--- schema_version: "1" id: 9a40c40d8de8e4b890b0b09b2316bfa6ed0a284f28312b17e1186a0f977da2f7 title: How the Import Process Works collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/sfdo/264-0-0/npsp_how_process_works.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_how_process_works.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: eb691752ba150b488747971ea32139753dfe6a7f1c829ca1b5fa93c64d6bd183 description: Find out more about the import process. products: - Nonprofit release: "264" --- # How the Import Process Works Find out more about the import process. - **[A Step-by-Step Look at the Import Process](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_how_process_works.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Follow these steps to get donor data into Salesforce. - **[Why is It so Complicated?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_how_process_works.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** You may be thinking that this process seems awfully complicated. You may also be wondering why we need an intermediate step of uploading data to the NPSP Data Import custom object. What's its purpose? ## A Step-by-Step Look at the Import Process Follow these steps to get donor data into Salesforce. 1. **[Prepare Salesforce for Import](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_data_importer.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Prepare your organization for importing data from spreadsheets by following these NPSP Data Importer set up instructions."):** Get your Salesforce org set up and ready to receive your data set. 2. **[Prepare Your Data for Import](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_using_di_template.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Start here to learn how to use the NPSP Data Import Templates for your imports."):** Clean your data and put it in the [NPSP Data Importer Templates](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_data_importer_templates.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use these templates to import your data into Salesforce using the NPSP Data Importer object."), which mirrors the fields in the NPSP Data Import custom object. 3. **[Import to NPSP Data Import Custom Object](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_upload_data.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Learn how to upload data from a spreadsheet to the NPSP Data Importer."):** You can use the application of your choice to import your CSV data into the NPSP Data Import object. The instructions we provide in these docs highlight using the Salesforce Data Import Wizard. But you can instead use an external data import application—such as Salesforce Data Loader, DemandTools, Apsona, Jitterbit, and Informatica—to upload your data to Salesforce. (This is the first part of the two-part import process.) 4. **[Set Up Matching and Do a Dry Run](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_verify_with_dry_run.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Once you import records into NPSP, you can't hit the undo button. And that can be problematic if you accidentally import records that you had previously imported, resulting in duplicate records in your org. It can also be problematic if the wrong record is matched and you've updated it with data from a different record. Doing a dry run allows you to see if there are any potential matches before you import."):** If you already have records in your org and want to check to see if the records you're about to upload match any of those existing records, you can do a dry run. The Dry Run works like the import process, but doesn't actually import the records. This helps to prevent duplicates in your org and helps you avoid updating an existing record with incorrect data. If you'd like to save any of these NPSP Data Import configuration options, see [Batch Import Overview](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_batch_import_overview.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The ability to import data in batches can be very useful. Batch Data Import allows you to have different groups of data import records that you want to process differently, using their own set of unique configuration options (instead of using the default settings)."). 5. **[Process Your Import](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_process_import.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use NPSP Data Importer to send your data in the NPSP Data Import staging object to target objects such as Account, Contact, and Opportunity."):** Start the NPSP Data Import tool, which takes the organized data from the custom object's records and imports them into the Nonprofit Success Pack as multiple objects, including Contacts, Accounts, and donations (Opportunities). (This is the second part of the two-part import process.) 6. **[Delete Imported Records](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.npsp_delete_imported_records.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "After you've successfully imported your records, you can optionally reduce data storage by deleting the intermediate data in the NPSP Data Import object. Deleting the intermediate data in the NPSP Data Import object does not delete your new Account, Contact, or Opportunity donation records."):** After you've successfully imported your records, you can optionally reduce data storage by deleting the intermediate data in the NPSP Data Import object. After you complete this process, your data will reside in the following Salesforce objects created from the import process: - Contacts (donors, volunteers, advocates, and other constituents in NPSP) - Accounts (households or organizations in NPSP) - Opportunities (donations, grants, and the like in NPSP) - NPSP Payments - Campaigns - Additional objects you add to the NPSP Data Importer ## Why is It so Complicated? You may be thinking that this process seems awfully complicated. You may also be wondering why we need an intermediate step of uploading data to the NPSP Data Import custom object. What's its purpose? Without this custom object, you'd need to transfer your existing data into multiple spreadsheets—each one representing a table of Contacts, Accounts, donations (Opportunities), and so on. Then you'd need to import each spreadsheet into Salesforce, individually and in the correct sequence. First create Accounts, then Contacts, and so on. After each import, you'd need to export the data from Salesforce, get unique IDs for records, and create relationships between these records and the records in your other spreadsheets. The NPSP Data Importer not only creates exactly the objects you need from the single NPSP Data Import custom object, but it also avoids creating duplicates of existing Contacts and Accounts. We won't go into more detail here, but believe us when we say that the NPSP Data Import object can save you hours of work!