# CRM Import – Definition, FAQs & How Dedupely Helps > CRM import duplicates explained: how a CRM decides an imported row is a duplicate, why imports add them, and how to dedupe a list before importing it. - URL: https://dedupe.ly/glossary/crm-import - Section: glossary - Site index: https://dedupe.ly/llms.txt - Any page: append `.md` to its URL for this plain-text form --- [Glossary](https://dedupe.ly/glossary) CRM Import ## CRM Import CRM import is the process of adding records to a CRM in bulk from a file, such as a CSV or spreadsheet, or from a list exported from another system. It's how event lists, purchased lists, partner data and records from older tools reach the CRM, and it's one of the most common ways CRM import duplicates get in. During an import, each row becomes a new record or updates one that's already there. To decide which, many CRMs compare each row with existing records on one field, often an email address for contacts or a domain or record ID for companies. A row that matches on that field updates the existing record or is skipped, depending on the CRM and the import settings. A row that doesn't match becomes a new record, even when it describes someone already in the CRM under a different email or spelling. Duplicates inside the file itself can also come in as separate records. See how Dedupely cleans imported lists in your CRM [Try for free](https://v2.app.dedupe.ly/signup) [Talk to sales](https://meetings.dedupe.ly/meetings/gaby-salinas/talk-to-sales) Overview A CRM import brings many records into a CRM at once, from a file or another system. Because a CRM often checks imported rows against existing records on one field, imports are a common source of duplicates. Cleaning the file first and checking the CRM afterward keeps them out. On this page - What Is a CRM Import? - How a CRM Import Works - Why CRM Imports Matter for CRM Teams - Getting Started With CRM Imports - Key Takeaways: CRM Import - Frequently Asked Questions About CRM Imports - Related Terms and Concepts See how Dedupely cleans imported lists in your CRM [Try for free](https://v2.app.dedupe.ly/signup) [Talk to sales](https://meetings.dedupe.ly/meetings/gaby-salinas/talk-to-sales) ### What Is a CRM Import? A CRM import, also called a data import, is a bulk upload that adds or updates many records in one step. Importing contacts is the most common case, but imports cover every object: contacts and companies in HubSpot, accounts and leads in Salesforce, people and organizations in Pipedrive, leads in Close, and contacts in Nimble and Google Contacts. An import creates duplicates in two ways. The file can repeat the same person or company, and the file can describe records the CRM already holds. A simple example: a trade-show list has two rows for Ana Ruiz, one with ana.ruiz@acme.com and one with a personal email. The CRM already has Ana Ruiz with ana@acme.com. An import that checks email finds no match for either row, so it creates two new records, and Ana now exists three times. There are three common ways to handle CRM import duplicates, and they're often combined. The import's own duplicate check compares each row with existing records on a key field. Its strength is that it's built in and stops exact overlaps on that field. Deduping the file before import finds the duplicates inside the list itself, with looser matching than one key field allows. Its strength is that those rows never reach the CRM. Cleaning up after import runs a duplicate search across the whole CRM, new records included. Its strength is that it catches overlaps with existing records that the file can't show. Resources: - [What is a duplicate?](https://dedupe.ly/blog/what-is-a-duplicate) ### How a CRM Import Works Most imports follow the same path from file to records, and duplicates can enter at each step. - **Prepare the file.** The rows are gathered into a CSV or spreadsheet with a header row. Lists from several sources are often combined here, which is where the same person can appear twice under different emails or spellings. - **Map the columns.** Each column is linked to a CRM field. If the column that holds the key value, such as email address or record ID, isn't mapped, the CRM has nothing to compare and treats every row as new. - **Choose what happens to matches.** Many imports offer a choice: create new records only, update existing records only, or both. Creating only can add a second record for someone already in the CRM. - **Compare each row.** The CRM checks the key field against existing records. The check is often exact, so a typo, a different email or a value in another format makes the row look new. Rows with a blank key field often can't be matched at all. - **Create or update records.** Matched rows update or skip, depending on the settings, and the rest become new records. - **Check the result.