QUICK STARTUP GUIDE: Importing and Exporting

The ability to import and export data from OpenField is quick and easy. Both buttons are found on the primary menu in the Admin Panel.

How to Import Data Into OpenField:

To import data into OpenField please ensure your data is in a .CSV file. When you have your data ready click on the Imports text on the menu and you will be taken to the Importer. There you will be able to import new data into OpenField and see previous imports as well as the name of the import, the person who initiated the import, the status of those imports, and the date and time they were initiated. To import new data, click the Import a new CSV button at the top of the page.

Click here for a full list of supported fields for both importing and exporting.

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Please only use plain .CSV files or MS-DOC .CSV files for importing.  Apple/Mac .CSV files are NOT supported. 

Click “Choose File” to select the CSV you’d like to upload, then click “Next Step: Assign Fields” to advance to the next screen.

Next, you will be prompted to enter key information about the data you are uploading.

The first thing is to name your upload in the Label Name field and describe your upload in the Label Description field. You can also click the top field labeled Add new label to open a drop down of previous labels. If you select a label from the drop down, all the people in your file will be added to that label / list.

Below that you will have the option to ignore the first row of your CSV, this is particularly useful if your CSV includes headers, if your CSV does not include headers you generally do not need to check this box. 

Next, you will see a portion of your CSV displayed with assignment boxes above each column. These will be set to SKIP by default. Clicking on an assignment field will display a dropdown of options for you to tell OpenField what information is in this column. Once all the relevant columns are assigned click the Import your list button.

After this you will see a screen indicating the progress of your import. You can navigate away from this screen and the import will continue to run.

Unique IDs:

Unique IDs are something that only one individual can have and they Include:

  • VAN ID
  • Action Network ID
  • OpenField Voter File ID
  • Other Voter File ID numbers
  • Alloy UUID
  • Email address

There are also situations where having two or more fields filled out counts as a unique ID. These include State File ID + State or County File ID + State + County. Please note that addresses are automatically marked as Registered (the address where the person is registered to vote) if a State or County File ID is present.

Pro Tip:

To successfully complete your import you must include ALL of the following information:

  1. First name
  2. Last name
  3. A unique ID
  4. At least one outreach method like a phone number OR an address

If you are going to include an address you MUST fully map one whole address to successfully complete your import. These are the minimum fields that must be mapped for an address to import correctly. Partially mapped information WILL NOT import correctly. You can map additional fields but these 7 fields MUST be mapped to one address type.

  • Address 1 
  • State (abbreviation) 
  • City
  • Zip 5
  • Street Name
  • Longitude
  • Latitude

An example of a fully mapped address for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500 would be:

  • Address 1: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
  • State: DC 
  • City: Washington
  • Zip-5: 20500
  • Street Name: Pennsylvania Avenue
  • Longitude: 77.0365° W
  • Latitude: 38.8977° N
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How to Export Data from OpenField:

To export data from OpenField you can click Exports in the side menu, then click Add conversations export. Select the Conversation Code you’d like to export, as well as the date and time you’d like to export from, then click Save. You’ll be able to click the link under the Upload column to download a CSV file with the export data when the Status reads “COMPLETED” (you may need to refresh the page to update the Status). You can view your entire export history from this menu as well.

Click here for a full list of supported fields for both importing and exporting.

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