How To Upload Lists

Legacy Cortex users, please visit the Legacy Cortex section here. 

Uploading new users? Be sure to read What Happens When I Upload Users?

There Are Two Ways To Upload Lists Into ReSci

1. Copy/paste from a file

2. Import a comma separated /csv/txt file (Better for large files)

To Upload Files You Can Go To

Data Management > Smart Segments

Or through Advanced Settings menu from any Cortex template.

Uploading User Data with the List Importer

Cortex's list upload feature allows you to import new users with specific user properties, as well as update existing users' information.  This is perfect for identifying groups of users with a specific registration source or location, or bulk-unsubscribing a list of users.  It will match based on email address and add or update user information where you include it.  

Understanding Your Users File Format

Your user information needs to follow a specific format to be processed correctly by the list importer:

• It must be saved in the proper file type, .csv or .txt
• It must use the correct column headers, and must include the email column
  - column headers must be lower case

The accepted column headers are:

• email (REQUIRED)
• account_created_on (YYYY-MM-DD format required)
• date_unsubscribed (YYYY-MM-DD format required, any date will unsubscribe the user)
• full_name
• address1
• address2
• city
• state
• zip
• country
• phone
• birthday
• gender
• registration_source
• ip_address

Formatting Your Data in a Spreadsheet

Step One

Determine which pieces of information can be imported.  Remove all data that cannot be imported.

This is information in the default mailchimp export format, most of these columns are not supported and none of the column headers are correct.

The columns have that can be imported have been identified (in green) and marked with the correct column headers, and the columns that cannot be imported have been marked for deletion (in red)

The data has been reduced to the necessary columns

(see bottom of article for full_name column instructions)

Step Two

Rename your column headers to the appropriate supported names

Format all dates to YYYY-MM-DD format
How To Format Dates in Excel

 

Step Three

Save your file(s) with the appropriate name and file type

Or Copy and Paste directly from your spreadsheet

Excel

File > Save as
For .csv choose "Comma Separated Values (.csv)"
Mac users choose "Windows CSV"

Google Sheets

File > Download as
For .csv choose "Comma-separated values"

OpenOffice

File > save as > Text CSV (.csv) file type

For .csv file import use ',' for Field delimeter
Save cell content as shown

 

Step Four

Upload your list

Or use the Copy/Paste from Excel function to insert your data

 

Bonus Tip: Merging First Name and Last Name to full_name

Retention Science does not support separate first name and last name user information, and requires an import of full name user information.

To combine these strings create a new column, and put "full_name" in the header. Use the formula CONCATENATE(col1;" ";col2) to combine your first and last name columns with a space between them.

Copy this formula down for all the rows in your table.

Save your file as a .CSV (do not save as .xslx or .odf or any other "standard spreadsheet" file format)

Close and re-open the document from the .csv file. (this will remove the concatenate function and leave only the final values)

Delete your First Name and Last Name columns

Save as .csv again

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Pro Tip

You can use the upload feature to mass unsubscribe users. Simply update the column header "date_unsubscribe" with the date you wish their unsubscribe status to begin. More info here.

• date_unsubscribed (YYYY-MM-DD format required, any date will unsubscribe the user)

Things To Note

• Wait for your list to finish uploading and processing before creating a campaign, experiment, or smart segment that references your new list.
• If you upload a user that is not in your database, their account created date will be the date of the upload and they will be eligible to receive New To Your Brand and other acquisition stage messaging beginning 48 hours after the account created date.