** A duplicate search after the import finds the new records that match existing ones on other fields, such as name plus company or phone number. Resources: - [Finding Duplicates](https://dedupe.ly/knowledge-base/find-duplicates) (KB) ### Why CRM Imports Matter for CRM Teams A single import can add hundreds or thousands of records in one step, so a small gap in how rows are checked becomes a large number of duplicates. One CSV imported twice, or one key column left unmapped, can double part of a database in minutes. Import duplicates affect reporting first. Contact and company counts grow, campaign and event results split across records, and attribution can credit a new lead for a customer who was already in the pipeline. The same person can also get two owners, two lifecycle stages and two places for their history. They also affect day-to-day work. A rep can call someone a colleague already works with, and a customer can get the same email twice, or keep getting emails on one record after unsubscribing on the other. In tools that bill by contact or record count, each imported duplicate is also a record the company pays for. Imports are also one of the easiest places to stop duplicates. Cleaning a file takes less work than finding the same duplicates after they're mixed in with the rest of the CRM, linked to deals and activity, and assigned to different owners. Checking after each import keeps the overlap with existing records small. Resources: - [Why your CRM database is turning into a mess (and how to fix it)](https://dedupe.ly/blog/why-your-crm-database-is-turning-into-a-mess) - [Should You Clean Spreadsheets Before Uploading or Clean Your CRM After?](https://dedupe.ly/blog/clean-spreadsheets-before-uploading-or-clean-your-crm-after) ### Getting Started With CRM Imports Dedupe the list before it goes anywhere near the CRM. Combine the files you plan to import, match the rows on a few key fields, such as email, name and company, and merge the duplicates, so each person or company appears once. Then remove placeholder values and fix formats, such as phone numbers and country names, that the CRM will compare. Next, set up the import so the CRM can recognize records it already has. Map the column that holds the key value, often email for contacts and domain or record ID for companies, and choose whether matching rows update existing records or are skipped. Import a small batch first and check the records it creates. After the import, look for overlaps with records that were already in the CRM. The file can't show those, and the import's own check often compares only one field, so a duplicate search across the CRM on several fields finds the rest. Doing this after every import keeps each one from adding to the cleanup. In Dedupely, you upload the list as a CSV, where a Duplicate Search matches it against itself, then merge its duplicates and export a clean CSV to import. Because a CSV isn't matched against CRM records, a Duplicate Search on the CRM after the import finds the new records that overlap with existing ones. Resources: - [Merge duplicates in spreadsheets](https://dedupe.ly/knowledge-base/connect-csv) (KB) - [Duplicate Searches](https://dedupe.ly/knowledge-base/search-pads) (KB) ### Key Takeaways: CRM Import A CRM import adds or updates many records at once from a file or another system. Because many CRMs check imported rows against existing records on one field, often email, rows with a different email, a typo or a blank key field come in as new records, and duplicates inside the file come in too. Deduping the file first, mapping the key field and checking the CRM afterward keeps imports from adding duplicates. In Dedupely, you can upload a CSV, match it against itself, merge its duplicates and export a clean file to import. After the import, Duplicate Searches on the CRM find overlaps with existing records, and Auto Match and Auto Merge keep checking as new records come in. Resources: - [Dedupely product overview](https://dedupe.ly/product) ### Frequently Asked Questions About CRM Imports #### How does a CRM decide an imported row is a duplicate? Many CRMs compare each imported row with existing records on one key field, and treat the row as a duplicate when that field matches. For contacts, the key field is often an email address. For companies, it's often a domain or a record ID. Depending on the CRM and the import settings, a matching row then updates the existing record or is skipped. The check is often exact and covers only that one field, so a row with a different email, a typo or a blank key field becomes a new record even when it describes someone already in the CRM. Rows that repeat each other inside the file may not be compared at all. In Dedupely, new records are detected within 1–5 minutes of the import. Each field in a search gets its own Match Option, so rows the import's check let through, such as a typo in a name or a second email, can be matched on other fields and merged. #### Should you dedupe a file before importing it into a CRM? Yes. Deduping the file first keeps the duplicates inside the list from ever reaching the