When inserting data via an import solution into Salesforce, it’s best practice to add the record owner field to the records being inserted so that they’re not all assigned to the user importing the data. This can be easily achieved when using SimpleImport in Salesforce by using the users’ usernames. Let’s start by taking a look at how to find a Salesforce Username.
Locating a user’s username
When importing a file with SimpleImport, you can specify the owner of each record so that it is assigned to said owner once imported. To complete this you will first need the username, as follows:
Go to Salesforce Setup (top right corner of your Salesforce page).
On the left side of the screen, under Administration, expand the Users section, and click Users.
You will now see a table of all the users in your organization.
Under the username column, copy the username of the desired user(s). Paste this somewhere safe, as it will be required later.
Adding the username(s) to the import file
You now need to add the desired username(s) to each row within your spreadsheet, all rows must have a valid username entered otherwise an error will occur when importing.
Add a new column to the file.
In the first row of the new column, type Username.
Enter the username(s) fetched from the previous steps into the desired rows.
Save the file.
Mapping the file in SimpleImport
In SimpleImport, upload the file.
Select Import to Salesforce (or choose a sheet first if there are multiple sheets in your file).
Choose your object and select Next.
In the Username row in the mapping page, select Map to Salesforce to open the field finder.
Search Owner ID and select the Owner ID | Username option.
Map all the other fields as you require.
Select Import.
Once your data has been imported, the owner of each individual record will be set to the user whose username had been entered in the spreadsheet.
Contact Us
If you are still having problems with setting the owner of individual records, or require more assistance with SimpleImport, please contact us at: support@provenworks.com
Identify the advantages of using “Managed Import” to import Opportunity Products.
Create an object and field mapping in SimpleImport for Opportunity Products.
Add and configure the Managed Import component to an Opportunity Record Page.
Test Managed Import.
Why use Managed Import to import Opportunity Products?
We here at ProvenWorks understand that Products added to an Opportunity are often managed in external systems, so importing this data into Salesforce is crucial. But with our 10 years+ experience of dealing with importing data into Salesforce, we also understand that importing can come with its own headaches… That’s where Managed Import comes in.
Managed Import, part of SimpleImport Premium, can drastically optimize importing Opportunity Products to Opportunities within your Salesforce organization by allowing you (and your users) to upload the file on an Opportunity record page itself. Managed Import then does all the hard work for you by inserting all the Products from your file directly to the viewed Opportunity – there’s no need to map fields every time, or source record IDs. This not only saves you time, it also prevents user error.
It requires a one-time setup that then allows users to rinse and repeat, time and time again, saving on average over two minutes for every file imported.
Like the sound of Managed Import? Get in contact with us and we’d love to show you around SimpleImport. If you’ve already got SimpleImport, keep reading!
Create an object and field mapping
The following steps assume that you have active Products with Price Book Entries. Also, the Opportunities we will use in this example will already have a Price Book selected.
Before the component can be placed onto any Lightning page, it requires a pre-defined mapping which contains reference to the object and fields that the user will be importing into. Using SimpleImport Premium, this process is made effortless.
As we’ll be importing Opportunity Line Items, let’s take a look at this object in more detail. This will help us create a mapping.
The object has four mandatory fields so these must be configured in our mapping. Here’s a handy description of what data should be fed into these fields:
Opportunity – the Opportunity record that the product will be associated with.
Product – the Product that will be added. This can be an ID, or Product Name if they are unique in your Org.
Quantity – the quantity of the Product being added to the Opportunity.
Sales Price – the price of the Product, per item.
Note: Total Price on the Opportunity Line Item record is a calculation of Quantity x Sales Price and is processed automatically during upsert.
Now we know what fields are required, let’s create a template file which we will use to create a mapping. To create a mapping, the file must contain field names in row 1 and at least one row of import data in row 2.
Create a template file
Create a new spreadsheet file and populate row 1 with each of the four mandatory fields noted above.
In the first cell underneath Opportunity, add the {!Record.Id} tag.
In the first cell underneath Product, add either the Product Name or ID. This product must be Active and have a Price Book associated with it.
In the first cell underneath Quantity, enter a value.
In the first cell underneath Sales Price, enter a value.
Save the file to your computer.
Generate a mapping
Now that we have a template file, we need to configure the file within SimpleImport and generate a mapping.
From the App Launcher, find and select SimpleImport.
Upload the created template file by using either the drag & drop functionality or click to upload.
Once the file has uploaded, select the Import to Salesforce button.
In the Object Selection master picklist, choose Opportunity Product (OpportunityLineItem).
Click Continue.
Select Insert and Continue to the mapping page..
The field mapping page now allows us to choose the destination fields on the Opportunity Line Item object. Selecting the edit icon on each row under the Object fields section will open the field finder. Each field in the field finder will be structured in the following way:
Field Name | External ID Field (if applicable) | Object
For Opportunity, map Opportunity ID (OpportunityId) | Opportunity ID (Id) | OpportunityLineItem.
For Product, map Product ID (ProductId2) | Product Name (Name) | OpportunityLineItem.
For Quantity, map Quantity (Quantity) | OpportunityLineItem.
For Sales Price, map Sales Price (UnitPrice) | OpportunityLineItem.
Now that the mapping is correctly configured, use the Save Mapping button and name the mapping.
