- If you are updating the same value on every record, utilize bulk actions from inside the query tool. For example, maybe you want to mark a specific field as 'true' for every record that's a part of your query results. To learn more about the various bulk actions available in a query, check out this Support Article.
- If you are updating different values for every record, then utilizing the bulk update tool is appropriate. For example, perhaps you have updated addresses for a large portion of your database, and that value will be different for each record.
This tool should be used with great caution for a few reasons
- Unlike the Gift & Contact Import tool, when you use Bulk Import Tools, Virtuous DOES NOT check for duplicate information. However, this is only applicable to creating new records using these tools rather than updating - Update templates require IDs for the items being updated, so duplicate records should not be created in this instance.
- When using any of the Update templates, if you do not insert a value for a field, then the empty value will override the existing value.
Preparing for Import
You can update the following items:
- Contacts
- Contact Individuals
- Contact Addresses
- Contact Wealth
- Projects
- Gifts
- Custom Field Data
Once you have chosen the appropriate update, download the corresponding Update Template and format your data. Depending on the specific template, an ID for the records you wish to update will be required (e.g., ContactId is required for updating Contacts, GiftId is required for updating Gifts, etc.) - this helps Virtuous to identify the exact records that will be updated. Anything else on the import is the information that will be updated. Again: if you do not insert a value for a field that had a value before the update, then the empty value will override the existing value.
Knowing that you will need an ID for each record being updated, it may be helpful to export a CSV file from Virtuous in advance with the appropriate IDs before using the Bulk Update. This way, all of the data is included, and you can simply edit the field values you wish to change and change the headers to align with the Update Template’s.
Importing Your Data
Once your file is ready, you can click in the shaded area for the import you'd like to do and search for the file on your computer to upload it. Or, just drag the file from its location and drop it into the shaded box.