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Importing data can be tricky because of the variances between systems so please take note of the following:

Use a Unique External Reference ID for each row

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Save your file as a "Standard" CSV

Some programs offer different options for saving your CSV file e.g. "MS-DOS", "Mac", etc. Choose either a standard CSV format or, if not available, then "Windows CSV".

Use Internet Explorer if possible

Internet Explorer tends to handle the import process most reliably.

Take a Snapshot before Importing

Make sure you request a snapshot of the database before importing in case something goes wrong and you need to rollback.

Make sure Dates are in YYYY-MM-DD format

This is the most reliable and most unambiguous format.

Break large CSV's into smaller files

Depending on server load at the time large files may cause the upload session to time-out so it is best to break large files into smaller chunks. Anywhere between 500 to 2,000 rows is usually okay but to be safe you might want to make them closer to 500 rows.

Remove CR/LF and other special characters from blocks of text

Sometimes these special characters can affect the formatting of the CSV file. For example a CR/LF in a text block could be interpreted as the end of the CSV row rather than a character within a data field. If you need to inspect the file use a hex editor to see the special characters.

Insert a Dummy Column at the end of the CSV file

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