Importing Alumni Records

The Alumni Network Import adds alumni records to OpenApply from a CSV file, or updates records you already have, so you can work with them using the Advancement tools such as the Alumni Dashboard and alumni surveys.

What you can import

This import covers form and user profile data only. The fields available depend on the form you choose, and include:

• Alumni Profile: first name, last name, preferred name, email, phone number, country and city
• Alumni Social Media: social media app and ID
• Alumni University Attended and Alumni University Accepted: university, degree and field of study
• Alumni Employment: employer, industry, job title and whether they are currently employed
• GDPR permission: what each alumnus has agreed you can view and store
• Any Extra Fields you have added to the form

Step 1: Choose the form

Settings > Import & Export > Alumni Network Import

1. Under Step 1: Select Import Form, choose the form to import into: Student Exit Survey, Annual Alumni Survey or Alumni Sign Up.

2. To add new alumni, leave Update Existing unticked. To change records you already have, tick Update Existing, then choose whether to also tick:

   • Override existing data with blank fields to clear any value that is blank in your file. Leave it unticked to keep existing values where your file is blank.
   • Disregard other validation check. to skip the other validation checks.

Step 2: Build your template

1. Drag the fields you need from Available Fields to Import Fields, or select Select All. To remove a field, select it again in Import Fields, or select Unselect All to start over.

2. Select the XLSX link to download the template. Only the fields you selected appear in it, with column headings such as Alumni Profile - First Name.

3. Prefer to start from a ready-made file? Download the alumni import template, which includes every field on the Student Exit Survey form. Keep the column headings as they are.

4. Add one row per alumnus. First Name and Last Name are required for every new record.

Steps 3 and 4: Save as CSV and upload

1. Save your finished spreadsheet as a CSV file. In Excel, use File > Save As and choose CSV (Comma delimited).

2. Under Step 4, select Choose File and pick your CSV.

3. Select Next Step.

Match your columns and confirm

1. Match each column in your file to an OpenApply field. Columns whose headings match a field name are matched for you, so check these too.

2. For date fields, choose the format your file uses (MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY).

3. Select Confirm Fields. If you spot a problem with the file, select Re-upload a new CSV Import File instead.

Review the confirmation page

Before anything is imported, OpenApply checks your file and shows a confirmation page. Read it carefully before you continue.

• Errors or warnings listed: follow each message to the row and column it names, for example a missing required field, an email address in the wrong format or a date that does not match the format you chose. Correct the file, save it as a CSV again and re-upload it.
• Columns matched to the wrong field: go back and fix the matching, or re-upload a corrected file.
• No errors and the preview looks right: proceed with the import.

Check the result

Imports are processed within a few minutes and you receive a confirmation email.

• Go to Settings > Import & Export > Recent Imports to see the status of your import.
• If an import fails, select the file name to see which cells caused the problem. Download the file, correct it and select Upload new file to try again.
• To undo an import made by mistake, select the bin icon next to it in Recent Imports. This is available for 72 hours after the import completes.