Coherence lets you import records into any module from CSV or Excel files, and export your data at any time. Whether you're migrating from another tool, bulk-updating records, or backing up your data, the import/export system handles it.

Importing Records

Supported File Formats

Format	Extensions	Notes
CSV	`.csv`	Universal compatibility, recommended
Excel	`.xlsx`	Formatted spreadsheets
Excel (Legacy)	`.xls`	Older Excel files

Maximum file size: 100 MB.

How to Import

Navigate to any module (People, Tasks, Leads, or any custom module)
Click the Import button in the toolbar
Follow the 4-step wizard

Step 1: Upload Your File

Drag and drop your file or click to browse. Your file should have:

Column headers in the first row — these are used for field mapping
One record per row
Consistent formatting — dates in the same format, etc.

After uploading, you'll see a preview of your columns and first few rows to verify the file was parsed correctly.

Step 2: Map Columns to Fields

Match each column in your file to a field in the module.

AI-powered suggestions — Coherence automatically suggests mappings based on your column names and sample data. Each suggestion shows a confidence level (High, Medium, or Low). You can accept, adjust, or clear any mapping.

Columns you don't need can be left unmapped and will be skipped.

Multi-value fields

Some fields like Phone, Email, and Address support multiple values. You can map several columns to the same field with different types:

Your Column	Maps To	Value Type
Mobile Phone	Phone	Mobile
Work Phone	Phone	Work
Home Phone	Phone	Home

Address fields

Address components can be mapped individually:

Your Column	Maps To	Address Part
Street	Address	Street
City	Address	City
State	Address	State
Zip Code	Address	Zip
Country	Address	Country

Step 3: Review & Configure

Before importing, configure how records should be handled.

Duplicate handling

Choose what happens when a record in your file matches an existing record:

Strategy	What Happens
Skip	Don't import the duplicate row
Update	Merge new data into the existing record
Create anyway	Import as a new record (creates duplicates)

When using Update, choose a merge mode:

Merge Mode	Behavior
Fill empty	Only update fields that are currently blank
Overwrite	Replace all fields with the import values
Prefer import	Use import values where present, keep existing values otherwise

Duplicate matching

Select which fields to match on when detecting duplicates — for example, match on Email to find existing records with the same email address.

Reference fields

If your file includes values that reference another module (e.g., an "Account" column on a People import), Coherence will try to match existing records. Enable auto-create missing references to automatically create new records in the referenced module when no match is found.

Static values

Set default values for fields not included in your file. For example, set a Status field to "New" for all imported records.

Step 4: Import & Track Progress

Click Start Import to begin. Depending on the number of rows, the import runs in different modes:

Rows	Mode	Behavior
Up to 5,000	Instant	Processes immediately
5,000–50,000	Streaming	Real-time progress bar
50,000+	Background	Runs in the background with status updates

When complete, you'll see a summary of:

Records imported successfully
Records skipped (duplicates)
Errors with row numbers and details
Warnings for unresolved references or invalid values

Import History & Rollback

View past imports from the import history table. Each import shows the file name, status, and record counts.

Made a mistake? You can rollback a completed import, which deletes all records created by that import.

Rollback permanently deletes all records created by the import. This cannot be undone.

Exporting Records

Export records from any module to CSV or PDF format.

How to Export

Navigate to the module you want to export
Click the Export button in the toolbar
Choose your format: CSV or PDF
The file downloads automatically

Export Formats

Format	Best For
CSV	Spreadsheet work, importing into other tools, data analysis
PDF	Sharing formatted reports, printing, archival

You can also export saved reports. Open any report and use the Export button to download the filtered results as CSV or PDF.

Tips & Best Practices

Preparing your file

Clean your data first — remove blank rows, fix inconsistent formatting
Use consistent date formats — ISO format (2024-01-15) is recommended, but US (01/15/2024) and international (15/01/2024) formats are also accepted
Quote values with commas — if a cell contains commas, wrap it in double quotes (most spreadsheet apps do this automatically when exporting to CSV)
Use UTF-8 encoding — ensures special characters import correctly

For large imports

Split very large files (100K+ rows) into batches for easier error handling
Use the Skip duplicate strategy for initial imports, then Update for subsequent ones
Import reference modules first (e.g., Accounts before People) so references can be matched

Migrating from other tools

Export your data from your current tool as CSV, then use the import wizard. Coherence's AI mapping handles most column name differences automatically. Common migrations:

Salesforce — Export Contacts, Leads, or Accounts as CSV
HubSpot — Export contacts from the HubSpot UI
Pipedrive — Export from Pipedrive's data tools
Spreadsheets — Save as CSV from Excel or Google Sheets

Next: Learn about configuring fields for your modules, or see the Import & Export API for programmatic access.