ARCOS 7 Help

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List Upload

The List Upload screen allows you to import information about existing or new ARCOS members.

The data in a newly uploaded list becomes available for use in segmentation each time the ARCOS "data warehouse" reloads, which happens approximately hourly. If you want to include email addresses from a List Upload in a mailing, try to upload that new list at least 1 hour before the mailing time to ensure the new addresses' availability. You can see the time at which the data warehouse last loaded by going to the Segments screen. There you will you see a timestamp like this: "Warehouse Last Loaded: 09/15/2010 09:00 AM" — any data you uploaded before that time is available for segmentation.

There are 5 steps to upload a list.

Step 1: Upload List File

1. List File
   Click the Browse button and locate the data file on your computer.
2. List Source
   Choose the List Source from the drop-down menu. If you do not see an appropriate List Source, select "— Create a New Source —" from the end of the list in the drop-down menu. A new text field labeled Source Name will appear; enter the new Source Name in this text field. Tip: A "list source" helps you remember where the data you are uploading came from, so be sure to use a descriptive name like "2011-05 Fundraising Dinner" or "2011-07 Volunteer Roster."
   
3. File Type
   Choose the format of the data file you are uploading — CSV or TSV. Note: You can't upload an Excel file in ".xls" or ".xlsx" format — it must be saved in comma-separated or tab-separated (CSV or TSV) format. Look for these options in Excel under "Save As."
   
4. Header Row
   Does the first row of the file you are uploading contain field labels such as Email Address, First Name, Last Name, etc.? If so, choose Yes. If the first row instead includes member data such as "johndoe@example.com, John, Doe, …" choose No.
5. Create New Records
   When you upload a data file, some people in the data file may already be in the ARCOS database. Others may not be. When uploading a data file, the information about people who are already in the ARCOS database will always be updated. However, ARCOS lets you decide whether people who are not yet in the ARCOS database should be added in or not. Choose Yes to add all the people in your data file to the ARCOS database. Choose No to only update the records of people who are in the ARCOS database already.
6. Make Email 1 the Primary Email Address
   You can store up to 3 emails per person in ARCOS -- a primary email and two others. Set this dropdown to Yes if you want to the emails in your file to become the primary email addresses. Choose No to upload the list without changing which email is a person's primary email.
   
   For example, imagine John Doe has two emails: john@yahoo.com (Email 1 / primary email) and john@gmail.com (Email 2). If you upload a list that contains john@gmail.com and select Yes for this field, john@gmail.com would become his primary email and john@yahoo.com would become his Email 2.
7. Action
   For most uploads, you will want to leave this option set to Member Import.  However, in addition to uploading your file you also have the option to opt the people in your file in or out, or subscribe them to a list, or unsubscribe them from a list. For those cases, choose Opt In, Opt Out, Subscribe To, or Unsubscribe From.
8. Click the Next button to go to Step 2. Your data file will now be transferred over the Internet. Depending on the size of your file and your Internet connection speed, this may take just a few seconds or several minutes. If you are having trouble uploading your file, try uploading when you are connected to the Internet over a faster connection. Alternately, you can split the file you are uploading into several smaller files and upload each separately.

Step 2: Choose List Format

On the Step 2 screen, there are two sections: List Properties and Choose List Format.

The Properties section describes the list you are uploading. It shows the name and size of your file, the List Source you entered in Step 1, the Field Count (number of columns in each row of the file), and the Header row labels in your file, if applicable.

1. Under Choose List Format, choose from the drop-down menu the List Format that is appropriate for the file you are uploading. If you aren't sure which format to use or if no appropriate format exists, click the Create New Format button and follow the steps on-screen to map the fields in your file to the appropriate fields in the ARCOS database.
2. Click the Next button to go to Step 3.

Step 3: Choose Online or Offline Processing

You may process the upload online or offline. If you choose online processing, you will need to leave your browser open while the upload takes place. Depending on the size of the list you are uploading and the speed of your Internet connection, this may take a while. Unless the file you are uploading is extremely large, we recommend that you choose Process Online.

If you choose offline processing, ARCOS will send an email to the email address associated with your ARCOS user account when the process is complete. If your data contains errors, you will receive those by email as well. When you can see the "List Upload Complete" screen, it is safe to navigate away from this page or close your browser. To process offline, click the Process Offline button.

Step 4: Checking List Data (Online Processing only)

The Checking List Data section contains a dynamic progress bar, the number of rows processed (checked for errors), and the estimated time remaining.

The Errors Found section will automatically update with any errors found. ARCOS enforces strict data integrity rules. You may not upload a list that contains errors.

If any errors are found, you will be given the option to Go Back or Upload Valid Rows. If you choose Go Back, you will be taken back to Step 2. If you choose Upload Valid Rows, ARCOS will store the data in the valid rows in the database and will offer you a link to download a file containing the rows that have errors in them.

Step 5: Writing Uploaded Data to the List (Online processing only)

This step finalizes the upload by writing the uploaded data to the database. Again, you can track the progress of the upload by watching the dynamic progress bar, the number of rows processed, and the estimated time remaining. When the progress bar reaches 100%, a slide-in message will let you know that the upload is complete. At this point, it is safe to navigate away from this page or close your browser.

Remember: The data in a newly uploaded list becomes available for use in segmentation each time the ARCOS "data warehouse" reloads, which happens approximately hourly.