CRM, and it's less work than finding them later among existing records, deals and activity. It also gives the import a cleaner set of key values to compare, so fewer rows slip past the CRM's own check. Deduping the file doesn't replace a check afterward, because the file can't show which rows overlap with records the CRM already has. Doing both covers the two ways an import creates duplicates. In Dedupely, you can upload a spreadsheet as a CSV, with no CRM needed, and run a Duplicate Search on it. Matching works the same way for spreadsheets and CRM records. A CSV is matched only against itself, so you merge its duplicates, export a clean CSV and import that. After the import, a Duplicate Search on the CRM finds the overlaps with existing records. #### Why did my CRM import create duplicates? Often because the rows didn't match existing records on the field the import checked. A contact may be in the CRM with a work email and in the file with a personal one, or a company may be listed under a slightly different name or domain. The key column may not have been mapped, so every row looked new. The import may have been set to create records only, the same file may have been imported twice, or the file may have held the same person more than once. Rows with a blank key field can't be matched either. To find the cause, compare a few new records with the older ones they duplicate. In Dedupely, a Duplicate Search on the affected object finds the new records and the older ones they match. Merge Rules decide which values each merge keeps, and blank values never win. Merges can't be undone, so check the first results before merging in bulk. #### How do you import contacts without creating duplicates? Clean the file, map the key field and check the CRM afterward. Before importing contacts, match the rows on a few fields, such as email, name and company, merge the duplicates, and remove placeholder values. During the import, map the email column, or another unique ID, and choose to update existing records when a row matches. Import a small batch first and check what it creates. After the import, run a duplicate search across the CRM, because the import's own check often looks at only one field and can't catch a contact with a different email. In Dedupely, you can dedupe the list as a CSV first and export it clean. Once it's imported, Dedupely detects new records within 1–5 minutes. Auto Match and Auto Merge then keep a search you trust running: Auto Match notifies you when new matches reach a count you set, and Auto Merge can merge new duplicates as soon as possible. #### What should you check in a file before importing it? Check that each record appears once, that the key fields are filled in and formatted the same way, and that every column maps to the right CRM field. Look for repeated rows under different spellings or emails, blank email or ID cells, placeholder values such as N/A or test@test.com, and phone numbers or country names in mixed formats. Make sure the file has a header row with clear column names, and that files from different sources use the same headers if they'll be combined. A quick look at a sample of rows often shows problems a full import would spread across the CRM. In Dedupely, a CSV needs a header row, and several files can be combined into one upload when their headers match, so the rows from every source are matched against each other. The clean result is exported as a CSV, ready to import, and CSV records don't count toward the record limit. ### Related Terms and Concepts #### [Spreadsheet deduplication](https://dedupe.ly/glossary/spreadsheet-deduplication) Spreadsheet deduplication finds and merges duplicates inside a file. It's the step that cleans a list before a CRM import, so each person or company comes in once. #### [Duplicate prevention](https://dedupe.ly/glossary/duplicate-prevention) Duplicate prevention stops new duplicates as records arrive. Imports are one of the main ways they arrive, so checking each import is a large part of it. #### [Native deduplication](https://dedupe.ly/glossary/native-deduplication) Native deduplication is the duplicate checking built into a CRM. During an import, it's often the check on one key field, such as email, that decides whether a row is new. #### [Recurring duplicates](https://dedupe.ly/glossary/recurring-duplicates) Recurring duplicates are the ones that keep coming back after a cleanup. Regular imports without a check before or after are a common cause. #### [CRM migration](https://dedupe.ly/glossary/crm-migration) CRM migration moves data from one CRM to another, often through large imports. The same file checks apply, at a larger scale and with the old system's duplicates included. #### [Duplicate search](https://dedupe.ly/glossary/duplicate-search) A duplicate search finds records that match on the fields you choose. Run after an import, it finds the new records that overlap with existing ones on fields the import didn't check. Skip to content