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  • CiviCRM Community Forums (archive) »
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  • Using Import (Moderator: Yashodha Chaku) »
  • How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?
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Author Topic: How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?  (Read 3792 times)

MaryD

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How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?
August 27, 2008, 10:00:37 am
I have MS/Excel 2003 and I'm trying to export data into the CSV format that Civicrm requires. After unsuccessfully trying to find an export capability in MS/Excel, I checked the Civicrm documentation. A couple of posts indicate that it is possible to import by saving the file, opening it in MS/Word, click "other encoding" and "Unicode (UTF-8)." I tried this, but what I got looked like random characters and after importing to Civicrm, showed up as meaningless files.

How can I do this--in simple terms? I'm pretty much a neophyte, doing this as a volunteer for a community group.

geilhufe

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Re: How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?
August 27, 2008, 11:21:51 am
So the basics:

(1) Create your file in excel
(2) file >> save as
(3) There will be a drop down with lots of options... the default will be "excel workbook". change it to "comma separated values"
(4) Save (it will give you some warnings... nothing to worry about)

Now you have a file on your desktop <name>.csv

Upload that file into the civicrm import interface.

There was an issue with Mac line returns that has a workaround, but I'll assume you are not using a mac.
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MaryD

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Re: How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?
August 27, 2008, 12:42:50 pm
That worked, thank you!  I don't know why they had that odd set of directions in the documentation--sorry for the bother!

geilhufe

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Re: How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?
August 27, 2008, 01:50:40 pm
As we ask of all newbies, please take a few minutes out of your day and clarify the documentation in a place that makes sense to you...

On any documentation page, login (top right) and then do one of two things:
(1) Create a child page
(2) Add your clarification to the page itself

If you are really worried about whether what you add is appropriate (don't worry, it is), then add your clarifications as a comment.
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MaryD

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Re: How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?
September 19, 2008, 07:27:36 pm
You're right--I'm a little nervous about adding documentation, but I'll try. I managed to get some records in, but still having troubles (see my newer post).  There are a couple of different csv options on the version Excel I have, but that doesn't seem to be a material factor in my import oddities.
Pages: [1]
  • CiviCRM Community Forums (archive) »
  • Old sections (read-only, deprecated) »
  • Support »
  • Using CiviCRM »
  • Using Import (Moderator: Yashodha Chaku) »
  • How Export from Excel to Acceptable Format?

This forum was archived on 2017-11-26.