Import your address book into RB9

Instead of re-keying, save time and eliminate errors by importing existing client and resource information from other applications

Lesson #94
Tools – Bulk Import function

Data entry and getting RB populated is a time-consuming task. One of those long drawn-out processes is entering firms, contacts, and resources from scratch. If you have existing client and reporter/resource information, don’t re-key it into RB; instead export it to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets from your application, then import it into RB.

RB offers 3 import options:

  • Firms
  • Firms with Contacts
  • Resources

If you’re new to RB and want to import your clients first, we recommend using Firms with Contacts so you import your client law firms and other entities, such as insurance companies, along with your contacts at those firms at the same time.

Preparation is key

Bringing your client and resource databases into RB using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets will save you a lot of time, but there are a few things to note:

  • To import your data into RB, the Excel spreadsheet must have all of the same column headers in the same order as the Bulk Import headers. So we provide Excel templates to make it easy to set up your spreadsheet correctly. All you have to do is copy and paste your data into the template.
  • While you must have the exact same column headers in the exact same order, you do not have to populate all the fields in the spreadsheet. Only required fields in each spreadsheet must have entries in each row in the spreadsheet. For example, when importing Firms with Contacts, only the firm name and the contact’s name must be included in each row.
  • If you are including an entity’s state, you must use the 2-letter USPS abbreviation.
  • If you are including email addresses for contacts or resources, each entity should have only one email address.
  • When importing entities, RB does not check the database for duplicate entries. If you discover duplicate entities after importing, you can either delete the duplicate or merge the entries.

Process is easy

After exporting your existing data to an Excel spreadsheet, the import process is simple: Select the type of spreadsheet you are importing in Bulk Import and upload the spreadsheet’s .xlsx file.

If the spreadsheet was formatted correctly, the data will appear in the Bulk Import results grid. You can view your entries, but not edit them. If you see any errors, you can edit your spreadsheet and re-upload the file or edit the entries in RB after importing. If the data looks ok, you can have RB import the entries to the appropriate Entity database automatically.

TL;DR: Import existing client and resource information from other applications via Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

RB concepts in this lesson

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with.

Firm: Business you provide services to, usually law firms.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters.

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