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Data import brings worker lists into Broadstripes so you can begin organizing, and it updates existing Broadstripes records with new data from employer lists or other union databases (for example, dues and membership systems). This page maps the whole journey from beginning to end. Each step links to a detailed guide.
Imports are permanent. Once an import has run, there is no way to roll it back. You can preview every import before running it, and you can delete an import that hasn’t run yet — but after it runs, the changes are in your data. If an import produced unexpected results, contact Broadstripes support to talk through your options.

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Who can import data?

Project admins can always run data imports. Basic users can run them only if an admin has granted them the Can perform data imports permission on their membership. See User roles and permissions.

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The import process, step by step

1

Prepare your data

Get your data into a spreadsheet (XLS, XLSX, or CSV), clean it up, and name the column headers so Broadstripes can recognize them. See Prepare your data for import and the data import fields reference.
2

Set up your project to receive the data

Create any custom fields, external systems, and events before importing so their spreadsheet columns can be mapped. See Set up a project.
3

Upload the spreadsheet and map its columns

Create a new data import, upload your file, and tell Broadstripes which field each spreadsheet column belongs in. See Import a spreadsheet.
4

Choose what the import should do (create, update, or both)

A first import usually creates new records. Later imports often match rows to existing contacts to update them instead of creating duplicates. See Update existing contacts with an import.
5

Preview, then run

Click Preview to see exactly what the import will do — how many people and organizations will be created or updated, plus any warnings, errors, and skips — before you commit. When the preview looks right, run the import now or schedule it for later.
6

Analyze the results

Review what happened: counts of contacts created and matched, rows that were skipped, and drill-downs to the affected records. See Analyze import results.

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Tips and tricks

These articles help with common data preparation and import tasks: