Importing clients and contacts into QuickBooks Practice Manager

You should start off by bringing in the client list into Practice Manager, and then you can move on to importing the client contacts. We'll teach you how to use your client file for this, but the process is the same for the contact file.

This article will cover how to: 

• Prepare your import files
• Check the formatting guidelines 
• Save and export your client or contact file as a CSV 
• Import your client/contact list into Practice Manager 
• Troubleshoot common import errors

Step 1: Prepare your import files

1. Organise your data: Use an Excel spreadsheet (or any spreadsheet program that can save in CSV format) to organise your client records and contacts. If you have contacts, create two separate spreadsheets: one for clients and one for contacts.
   
2. Files must have fewer than 200 rows: We recommend doing multiple uploads if you have a large client or contact base.
   
3. Format your import spreadsheet: Each client field should have its own unique column in the import spreadsheet, with column header names that match client fields in Practice Manager. If you have custom client or contact fields, be sure to add them as columns in your spreadsheet.
   
4. Match client custom fields: Note any client custom fields in your Practice Manager settings and add each field as a column in your import spreadsheet. If your spreadsheet has columns that aren't already in Practice Manager as client fields, you’ll need to add those client fields first before importing.
   
5. Verify client-company association: The client name in the import spreadsheet should match the client name in Practice Manager. Make sure that the "Company name" column in your contact spreadsheet is entered exactly as it appears in Practice Manager to help correct association.
   
6. Review unique email addresses: Verify that any email address you're importing does not already exist as a Practice Manager user.

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Step 2: Check for formatting guidelines

Before importing, consider the following formatting guidelines to avoid errors:

1. Client name column: Make sure your import file has a “Client name” column with a value in each row.
   
2. No multiple lines: Avoid using multiple lines for values in your spreadsheet.
   
3. Client type column: Make sure that the “Client type” column matches the client type values in Practice Manager.
   
4. Date format: Use the year-month-day format with 4 digits for the year, 2 for the month, and 2 for the day.
   
5. Avoid overwriting rules: If you don't want to overwrite values in Practice Manager, either remove the relevant column in the import file or enter the current value.
   
6. Blank fields: Leaving a field blank in the import file will remove any current value for that field in Practice Manager.
   
7. No duplicated: Check for duplicate client names, contact names, or email addresses in your import file to avoid any issues.

Good:

Not good:

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Step 3: Save and export your import file

Once you've finished formatting your Excel file, it's time to export it. Here's how to save it correctly on your computer from Excel.

Note: Saving your contacts file works the same way.

1. Make sure you’re in the “Clients” tab of the spreadsheet. 
2. Select File, and then Save as. 
3. Select the file format CSV UTF-8 (Comma-delimited) (.csv). 
4. Select Save.

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Step 4: Import your spreadsheets into Practice Manager

1. In Practice Manager, go to Clients. 
2. Select the three-dot icon. 
3. Select Import data from a CSV file. 
4. Select Import clients. 
5. Select Upload data from file. 
6. Browse and choose the file with your client or contact list. 
7. Check that the row selected contains the column headers, and then select Yes. 
8. Next, make sure all the rows and values are mapped correctly. This is tying all the information from the spreadsheet to the fields set up in Practice Manager. 
9. When that’s done, select Review. 

Once you have imported your clients, you can then bring in the contacts associated with those clients. The contacts template is similar to the one for clients.

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Troubleshoot import errors

Errors can happen during import due to many causes. Many of these can be fixed before the import is finished, without any issues.

Other errors will only show up after you try to import the data. In this case, you'll need to fix the errors in the CSV file.

Here are some solutions you can use to address common mistakes: 

1. Review incorrect email field mapping: Make sure you do not map the EMAIL field to Primary Contact > Email, as this could lead to an issue. Double-check that you have chosen the EMAIL field correctly.
   
2. Check for duplicate mappings: Be careful if you map the same column to different client fields more than once. If you get yellow alerts, it could mean there's a problem.
   
3. Skip Confirm Mapping for every row: You don't need to select Confirm Mapping for each row. Instead, select Review at the end once you have mapped all the necessary fields.
   
4. Double-check before importing: After your select Review and move to the next screen, review your mapped fields. You can make adjustments before submitting the data.
   
5. Fix duplicate client names: If you get an error about duplicate client names, you can select the error message and manually adjust them to fix the issue.
   

Show and fix rows with problems: Select the Only show rows with problems button to find only the problematic rows. This will help you fix the issues and focus on just those rows.

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Tip: Save the QuickBooks Practice Manager resource page to your bookmarks for easy access to helpful articles and step-by-step instructions.

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