How do I import clients from my third party event registration system such as Zoom, EventBrite or GoToWebinar?
Neoserra and eCenter Direct work together to help advertise your events and capture online registrations. Using eCenter Direct you can ensure that you capture all the necessary demographic information from your attendees to meet your funding entities data requirements. However, OutreachSystems is aware that there may be times when a third-party event registration system is employed to capture online registrant information. Neoserra will allow you to import the attendees from a CSV or Excel file and add these attendees to a specific training event. If the attendees are not yet in the Neoserra database, then a new client record can be created using the information found in the file.
Note: Importing client records into Neoserra should be done with extreme caution. Importing client records with partial information can adversely impact the integrity of your database by creating duplicate records. Neoserra will try and identify duplicate records as best it can, but if the data being imported is incomplete or inaccurate then duplicates will nonetheless be created.
Depending upon your permissions, you may only be able to import contact records. Importing client records is not available to all users. Your database administrator can provide the necessary permissions, if needed.
In this FAQ we will discuss:
- How to import a file
- Data file requirements for client records
- Specify data elements
- Import options
- Audit information
How to import a file
To import a file with attendee details into Neoserra, you will first need to create the event record in Neoserra to which you want to import the attendee data as discussed in the FAQ titled: How do I create a new Training Event with one or more instructors?.
To import the attendee information from an third-party online registration system such as Zoom, GoToWebinar or EventBrite you can scroll to the attendee list at the bottom of the screen. There are several ways to populate your attendee list, in this FAQ we will discuss the import from a file feature:
You will need to decide if you have enough information to import the full client record, or whether you simply have contact details in which case you should choose to import contacts only.
Neoserra will try and identify duplicates based upon contact name; company name (if importing client data); phone numbers and/or email addresses. If Neoserra identifies a possible duplicate then it will let you select the existing contact/client to be added to the attendee record, instead of creating a new record. If the new record being imported does not match an existing Neoserra record, then you have the option to create a new contact/client record with the information provided in the file. If should be noted, that the registration file from third-party applications may (or may not) include all the information required per your internal policies and procedures. Thus, you may create contact/client records that are technically non-compliant with your more stringent intake procedures. It cannot be emphasized enough that the import feature should be used with extreme caution!
To import the details from a file simply click on the Import|From a File menu option and depending upon your permissions, you may either see the option to import Contacts only, or you may see the option to import "Clients + Contacts". If you do not see the "Clients + Contacts" option then you probably do not have the necessary permissions to import client records. You can contact your lead center for more information, OutreachSystems cannot change your permission settings:
Note: The importing from file feature (whether importing contact or contact+clients) is ONLY available to those users with edit permissions to the training event records and add permissions to the contact records.
In this FAQ, we will only discuss the importing of client + contact records. Please refer to the FAQ titled How do I import contacts from my third party event registration system such as Zoom, EventBrite or GoToWebinar?
Data file requirements for clients
Neoserra will be able to import data from any .CSV file or an Excel file (either .XLS or .XLSX). It is vitally important that each column in the file being imported into Neoserra conforms to the data type in each corresponding Neoserra field. In other words, if you are importing the business start date, then the column in your file must be a valid date with a month, day and year specified. For example, "Jan 1989" is not a valid date format. You will need to convert the data to 1/1/1989. Furthermore, if you are importing annual gross sales, for example, then the field in your import file must be a valid numeric currency. Neoserra will not be able to import textual data into a currency field. For example, Neoserra cannot import "More than $500,000" or "Between $100,000-$250,000" into a currency field such as Gross Revenues or Profits. Bottom line, the imported data must conform to Neoserra's format for a particular field.
While the file may contain as many data elements as you want, Neoserra will only be able to import the following details into system-defined contact fields. Fields listed with an asterisk are coded fields and the value in the import file must match one of the possible choices that Neoserra "understands" as shown in the table below:
- First Name (column mandatory)
- Last Name (column mandatory)
- Email Address (column mandatory)
- Secondary Email Address
- Work Phone Number
- Phone Number
- Cell Phone Number
- Address, City, State, Zip and Country (same information will be used for company details)
- Preferred Language*
- Business Owner*
- Gender*
- Race*
- Hispanic Origin*
- Veteran Status*
- Military Branch*
- LGBTQ*
- Date of Birth
- Disabled/Handicapped*
- Presence*
- Notes
* All fields designated with an asterisk are coded pick list fields and the import value must line up with the value in Neoserra. Neoserra can "translate" some choices as shown below in the table for contact fields:
| Neoserra Pick List | Starts with... | Imported As... |
| Presence | Starts with:
| Online |
| No match | In Person | |
| Gender | Starts with:
| Female |
Starts with:
| Male | |
Starts with:
| Non-Binary | |
Starts with:
| Intersex | |
| Veteran | Starts with:
| Veteran |
Starts with:
| Service-Disabled Veteran | No match | Non-Veteran |
| Military Branch | Starts with:
| Air Force |
Starts with:
| Army | |
Starts with:
| Coast Guard | |
Starts with:
| Marine Corps | |
Starts with:
| Navy | |
Starts with:
| Space Force | |
| No match | (Undefined) | |
| Race | Starts with:
| Alaska Native |
Starts with:
| Asian | |
Starts with:
| Black/African American | |
Starts with:
| Middle Eastern | |
Starts with:
| Native American | |
Starts with:
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | |
Starts with:
| North African | |
Starts with:
| White/Caucasian | |
| Hispanic Origin | Starts with:
| Hispanic, Latino or Spanish Origin |
| No match | Not of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish Origin | |
| LGBTQ+ | Starts with:
| Yes |
| No match | No | |
| Disabled/Handicapped | Starts with:
| Yes |
| No match | No | |
| Business Owner? | Starts with:
| Checked Yes |
| No match | Checked No | |
| Preferred Language | Starts with:
| Spanish |
Starts with:
| English |
Additionally, the following company details can be imported in the client system-defined fields:
- Company name (mandatory column but can be left blank in which case contact name will be used if blank)
- Agreement on file? (this field accepts Y/N input. If the file indicates that the client has a signature on file then the date of the event will be used for Signature Date. This is different from the client import process, where the date of the agreement will be set to the date of import)
- Business Online?
