Import Overview

Maxio's import tool allows you to make large-scale changes to the data in your system. This can save you a significant amount of time by avoiding manual data entry. The available imports allow you to create, update, or delete multiple items at the same time, as well as a number of other helpful tasks.

The import is very powerful and requires a working knowledge of the application and the financial information it contains. You can make extensive permanent changes during an import, so a complete understanding is necessary to be successful. Contact support@maxio.com if you have any questions.

Importing basics

The items below cover several essential aspects of the import that you should familiarize yourself with before proceeding.

• The import function must be activated in your account by Maxio staff. Contact support if you do not see the Import options in the Admin window.
• Once enabled, the import function is available for all admin users. We recommended you audit your user list to ensure your users have the appropriate level of permissions. Roles are further explained in User Roles and Access Controls.
• An import can partially succeed. Rows that pass validation are imported, and rows that fail are reported with their line numbers. Download the error file, correct those rows, and re-import only that file. Re-importing the whole file can fail or duplicate work, because the records that already imported still exist.
• There is no way to undo an import, so you should always perform a backup before running an import. Also, you cannot stop an import once it starts.
• Import files must be in the CSV UTF-8 encoding. The XLS/XLSX format will not work, nor will CSV files with UTF-16 encoding or UTF-8 encoded files with BOMs.
• Most CSV files require some level of clean-up, which is explained further in CSV File Guidelines.
• You should use a sandbox environment to familiarize yourself with the importer before executing imports in production.

Import types

Maxio provides the following types of standard imports:

• Create: Add new records.
• Update: Make changes to existing records.
• Delete: Remove existing records. Contact support if you'd like to perform a Delete import as it must first be activated in your account.
• Create & Update: Add new records and make changes to existing ones.

The system also contains the following additional imports:

• Renumber
• Rename
• Item Groups
• Transaction Renewal Linkages
• Import Payment Profiles
• Generate Entries - System
• Import Entries - Custom
• Generate Invoice Schedules

You can access these imports by clicking the Additional Imports option.

Background process

Large imports (over 200 records) are processed in the background, which allows you to continue to use the system while the import completes. If multiple imports are requested on the server, they only consume a dedicated amount of resources to prevent any impact on other users. You can view the status of large imports on the Results page.

Data model

It is important to understand the relevant components of Maxio's data model since the import function is designed to populate tables in the database. There are three basic data objects in the Maxio solution: Customers, Contracts and Transactions. The flowchart below explains how these objects work together within the system's hierarchy.

The solid black arrows in the model above represent a standard one-to-many database relationship (parent-child, foreign key required), which means many child records can exist for the same parent record. For example, a customer can have an unlimited number of child contracts but a single contract can only belong to one customer.

What's next

Now that you have a general understanding of importing, you can construct the CSV file and then execute the import.