Zoho CRM import errors and data cleanup before or after a migration

Why an import fails or skips records

Zoho's import FAQ lists these common causes:

• The header row is missing or is not the first row.
• Mandatory fields are empty in the file.
• The character encoding is wrong; UTF-8 is the usual format.
• A full name is mapped into Last Name, or text or special characters sit in the wrong field type, or exceed character limits.
• A drop-down value in the file does not already exist in the CRM.
• The date or date-time format does not match the one chosen under Advanced Options.
• The file has an empty row, which Zoho says is interpreted as the end of the file.

Source: Zoho Help: Import FAQs

The five migration error types

For a migration from another system, Zoho lists five errors: mandatory fields empty (the records are skipped); parent record not found (the associated parent, such as an Account, was not migrated alongside the child); file not found (an attachment referenced in a CSV is missing from the attachments folder); child record not found (inventory line items referencing products that were not migrated or lack a Product ID); and wrong file format (the ZIP must contain only CSV files, with no subfolders).

Zoho says migrated records are linked through unique IDs, that owners require a user.csv file, and that contacts linked to accounts must use the IDs from the other CRM. It also states migration packages are limited to 10 GB or 200 CSV files.

Source: Zoho Help: Import FAQs

Duplicates and empty cells

Per Zoho, duplicates are matched on a unique field per module, such as Email for Leads and Contacts, Account Name for Accounts and Deal Name for Deals. The FAQ's duplicate guidance covers matching against records already in the CRM; it does not address duplicates inside the import file itself, so clean the file first.

When updating existing leads, Zoho's "Don't update empty values for existing leads" option prevents blank cells overwriting data, and "Replace Empty Values" at the mapping step lets you define a fill value. When overwriting by Record ID, only mapped fields are overwritten.

Source: Zoho Help: Import FAQs

Undoing an import

Zoho says to go to Setup, Data Administration, Import, Import History, hover over the import and click Undo this import. Once the undo is confirmed it cannot be reverted, imports are confirmed automatically after 30 days (after which they cannot be undone), and undoing imported Contacts also deletes their imported Accounts, and vice versa. Failed imports are marked in the history. Zoho's FAQ also recommends testing with a sample file first.

Source: Zoho Help: Import FAQs

Cleaning up duplicates afterwards

Zoho's record-management FAQ describes two tools. Find and Merge Duplicates lets you select a record and merge its duplicates. Deduplicate Records searches for duplicates by Email, Company, Phone and Mobile number. Zoho says you can merge a maximum of 3 records at a time and that the Deduplicate tool is available only in the Professional and Enterprise editions and above.

Deleted records stay in the Recycle Bin, which Zoho places under Setup, Data Administration, until you empty it.

Source: Zoho Help: FAQs on record management

A cleanup plan (practical advice)

This section is advice from experience, not vendor documentation.

• Before migrating, decide what not to bring: dead records, unused fields and old picklist values are cheaper to leave than to clean later.
• Normalise dates, picklist spellings, phone formats and country names in the source file first.
• Migrate parents before children, and keep the source system's IDs so related records can be matched.
• Run a small sample, review every field in the CRM, then run the rest.
• Export a backup of each module before any update-style import or merge.
• After the import, review duplicates and empty mandatory-style fields before users start working in the data.

Already imported something messy?

Skyfall Labs can audit the data, plan a clean-up or a proper migration, and set up validation so it stays clean. Because we are a Zoho Partner, treat our view with the interest we have disclosed.