- CAGE Code
- Date Company Established (mandatory column to determine if company is in-business or pre-venture. If left blank then client is assumed to be pre-venture.)
- DUNS Number
- Fax Number
- Federal ID
- Full-time/Part-time Employees
- Gross Revenues
- Home-based?
- Ownership Gender*
- Company Veteran Status*
- Business Size*
- Disadvantaged Status*
- Business Type*
- Organization Type*
- Primary NAICS
- Product/Service Description
- Profit/Losses
- Referral From Description
- UEI Number
- Website
- Notes
* Again, while text and numeric/currency fields are relatively easy to import, because they map directly from the import file to the field in Neoserra, the same cannot be said for pick lists. Neoserra can import some pick list options, but certainly not all. Since import files may have different values or different abbreviations from the choices supported within Neoserra, only some common terminology can be mapped over during the import process.
Below you will see the chart for each client pick list field and the value that will map to a choice on the client record in Neoserra. The data in the field in the import file must start with a specific string of characters in order for the data to be mapped as shown:
| Neoserra Pick List | Starts with... | Imported As... |
| Ownership Gender | Starts with:
| EDWOSB |
Starts with:
| WBE | |
Starts with:
| Woman-Owned | |
Starts with:
| Woman-owned WOSB Certified | |
Starts with:
| Male-Owned | |
| Blank or other value | Choose not to respond | |
| Company Veteran Status | Starts with:
| Veteran |
Starts with:
| Service-Disabled Veteran | |
Starts with:
| VOSB Certified | |
Starts with:
| SDVOSB Certified | |
Starts with:
| Non-veteran | No match | Non-Veteran |
| Business Size | Starts with:
| Micro | Starts with:
| Small | Starts with:
| Medium | Starts with:
| Large | No match | Undefined |
| Disadvantaged Status | Starts with:
| DBE Certified | Starts with:
| MBE Certified | Starts with:
| SBA 8(a) Certified | Starts with:
| Self-certified Disadvantaged/Minority Owned | No match | Undefined |
| Business Type | contains:
| Accommodation and Food Services | contains:
| Administrative and Support | contains:
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | contains:
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | contains:
| Construction | contains:
| Educational Services | contains:
| Finance and Insurance | contains:
| Health Care and Social Assistance | contains:
| Information | contains:
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | contains:
| Manufacturer | contains:
| Mining | contains:
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | starts:
| Public Administration | contains:
| Real Estate, Rental and Leasing | contains:
| Research and Development | contains:
| Retail Trade | contains:
| Service Establishment | contains:
| Transportation and Warehousing | contains:
| Utilities | contains:
| Waste Management and Remediation Services | contains:
| Wholesale Trade |
| Company Organization Type | Starts with:
| Corporation | Starts with:
| Limited Liability Co. |
Starts with:
| Non-profit Organization | |
Starts with:
| Partnership | |
Starts with:
| Sole Proprietorship | Starts with:
| Sub S Corporation |
In addition to the above listed system-defined fields, Neoserra can also import data into some user-defined fields. You can import additional data if your file includes information that corresponds to an existing Neoserra user-defined field that has one of the following data types:
- Currency format
- Date format
- Text format
- Yes/No format
Alternatively, you can import any extra data from your import file into the Neoserra "Notes" field. For example, user-defined information that does not have a corresponding user-defined field in Neoserra could be mapped to the Notes field so as to retain the information.
