Uploading Files into Bright Sites

Things to keep in mind when uploading CSV files to Bright Sites

1. All fields must be in a General or Text format including all date and number fields.
2. All required columns are noted by an asterisk(*).
3. Make sure there are no hidden spaces before or after data in cells.
4. The upload file must be saved as a .csv file. If you’re uploading international addresses for individual user accounts, or international shared addresses, you need to save the file as a CSV UTF-8 file type to ensure international characters are uploaded.
5. With Coupon and Gift Certificate code uploads, the code field MUST only be alphanumeric characters and CANNOT include special characters.
6. With Budget bucket uploads, the Budget code field MUST only be alphanumeric characters and CANNOT include special characters.
7. If you’re uploading shared addresses or individual user addresses, address fields corresponding to First Name, Last Name, Company, Email, and Phone are not required to be input in the file.
8. If you’re uploading address information and the zip code starts with “0” (like for Rhode Island or Massachusetts zip codes) make sure you are formatting the zip code cells as “Text” to ensure the leading zeros remain when entering the value and saving the file. You can also input an apostrophe in front of the zero so the spreadsheet program saves the value as intended.
9. If the file upload fails and you receive an email with a spreadsheet attachment of the rows that had errors, you can make your corrections in that spreadsheet itself and re-upload that file instead of re-creating a new file with the rows that had errors.
10. The user upload template allows you to upload multiple new user accounts at once and is unique to each store:
    • Do not use a template you’ve downloaded from one store on another store.  
    • Do not use the same template if you’ve turned on any new features such as Account Balance, MOAS, Custom User Fields, or Budgets.
    • Email addresses and usernames must be unique to each user account in the store and must not contain special characters (dashes and periods are allowed).
    • Passwords must be a minimum of eight (8) characters long.
    • Groups are not required and if no group is assigned, the user will default to “Public” group when their account is uploaded.
    • The user upload template is DIFFERENT from the user update template. If you see “User ID” in column A and you are uploading NEW user accounts, you may need to re-download the user upload template from the store.
    • If you’re filling out a billing/shipping address for the shopper, keep in mind you need to fill out all required fields for the address.
11. The user update template give you the ability to mass edit multiple user accounts at once and is also unique to each store:
    • If you need to mass update MORE than 5000 user accounts, you will need to split the files into separate amounts of 5000 rows of accounts or less within each file.
    • Password information is not downloaded onto the user list as that information is secure and isn’t stored in plain-text.
    • If you’re updating passwords for users via this method, keep in mind that any previously used passwords can’t be input and they must be a minimum of 8 characters in length.
    • The “User ID” is the numeric value which ties the account to the user population for the store. That value is unchanging and automatically created by our system when a user account is created. If you adjust this for a user account, there may be issues in accuracy when information is updated for their account or information may not be updated at all.

Errors or Issues with the upload

If you receive an error message such as “Columns in file are incorrect, please re-download template and try again” or another error in red in the admin area, check for the following:

• Did you download a new template from the store admin?
• Did you save the file as a .csv file (or .csv UTF-8 if applicable)?
• Did you change the column header names, delete any columns, re-order columns, or add more columns in the file?
• Are there more than 5000 rows being uploaded?
• Is the data in the cell a formulaic response? Meaning, did you use a formula to generate a certain output and then copy that information into another cell? Make sure you’re only pasting text only and no spreadsheet formulas.
• DO NOT enter the date in this format or it will set the incorrect expiration date for coupons and/or gift certificates: "mm/dd/yy" (e.g. 08/08/18 will be read as "08/08/0018" when uploaded).