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Importer App: CSV Rules and File Requirements

Liz Gehret
  • Updated

This article explains different requirements when uploading a CSV UTF-8 file through the Importer.

Topics:

Requirements

To successfully upload a file via the Importer, the file must follow a strict set of requirements. These requirements include: 

  • A file size less than 50MB. If larger, you'll need to split it into separate files of less than 50MB
  • The row limit cannot exceed 200,000. If larger, you'll need to split it into separate files of less than 200,000 rows
  • All headers consisting of lower-cased text, as the Importer is case-sensitive.
  • All preset values for each field being case-sensitive; casing will vary by each type of upload.
  • File must be exported in a true .CSV format.
  • File may not be another file type with a .CSV extension added to it.
  • File must be exported in Unicode (UTF-8).
  • All dates must be in yyyy-mm-dd format, unless otherwise specified in the UI.

Important: if you don't use UTF-8 format, it can cause encoding issues, which can lead to poorly translated records or failure to sync/import correctly.

 

Possible Errors

  • "There are characters we could not recognize. Please fix these characters manually or convert your file to UTF-8 and re-upload to try again" error message indicates the file contains invalid characters that aren't in UTF-8 format - You'll need to convert your file to a UTF-8 to upload. 

UTF8_errors.png

  • "File name is invalid, File is invalid, File content type is invalid" indicates the file wasn't saved as a .CSV - You'll need to convert your file to a .CSV file to upload. 

File_not_saved_in_correct_format.png

  • "A system error occurred while running this static analysis. Invalid byte sequence in UTF-8" indicates a non UTF-8 CSV file formatting issue - You'll need to ensure all formatting requirements are correct to upload. 
     

Other_format_error.png

 

Converting an Excel File to UTF-8

If you are using Excel, you can choose "CSV UTF-8" to ensure you have the proper formatting. Follow these steps to convert your file:

  • Click File, then Save as from the menu.
  • In the Save as type dropdown, select CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv)
  • In the Tools dropdown at the bottom of the dialog box, select Web Options
  • Select the Encoding tab.
  • In the Save this document as: dropdown, select US-ASCII
  •  

 

For more information on how to export a file to a UTF-8, refer to this external document from Moodle.

 

Tips

  • If you're unsure of the details in your file, you may use your command prompt to return some detail: $file filename.ext (e.g. $file users.csv)
  • Additionally, you may either view the file in a text editor or use a tool like the 'File Viewer'.
  • If you are still having issues, contact support.