As noted above, the file must include a separate column for first name, and separate column for last name in addition to having a column for email addresses in order for the attendee information to be imported. Neoserra does offer a "Name (First Last)" import option where both the first and last names are included in the same column but importing combined names into separate fields is imperfect, at best. For example, what if the name field has "J. Edgar Hoover", or "Ms. Mary Jones" then Neoserra will make a best effort to separate the names into the correct first name and last name columns:
But as you can see the separation is not perfect:
In the absence of first and last name data the file cannot be processed:
Many third party applications may generate registration/attendee files that include a lot of "fluff" at the top of the file that is non-essential to Neoserra:
Neoserra will scan the file for the first row it encounters with a properly formatted email address. Additionally, Neoserra will look for a "header row" where the columns in the file are identified. This header row is mandatory to ensure accurate import into the database. Generally speaking we recommend your remove the "fluff" before importing the file since it may throw off the importer as it looks for the header row and email address.
Once the header row has been identified, then Neoserra will assume that all subsequent rows include attendee information to be imported.
Data files supported
OutreachSystems will continue to add to this list, as we gain experience with additional data files.
| Application | Supported | Reason |
| EventBrite | Yes | |
| GoToWebinar | Yes | |
| JoinMe | No | Participant details are not separated out in the file |
| WebEx | No, but... | First/Last names are not broken out into separate fields however, this may be something you can resolve within Excel or use the Neoserra "Name (First Last)" function. |
| Zoom (free version) | No | No reporting functionality provided |
| Zoom (Education version) | No | First/Last names are not broken out into separate fields however, this may be something you can resolve within Excel or use the Neoserra "Name (First Last)" function. Furthermore, the Education version of Zoom does not appear to require email addresses for registration whereas this is an absolutely requirement for importing records into Neoserra. |
| Zoom (Pro or higher version) | Yes | Please refer to the Zoom instructions on how to obtain Attendee Reports from Zoom. |
Specify data elements
Once you have selected the file to be imported and click to Continue you will be presented with the interface where you can specify each of the data elements to be imported:
At the top of the screen, shown in orange in the screenshot above, you will be able to specify the information found in each column to be imported. Neoserra will make a best guess effort to identify each column, but it will be up to you to verify the information in each column. If a column is not to be imported then you may choose to "Skip" the information. Only the columns that match up to fields on the client or contact record may be imported, however, you may specify some data elements to be copied to the "Notes" field. Additionally, in the left hand column you may choose to check or uncheck the box indicating whether the client will or will not be imported into the attendee list of the event.
Once all the information has been verified and you are ready to proceed, you may click the "Continue" button at the bottom of the screen. Note: Keep in mind that it is your responsibility to accurately specify each data column and verify all the information! Once the data is imported it can only be deleted or edited manually - one record at a time!
Import options
Upon clicking Continue, you will be presented with the Import Options interface. There are some important general settings at the top of the page that are worth reviewing:
- Add new or unknown contacts/clients to the database: Looking at the list of records to be imported below, you will need to decide if you want to import the new contacts/clients into the database. The new records are those marked as "new" in the Contact column. Unchecking this box at the top of the screen will not import the "new" records and these attendees will be ignored for the remainder of the import process.
- Client/Pre-Client Type: By default, Neoserra will assume that you only want to import pre-clients that need to be reviewed before they are "upgraded" to client status. Only clients are counted per SBA guidelines, and for that reason you may be tempted to import the records directly as client records, however, because the imported records may be incomplete this should only be done with great caution. Importing the records as pre-clients allows you to review the records before they are made into client records, which is the recommended process.
- Counselor/Funding Source: All newly imported records can be assigned to a counselor and all can be assigned to a funding source and/or sub-funding source. If this information is not set, then the records will be imported with an undefined selection in these fields.
- Status: Next, you can decide whether you want to set the attendee Status information for the attendees imported into the system. Presumably you are importing those people who attended your event, in which case you will want to set the Status to "Attended." If you do not select a status, then the imported records will automatically get the status of "Registered."
If your import file includes an "Attended" column to keep track of who truly attended vs. who was a no-show, then the first check box column will be marked for those contacts who had a "Yes" in the Attended column and they will unchecked if the Attended column showed a "No".
Now that Neoserra knows who attended and who did not, in the "Status" drop down you can choose to import the data based upon the "Attended" setting:
Next, you can choose to set the fees due for all imported attendees to a fee level that applies to all imported records.
- Presence/Fees: Next, you can choose to set the fees due for all imported attendees to a fee level that applies to all imported records. And similarly you can set the manner in which they attended (in-person or on-line).
- Matching Name: If the imported file contains a record with the same first and last name as an existing record in the database, but neither the email address nor the phone number are the same, then Neoserra will let you import that person either as a NEW record, or it will let you associate the event with the existing contact's record. This is the case for Mary Grand in the screenshot above.
On the other hand, you will see that you are not given the option to create a new record for Susan Price from Puppy Palace. Neoserra determined that the imported file contains a record that exactly matches an existing record in the database. Neoserra will not allow a new record to be created that exactly matches a record in the database.
Audit Information
Neoserra will automatically attach a copy of the imported data file to the event record:
And the newly created contact records will show in their audit view that they were imported via the "Training Event Import" process by the user who initiated the process:
And the audit view for the event is similarly updated, although it is a bit more verbose because every attendee is logged individually as it is added to the event.
Want more? Browse our extensive list of Neoserra FAQs.