You can quickly import large amounts of data into your eFront portal using CSV files. This guide walks you through how to import users, courses, skills, and more, and explains how each option works. Make sure to review the entire article before proceeding with an import.

Step-by-step import instructions

1. Log in as an Administrator.
2. Go to Maintenance (1) → Import from CSV (2).
   
   
   
   
    
3. Select the Data type (3) you want to import.
4. Download the example CSV file (4).
5. Edit the file to include only the mandatory fields and the fields you want to update.
6. Fill in your data, using the same structure as the example.
7. In the Duplicates, select if you want to Ignore, Replace, or Merge (5).
   
   
    
8. Upload your CSV file (6) and click Import (7).

Import options explained

• Import action
  • Create new only: Imports only new entries; existing ones are skipped.
  • Create new & update existing: Updates existing entries and adds new ones.
• Email notifications
  • Check the box to suppress email notifications (recommended during bulk imports).
• Header row
  • Ensure your file has a header row to map fields correctly.
• CSV separator
  • Default is a comma. If you're using a different delimiter (e.g., ;), select it from the drop-down.
• Encoding
  • Use UTF-8 encoding. Files in different formats may result in errors or corrupted characters.

Duplicate settings

When importing data, you need to choose how to handle duplicate entries that already exist in the portal.

• Ignore: Existing records are left as-is. No changes are made to any matching records in the portal.
• Replace: The imported data replaces existing records with the same identifier. For example, if you import course enrollments for a learner who’s currently enrolled in three courses, and your file lists only two courses, the learner will only be enrolled in the two courses from the file. All existing enrollments will be removed and replaced.
• Merge: The imported data is added to the existing records. For example, if you import two new course enrollments for a learner who is already enrolled in three courses, the learner will end up with five total course enrollments. Nothing is removed.

Tips and best practices

• Test with one record first. Try importing a single row of data, if successful, use that file as a template for importing the rest.
• Include only the fields you need. Use the sample CSV as a guide, but only keep the columns you intend to update or import. For example, to create new users, you only need: login, name, surname, and email (if mandatory).
  To find a user’s public ID:
  • Go to Home → Reports → Custom.
  • Create a new report with "public id" and any other relevant user information.
• When available, always choose “Merge” in the duplicates setting to ensure the records are updated instead of replaced.

Available fields

Each import type has different required and optional fields. You’ll find a list of valid fields and their expected format in the sample CSV file provided at the bottom of the import page.

To ensure a successful import:

• Use exact field names as shown in the sample file.
• Avoid leaving required fields empty.
• Match dropdown or checkbox values exactly as they appear in your portal.

The available fields are:

• Users: Use this option when importing users
• Courses: Use this option when importing courses
• Lessons: Use this option when importing lessons
• Locations: Use this option when importing locations
• Training Sessions: Use this option when importing training sessions
• Branches: Use this option when importing branches
• Jobs: Use this option when importing job positions
• Groups: Use this option when importing groups
• Skills: Use this option when importing skills
• Audiences: Use this option when importing audiences
• Course assignments: Use this option when importing assignments of users to courses
• Curriculum assignments: use this option when importing assignments of users to curricula
• Training session assignments: Use this option when importing assignments of users to sessions
• Skill assignments: Use this option when importing assignments of users to skills
• Job assignments: Use this option when importing assignments of users to job positions
• Group assignments: Use this option when importing assignments of users to groups