If you’re staring down a mountain of contact lists, sales leads, or legacy CRM exports, and you need to get it all into Sugarcrm without turning your database into a dumpster fire, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through real-world steps for importing and cleaning large datasets—no hand-waving, no magic buttons, and (hopefully) no lost data.
Let’s be honest: importing data is a pain, and most “import” tools gloss over the parts where things break or data gets mangled. Sugarcrm’s import process is decent, but if you want it to go smoothly, you’ll need to do some prep work, make careful choices, and fight the urge to rush.
Step 1: Know What You’re Dealing With
Before you even touch Sugarcrm, you need to get real about your source data.
- What formats are you working with? Sugarcrm likes CSVs. If you’ve got Excel files, exports from old CRMs, or data dumps, get them into plain CSV.
- How big is the dataset? Hundreds of thousands of records? Expect slow processing, and possible timeouts. Sugarcrm’s web interface is not built for “big data” as you might hope.
- What are the fields? Make a list of the fields you have, and the fields you want to end up with in Sugarcrm. Don’t assume your “Email” field is always called “Email” everywhere.
Pro tip: Open your data in a spreadsheet tool and really look at it. Are there weird characters, missing values, or columns you don’t recognize? Jot these down. The more you know now, the fewer surprises later.
Step 2: Plan Your Field Mapping
Sugarcrm (here’s the official page) lets you map fields during import, but it doesn’t read your mind. If you have “First Name” in your CSV and Sugarcrm calls it “first_name”, you’ll need to match them up.
- Create a mapping sheet. List your CSV columns in one column, and the corresponding Sugarcrm fields next to them.
- Decide what to skip. If there’s junk you don’t need (old campaign codes, empty columns), drop them before import.
Watch out: Custom fields in Sugarcrm won’t magically appear in the importer unless they’re already set up. So if you need “Favorite Color,” create that field in Sugarcrm first.
Step 3: Clean Your Data Before Import
This is where most folks cut corners—and where most headaches start.
What to clean:
- Duplicates: Remove obvious dupes. Sugarcrm has some de-duping, but it’s basic.
- Consistent formats: Dates, phone numbers, and addresses should be in a consistent format. Don’t mix MM/DD/YYYY and DD-MM-YYYY.
- Trim spaces: Leading/trailing whitespace can cause hidden mismatches. Use your spreadsheet tool’s TRIM function.
- Weird characters: Watch for non-UTF8 symbols, smart quotes, or emojis. These can break imports or lead to silent data loss.
- Blank fields: Decide if you want to import blanks, or filter them out now.
Don’t trust “auto-clean” tools too much. They miss things, and sometimes “fix” things you didn’t want fixed (like turning zip codes into numbers).
Step 4: Back Up Everything
Sounds obvious, but: Back up your Sugarcrm database and your import files. If you’re working with a live system, ask your admin for a database backup before you start.
If something goes wrong, you want to be able to undo it. Sugarcrm doesn’t have a “rollback import” button.
Step 5: Break Up Large Imports
Sugarcrm’s web importer isn’t built for millions of records in one go. If you push too much, you’ll get timeouts, or worse, partial imports (the worst of both worlds).
- Split your data into chunks. 5,000–10,000 records per file is usually safe.
- Import one chunk at a time. This lets you spot problems early, and makes rollbacks easier.
- Keep a log. Track which files you’ve imported and when.
Heads-up: If you have relationships between records (like Contacts and Accounts), import parent records first, then child records. Otherwise you’ll end up with orphaned data.
Step 6: Use Sugarcrm’s Import Tool—But Don’t Rely on It for Cleaning
Go to the module you want to import into (Contacts, Accounts, etc.), and use the Import button. The tool will walk you through mapping fields.
- Double-check mappings. Don’t rush this. A mis-mapped field can ruin your data.
- Review sample records. Sugarcrm will show a preview—use it.
- Set de-duplication options. But, don’t expect miracles. The built-in duplicate checker mostly looks at “name” and “email” fields.
Honest take:
Sugarcrm’s import will not:
- Fix your formats for you
- Merge duplicates intelligently
- Warn you about all potential issues
If you want real data cleaning or advanced deduplication, you’ll need to do it outside Sugarcrm, or use an add-on (but most are paid and not magic either).
Step 7: Test with a Small Sample First
Before importing your whole dataset, run a small test import—maybe 50 records.
- Check that all fields landed in the right places.
- Look for weirdness: Garbled text, missing data, wrong associations.
- Try searching and reporting on the new records. Make sure everything behaves as you expect.
If something’s off, fix your data or your mappings, delete the test records, and try again.
Step 8: Import the Data in Batches
Once your test looks good, import your data in batches (see Step 5).
- Go slow. After each batch, spot-check the records.
- Fix issues as you go. If you see a problem, stop and address it. Don’t just hope it’ll work itself out in the next batch.
Step 9: Post-Import Sanity Checks
After importing, check your data in the Sugarcrm UI:
- Run duplicate reports. Use built-in or custom reports to look for duplicates or obviously bad data.
- Spot-check records. Open random records and verify the fields look right.
- Check relationships. Make sure Contacts are properly linked to Accounts, Opportunities, etc.
If you find issues, fix them now—don’t let them sit. Bad data only gets worse over time.
Step 10: Clean Up and Document What You Did
- Delete your import files from the server (if uploaded). No sense leaving sensitive data lying around.
- Document what you imported, when, and any fixes you had to make. This will save you (or your team) pain later.
What Doesn’t Work (and What to Ignore)
- Don’t trust “one-click” import tools from third-party vendors. Most are just wrappers over the regular importer, and can’t actually clean your data.
- Avoid importing data directly into the database unless you really know what you’re doing. Sugarcrm’s data model is more complicated than it looks.
- Don’t skip the backup. This is the step everyone regrets skipping—until they need it.
Some Tools That Can Actually Help
- OpenRefine: Free, powerful for cleaning and transforming messy data.
- CSVKit: Command-line tools for slicing and dicing CSVs.
- Excel or Google Sheets: Still the easiest for many quick fixes, as long as your data isn’t too big.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Importing and cleaning data in Sugarcrm is more “measure twice, cut once” than “move fast and break things.” Do your cleaning before you import, start small, and don’t try to be perfect on the first pass. It’s better to get a clean, working subset in now, then add or fix data as you go.
You’ll save yourself hours, and you’ll sleep better knowing your CRM isn’t full of ghosts and goblins.