Imports are one of the first things you do in Keela. This release improves the import workflow so you can set things up correctly from the start, see issues earlier, and still finish an import even when some rows need cleanup.
ℹ️ The updates to the Imports feature are released on a rolling basis. If you do not yet see these enhancements in your account, stay tuned! All customers will have access by the end of March.
What changed and why
We rebuilt key parts of the import experience to make it more predictable and transparent, especially for larger files and complex data migrations. The goal is to reduce onboarding friction, reduce confusion during setup and validation, and help teams get their data into Keela faster.
What’s new
Better guidance for import setup
- Headers are now required for imports, which makes mapping more consistent.
- You can now select your date format at the beginning of the import, so Keela interprets dates consistently across your file.
Clear validation and error handling
- Pre-validation now flags missing required columns earlier in the process.
- You can now continue an import without fixing errors, which means progress is not blocked. For example, if you are missing required columns, the import will still complete with those errors.
- There is a new import status: Completed with errors. This makes it easy to spot imports that may need follow-up.
Smoother duplicate review and matching (Contacts)
- Manual merge duplicate review now shows only the fields that need your selection, instead of every field.
- Duplicate detection is more flexible, with support for matching using Origin ID or Keela Contact ID.
More flexible transactions imports
- Transactions are now consolidated into one import type. Use the “Default transaction type” settings option to set the type of transactions in your file.
- You can import donations and revenue transactions in the same file. Use the new Transaction type column to specify Donation or Revenue per row.
- If Transaction type is blank, it defaults to Donation.
- You can import Donation and Revenue transactions in the same file.
- If the Transaction type column is missing in your file, the import will default to Donation. (i.e. If a column is not mapped, it will default all rows to the Default transaction type you set at the beginning of the import)
Other workflow improvements
- Company type is now available as an import field
- The Assignee field now accepts either a name or an email address.
- New import status notifications (enabled by default). You will automatically receive notifications when an import is Completed, Completed with errors, has duplicates requiring manual merging, or hits an Error (if an import fails).
Quick Tips
When using the updated Imports features, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose the right date format up front. Before mapping fields, select the date format that matches your spreadsheet so Keela applies it consistently.
- Use Transaction type for mixed transaction files. If you are importing both donations and revenue at once, add a Transaction type column with values Donation or Revenue. If you leave it blank, Keela will treat the row as Donation.
- Use Default transaction type to simplify single-type imports. If you are only importing Donations or Revenue, set the Default transaction type to match — no need to add a Transaction type column to your file. If you do include a Transaction type column, the value in each row will override the default.
- Know what “Completed with errors” means. If an import completes with errors, some rows may not have imported cleanly. You can still finish the import, then follow up by fixing and re-importing only the problem rows if needed.
- Duplicate review is faster now. When managing duplicates manually, you will only be asked to choose values for fields that actually need a decision.
Learn more
To learn more about Importing data into Keela, visit our updated support articles: