RB User Guide > Tools > Bulk Import

Importing entities from other systems

If you have an existing database of firms, contacts, and/or resources and a copy of Microsoft Excel, you can import the entries into RB9 instead of starting each entity from scratch.

  1. Create Excel spreadsheet

    1. Export your data from an existing application to an Excel spreadsheet.
    2. To import your data into RB9, the Excel spreadsheet must have the same column headers in the same order as the Bulk Import tool headers in RB9. Depending on which type of entities you are importing, download the corresponding Excel template to use to set up your spreadsheet correctly:
    3. Copy and paste your data into the template. While you must have the exact column headers in the exact same order, you do not have to populate all the fields in the spreadsheet. The only required fields for each row in the spreadsheet are:
      • Firms template:
        Firm Name
      • Firms with Contacts template:
        Firm Name plus Full Name and/or First Name & Last Name. If you have more than one contact at a firm, each contact must have their own row with the firm name included.
      • Resources template:

        Full Name and/or First Name & Last Name

    4. When you have finished copying data into the template, save the spreadsheet in Excel.
    TIP: Prepare Excel data correctly

    In addition to the required fields in each row, if you are including an entity’s state, be sure to use the 2-letter USPS abbreviation. If you are including email addresses for contacts or resources, each entity should have only one email address.

  2. Import into RB9

    1. Tools > Bulk Import
    2. In the Search By pane of the Bulk Import window:
      • Type

        Select the type of spreadsheet you are importing:

        • Firms – Default. For spreadsheets made with the Firms template.
        • Firms+Contacts – For spreadsheets made with the Firms with Contacts template.
        • Resources – For spreadsheets made with the Resources template.
      • *File

        Required. Click lookup button and find the spreadsheet’s .xlsx file.

    3. Click search button. If the spreadsheet was formatted correctly, the data will import into the Bulk Import results grid. If you receive a popup error message instead, click OK and reformat your Excel spreadsheet to resolve the error and select the revised file to import again.
    4. In the Bulk Import results grid, you can view your entries, but not edit them. If you see any errors, edit your Excel spreadsheet and re-import the file or edit the entries in RB9 after importing.
    5. Click Import.
    6. RB9 adds the entries to the appropriate Entity database. When the import is complete, click OK in the pop-up that appears.
    7. To view and/or revise the entries in RB9 see Updating contacts, Updating firms, and Updating resources.
IMPORTANT: RB9 does not check entries for duplicates

When importing entities into RB9, RB9 does not check the database for duplicate entries. If you discover duplicate entities, you can either delete the duplicate or merge the entries. See Removing entities.

Reference
Step-by-step instructions