An article to help troubleshoot your data file imports.
The data in your GC Volunteer Management (VMS) is updated via new data sent through .CSV files in a format that is determined during your onboarding process. Changes to the files that are submitted can result in the VMS importer not recognizing your files or not recognizing data within your file.
The purpose of this article is to identify quick troubleshooting tips if you notice that your files have not imported - especially if they are in the Data Management > “Received Files” section, but not in the Data Management > “Import History” section.
Each school has an importer configuration built specifically for their VMS, but the questions below relate to errors that would cause the importer to not pick up the file in the first place. The importer looks for files every hour and typically takes a few minutes to a few hours to process the files. We recommend waiting at least 2 hours from the time that you submit a file to investigate why the import might not have processed.
Is the importer enabled?
If you’re in the process of configuration changes with our team, or you’ve recently had an import error, your importer may be off. To check if the importer is on, please visit the Data Management > Import History section of your VMS dashboard. There will be a note at the top telling you if the importer is enabled or disabled
You can re-enable your importer from this page. Just make sure that your pending configuration changes have been completed or that you have a sense of why the importer was otherwise disabled. You may need to address file issues that caused it to turn off!
Do my file names match?
The file names needed for your the importer to work properly are set during configuration and are noted in your Settings > Data Import Files section. These file names are case sensitive. The date format must be the same with each import, as well. For example, if you normally send 12072020, but the new file added says 1272020, the file will not import. The importer is also sensitive to any spaces between words in the file name, as well as spaces before or after the file name.
Does the date stamp match the day uploaded?
If your file names include date stamps, please ensure that the date you sent the files matches the date stamp in the file name.
Is there no new data in the files?
If you upload a file or set of files that have no changes from the previous file upload, your files will be received but not imported.
Do the column headers match?
You can always check on the columns that need to be included in your files by checking on the Settings > Data Import Files section, then clicking into each file. If the column headers don’t match, you should get an email about the error.
If your files did not import for one of these reasons and you are not sure why the import failed, please email support@givecampus.com.
For additional tips on making successful data updates, please see this article!