Create the necessary opt-in fields in the Consent Center, if not already existent

When opt-in fields are created through the Consent Center, the necessary fields are automatically added to the project, with the proper format; all that is left to do is specify a name and code.

  1. Open the Consent Center by clicking Contact > Configuration > Consents.
  2. Under the Opt-ins section, click Add an opt-in field.


  3. In the field addition window, specify a code and a label for the opt-in field, and for each language.
  4. Click Add.
  5. If you make changes, make sure to Save.


Define the import

  1. Open the importer by clicking Contact > Contacts > Import.
  2. In the New importwindow, define your import:
    1. In the Source section, click Choose file to select the file that includes the contacts you want to import (.xls, .csv or .zip file).
    2. In the Destinationsection, specify where you want to import the content of the file:
      • In the contact list
      • In a custom table, that you will need to select.
        If the project has at least one custom table, a choice of table will be listed. If none, this option will simply not show.
    3. In the Import type section, indicate how you want the content of the source file to be integrated in the project contact list.
      For more information on the various types of imports, see the article on How to import contacts from an external file.
    4. Click Continue.


Assign columns to fields

Mapping fields consists in matching the data in the source file to the data in the target file, which are the fields in a project.

  1. When the file to import has a column for the opt-in status and one as well for the date, you must use the advanced mapping mode.


  2. Start by mapping the fields used as the unique key to identify contacts.
  3. Match the column that contains the opt-in status to the corresponding field in the project.
  4. Make sure to map the opt-in date of your file to the corresponding opt-in date in the file. This field has the same name as the opt-in status field, with the (effective date) in brackets.


  5. For the rest of the mapping process, follow the same steps as the standard import process in advanced mode.
  6. Approve the import.

Result

Once mapping and import has been completed, opt-in information will display in the profile of your contacts.



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