# CSV Upload & Mapping

Import your contact lists and map data fields to personalize videos at scale. Upload CSV files with your audience data and automatically create personalized experiences for each contact.

## Preparing Your CSV File

### Required Format

Your CSV file should have:

* **Header row** with column names
* **One row per contact**
* **Email addresses** (required for identification)
* **Consistent formatting** (no extra spaces, proper delimiters)

### Sample CSV Structure

```csv
email,first_name,last_name,company,industry,company_size,job_title
john.smith@acme.com,John,Smith,Acme Corp,Technology,Enterprise,Marketing Director
sarah.jones@startup.com,Sarah,Jones,Startup Inc,Finance,Small,CEO
mike.wilson@enterprise.com,Mike,Wilson,Enterprise LLC,Healthcare,Large,IT Manager
```

## Uploading Your CSV

### Step 1: Access the Upload Interface

1. Go to your project's **Data** section
2. Click **Upload CSV** or **Import Contacts**
3. Select your prepared CSV file

### Step 2: Preview and Validate

* Review the first few rows of your data
* Check that column headers are recognized correctly
* Verify data types (text, numbers, dates) are detected properly
* Look for any formatting issues or missing data

### Step 3: Map Your Fields

Match your CSV columns to Blings data fields:

**Common Mappings:**

* `email` → Email Address (required)
* `first_name` → First Name
* `last_name` → Last Name
* `company` → Company Name
* `industry` → Industry
* `company_size` → Company Size
* `job_title` → Job Title

## Field Mapping Options

### Standard Fields

Pre-defined fields that work with our templates:

**Personal Information:**

* First Name, Last Name, Full Name
* Email Address, Phone Number
* Title, Department, Job Level

**Company Information:**

* Company Name, Industry
* Company Size, Revenue Range
* Location, Country, Time Zone

**Custom Fields:**

* Any additional data you want to use
* Product preferences, purchase history
* Custom attributes specific to your business

### Advanced Mapping

Create custom field mappings for unique data:

**Examples:**

* `customer_segment` → Segment
* `total_purchases` → Purchase Count
* `last_order_date` → Last Purchase Date
* `preferred_products` → Product Preferences

## Data Validation and Cleaning

### Automatic Validation

The system checks for:

* **Valid email formats** — Ensures proper email structure
* **Required fields** — Identifies missing critical data
* **Data consistency** — Flags unusual values or formats
* **Duplicate detection** — Finds and handles duplicate entries

### Manual Review

Review flagged issues:

* **Invalid emails** — Fix or remove malformed addresses
* **Missing data** — Decide whether to exclude or use defaults
* **Format inconsistencies** — Standardize date formats, company names, etc.
* **Outliers** — Review unusual values that might be errors

## Best Practices

### Data Preparation

* **Clean before upload** — Remove duplicates and fix formatting
* **Use consistent naming** — Standardize company names, job titles, etc.
* **Validate email addresses** — Ensure all emails are valid and active
* **Test with sample data** — Upload a small subset first to test mapping

### Field Mapping

* **Map all relevant fields** — Don't leave useful data unmapped
* **Use descriptive names** — Make field names clear and consistent
* **Consider data types** — Ensure numbers, dates, and text are properly categorized
* **Plan for growth** — Structure your data to accommodate future fields

### Quality Assurance

* **Preview personalized content** — Test how your data looks in videos
* **Check for missing data** — Ensure fallbacks work for empty fields
* **Validate personalization** — Confirm dynamic content displays correctly
* **Monitor performance** — Track how personalized videos perform

## Common Issues and Solutions

### Upload Problems

* **File too large** — Split into smaller files or compress
* **Encoding issues** — Save as UTF-8 format
* **Delimiter confusion** — Use commas, not semicolons or tabs
* **Header row issues** — Ensure first row contains column names

### Mapping Issues

* **Unrecognized fields** — Create custom field mappings
* **Data type mismatches** — Adjust field types in mapping
* **Missing required fields** — Add default values or exclude records
* **Duplicate field names** — Rename conflicting columns

### Data Quality Issues

* **Inconsistent formatting** — Standardize before upload
* **Missing values** — Decide on fallback strategies
* **Invalid data** — Clean or exclude problematic records
* **Outdated information** — Update data before uploading

## Advanced Features

### Batch Processing

* **Large file support** — Upload files with thousands of contacts
* **Background processing** — Continue working while data uploads
* **Progress tracking** — Monitor upload and processing status
* **Error reporting** — Get detailed reports on any issues

### Data Updates

* **Incremental updates** — Add new contacts without re-uploading all data
* **Field updates** — Modify existing contact information
* **Sync capabilities** — Keep data current with regular updates
* **Version control** — Track changes to your contact data

***

**Need to pass data via URLs?** Learn about [URL parameters](/personalization-data-management/url-parameters.md) for dynamic personalization.


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