Skip to main content

Troubleshooting Imports: Resolving Skipped Records & UTF-8 Encoding Issues

Troubleshoot failed CSV imports in Event Temple. Learn how to identify skipped record errors, fix missing required fields, re-import merged data, and set UTF-8 encoding in Excel, Sheets, or Numbers for special characters. (223 chars)

When performing a data import into Event Temple, records may occasionally be skipped or contain corrupted characters. This guide explains how to identify why rows were skipped and how to properly save CSV files using UTF-8 encoding.

Identifying Skipped Records

If records fail to process during an import, Event Temple generates an error summary download.

  1. Once the import completes, click the Skipped Records button to download a customized CSV report.
    ​

  2. Review the Reason for Skip column.
    ​

Common Causes for Skipped Records:

  • Missing Required Fields: Leaving mandatory fields blank (e.g., Account Name, Booking Status, or Room Block Single Blocked). Enter 0 for numeric fields rather than leaving them blank.

  • Case Sensitivity Mismatches: System choices must match existing setup options exactly (e.g., Definite vs definite, or mismatched Pipeline/Sub-menu names).

  • Missing Parent Records: Importing dependent records (e.g., Events) without a matching parent record (e.g., Booking External ID) already in the system.

  • Duplicate Values: Importing records that match existing records when the duplicate action is set to "Skip".

  • Incorrect Formatting: Dates, times, or multi-select fields (such as taxes) not following standard accepted structure.

Fixing Character Skipping & File Encoding (UTF-8)

If imported data contains non-English characters, accents, or special symbols (e.g., é, ñ, ü) that display incorrectly or cause row skips, the source file was likely saved without standard Unicode UTF-8 encoding.

How to Export/Save as CSV UTF-8:

  • Microsoft Excel (Windows/Mac):

    1. Open your file and select File -> Save As (or Save a Copy).
      ​

    2. Select CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv) from the file format drop-down menu.
      ​

    3. Save and re-run your import.

  • Apple Numbers:

    1. Open your document and select File -> Export To -> CSV.
      ​

    2. Expand Advanced Options.

    3. Set Text Encoding to Unicode (UTF-8).
      ​

    4. Export the file.

  • Google Sheets:

    1. Open the sheet (Google Sheets defaults to UTF-8 internal formatting).

    2. Select File -> Download -> Comma-separated values (.csv).

How to Fix and Re-Import Corrected Data

  1. Open your original CSV file or the downloaded Skipped Records file.

  2. Correct missing fields, casing errors, or encoding settings.

  3. Ensure External IDs are populated for all records.

  4. Re-run the import in Event Temple, selecting Merge / Overwrite for duplicate handling. The system will use the External IDs to update the records without creating duplicates.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?