Note: If you are using a Product ID to reference products in your import, use Product ID (ProductId2) | Product ID (Id) | OpportunityLineItem instead.
With the mapping saved, we must now activate it and locate the ID for use with the Managed Import component. Use the Preferences button at the top of the page and scroll down to the Mapping List section to locate the mapping you saved.
Make note of the Mapping ID found in the second column as this will be used in a moment.
Add the Managed Import component to your page
With a mapping now activated, we want to place the Managed Import component onto the Opportunity Record Page so that our users can import their products whilst looking at the Opportunity.
In Salesforce, navigate to Setup and select Lightning App Builder from the setup menu.
If you already have a custom Lightning Page for your Opportunity, select Edit next to it. Alternatively, select New and follow the steps through to create a new record page. This org already has one created so we will edit Opportunity Record Page.
From the Components menu on the left of the screen, search Managed Import and drag it onto your layout. You will initially see that ‘Managed Import is invalid’ but this will change with later configuration.
If you can’t see Managed Import from the list, check that you have My Domain enabled and deployed to your users.
Once the component has been placed, click on it. The design parameters menu will appear on the right of the screen. In the Mapping ID field, enter the Mapping ID captured in the previous section.
You can edit the button and title text to meet your requirements and a text area is provided to add any comments to the component.
Now, remember when we used the {!Record.Id} tag in our file? We want to tick the ‘Pass current record ID into this import’ box which enables passing the current page’s record ID to the job which is then used in the {!Record.Id} tags in the file. This is how we associate the products with the Opportunity record that the user is currently viewing. It removes the requirement for the user to copy a record ID into the file every time they want to add related records to an existing opportunity. In short, this will save users time and prevent user error!
Press Save and Activate to confirm your changes to the page layout and now it’s ready go!
Testing out the Managed Import component
If you’re this far, well done! We’ll now need to test the component to make sure it works as expected.
Go to an Opportunity record where you want to import the Opportunity Line Items. If you don’t see the component, you may be required to clear your browser’s cache before it becomes visible.
Click the button in the component to open up the Managed Import modal.
Use the Upload File button or drag the file for importing into the modal.
Managed Import will now go to work processing the file and extracting the data to insert it into your organisation. You can follow the progress via the path available at the top of the window.
Once the path hits Finished, you should see the summary in the component such as Inserted 5 Opportunity Product.
To review the successful rows, use the drop down action and select Download success file.
If errors are generated during the import operation due to validation rules or Salesforce exceptions, use the drop down action to reveal a Download error file option. This will produce a CSV highlighting the failed rows. A new column will be provided stating the Salesforce exception which resulted in the failed attempt. Once these errors have been rectified in your Salesforce environment, you can try again.
For the final check, close the Managed Import modal and review Products in the Related section on the Opportunity. You will see the inserted products and sale price of any Opportunity Line Item file that was imported.
What’s a “Record ID Tag” in Managed Import for Salesforce?
If you’re already familiar with Mail Merge functionality in mass emailing services, then you may already grasp what a Record ID Tag is, and if not, then don’t worry, we’ll cover it all here!
The Record ID Tag lets you create a file for import that contains a dynamic reference to a Salesforce Record ID. This is automatically fed to the import job by our Managed Import component at the point of use.
For example, the component can be placed onto an Account’s record page and can pass through the current Account’s ID. This allows you to import related Contacts without the need to copy the Account’s record ID into the file
Why is the Record ID Tag so good?
Managed Import’s main focus is to save you time on repetitive tasks. A very common repeat task is inserting related records. This can be importing Contacts to existing Accounts, or importing Opportunity Line Items into existing Opportunities.
In a time before the Record ID Tag functionality, users would have to specify an ID for the related record in the file. An example can be seen below.
Each time you configure a file to do this, you have to ask yourself:
Do my users know how to get a correct ID?
Am I sure they’ve entered the right ID?
How much time are they spending fetching the IDs?
But now with Record ID Tags, all these questions are answered. The ID column’s cells simply need to contain {!Record.Id} and Managed Import does all the hard work!
Where can I use the Record ID Tag?
The Record ID Tag has two options available and is configured when adding the component to your desired destination:
Pass custom record ID into this import – specify an 18 character record ID into the text field provided. The job will then use this value in the {!Record.Id} cells. This can be useful if using the component in a Salesforce Screen Flow but is available wherever the component is placed.
Pass current record ID into this import – this requires the Managed Import component to be placed onto a Lightning Record Page. When viewing the record in Salesforce, the ID will then be passed to the job automatically!
Can I convert my existing mapping to use the Record ID Tag?
Yes! Firstly – ensure your SimpleImport package is up-to-date with the latest version from the AppExchange – this will guarantee you have these settings available for use.
Update your existing file that is being distributed to your users by replacing the ID column with {!Record.Id}. If the column is empty for your users to fill in, populate this column for them. Do not change the column header as this will invalidate your mapping!
Edit your existing Managed Import component to use either of the settings described in “Where can I use the Record ID Tag?” and save!
Can I only add related records with the Record ID Tag?
No – you also have the ability to update the record you are currently viewing or a record specified in the custom record ID field.
How do I try the Record ID Tag for myself?
The Record ID Tag is part of our Managed Import component which is a feature of SimpleImport on the Salesforce AppExchange. Try it today for free!
