An import transfers responsibility as well as data
The spreadsheet started as a simple enquiry list. Three people now use it, due dates disappear into notes, and the team has chosen a CRM. The remaining job is to move the same clients, projects, and next actions.
An accepted file is not enough. You need to establish that records belong to the correct people, have owners, and retain the next task. Divide the move into preparation, a small trial, and an agreed transition.
Download the import mapping and review plan and fictional example. Use them before preparing the chosen CRM’s required import format.
Separate people from enquiries
A spreadsheet row may contain a person, company, job, and task. Decide which CRM record types receive those values. Two projects for one person must not collapse into one during cleanup.
Assign stable source IDs. After the import, retain the corresponding CRM IDs. A row number is unsuitable as a lasting identifier because sorting can change it.
Distinguish repeated contact information from separate jobs. Put uncertain pairs into review. Preliminary cleanup must not discard history just to shorten the list.
Write the field mapping before uploading
For each source column, record the destination record type, field, and transformation. A note saying “call on Friday” needs a retained note or conversion into a task with a specific date and owner. Automatic mapping must not turn a note into an arbitrary project stage.
Pipedrive’s spreadsheet import guide describes CSV, XLS, and XLSX files, mapping, previews, and skipped entries. Related information in one row can create multiple linked record types. Inspect relationships as well as column names.
Check custom fields, owners, dates, and import permissions in the selected account. Attachments and conversations may require a separate route; a plain spreadsheet does not automatically transfer them.
Try a small representative sample
Include an ordinary contact, one person with two jobs, a missing optional value, an open task, and an uncertain duplicate. Check the result in a safe test environment. If none exists, agree on a small isolated import with a clear correction plan.
Open every sample record afterward. Compare names, relationships, notes, owners, and dates with the source. Resolve skipped rows. A successful summary does not establish that every relationship is correct.
Pipedrive currently documents reverting an import within 48 hours for a user with the appropriate administrative permission. Do not assume a general undo facility. Check account availability and your recovery plan before the main move. Other CRMs may differ. Keep the original spreadsheet export.
Agree on one transition point
Set a time for the spreadsheet’s final update and assign someone to transfer changes made during preparation. Then label the sheet as an archive or lookup source. New everyday work takes place in the CRM.
If both systems continue accepting independent changes, the team creates two different versions of the client. Temporary parallel operation needs an explicit reconciliation owner and an end date.
The final check should account for every source record: transferred, intentionally archived with a reason, or an open exception. The team’s operator should open a client and first task with their own account. The move is complete when the team can continue its work.
Documentation checked October 10, 2026. The import trials described here remain for you to perform in your environment. If the CRM choice is still open, continue with inbox, spreadsheet, or CRM.
Run one small Pipedrive import
Use an account with import permission. Open Tools and apps → Import data → Import from spreadsheet → Get started. Select the record types, upload a single-sheet file with a header row, and proceed to field mapping. Pipedrive accepts CSV, XLS and XLSX, up to 200,000 rows and less than 50 MB. Use only a few rows for the trial.
Map company name to organization, full name to person, and job title to deal. Keep source IDs in custom fields prepared for each record type. Assign owners and a specific activity due date; verify the date format in the preview. A person requires a name, an organization requires a name, and a deal must link to a person or organization. A column called “contact” does not establish those mappings by itself.
Select Next, inspect the preview, and verify that two jobs for the same person remain two deals. Check the duplicate-handling option before Start import. Open View summary in import history. If there is a skipped-record file, correct and reimport only those records, rather than the successful batch. Record the source-to-destination IDs by opening the resulting records.
The documented import-revert option is limited to a global administrator within 48 hours. It does not promise recovery of arbitrary later edits or the entire account. Before the import affects real work, agree with the administrator how to isolate the batch and correct it.
The model below supplies actual mapped values; it is not an executed import. For your trial, Casey must open both jobs, confirm the shared person, and find the first job’s activity with its owner and date. Until then, the migration remains unverified.