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Follow these steps to prepare and upload a contact list to Dynamics. This process ensures the system can read and use your list for targeted emails.

Important:

• Depending on your permission level, you may not be able to upload a contact list. 
• If you don't have permission, please fill out an email request form for University Communications to review and assist you in sending to your distribution list.

Step 1: Prepare Your Contact List in Excel

• Open up your contact list in Excel.
• In Excel, clean up the data by doing the following:
  • Remove unnecessary columns, but keep:
    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • Email Address
• Formatting: Select all data in your excel file and then go to Home > Eraser Tool > Clear Formatting.

• Ensure the first row contains only column titles.
  Warning: An error may pop up during import if you have a random empty row at the top or within your data. Make sure this isn’t happening.
• Rename the titles to (case-sensitive, but order doesn’t matter):
  • First Name
  • Last name
  • Primary Email

• Add a New Column:
  • Create a column titled Import Segment.
  • Enter a unique name for this email campaign (e.g., “Fall Graduates 24”).
  • Copy the name to all rows by dragging down the cell handle and then selecting the Copy Cells option in the properties.
• Save the File:
  • Go to File > Save As or Save a Copy.
  • Under File Format, select CSV and save the file.

Step 2: Upload Your CSV File to Dynamics

• Navigate to Contacts:
  • Open Dynamics and go to the Audience section on the left-hand side.
  • Click on Contacts.
• Start the Import Process:
  • At the top right, click the ellipses (…) > Import from Excel > Import from CSV.
  • A pop-up will appear—click Choose File to upload your CSV file, then click Next.
• Map the Data Fields:
  • On the next screen, set the Alternate Key to Primary Email.
  • Click Next: Mapping.
  • Match the drop-down fields under Primary Fields to the column names in your file.
  • Fields that aren’t in your file can be left as Not Mapped.
  • Click Finish Import.
• Track the Progress:
  • Click Import Jobs to monitor the upload.
  • Upload times vary depending on file size:
    • 500 contacts: ~2-4 minutes
    • 1,000 contacts: ~10 minutes
    • 10,000 contacts: ~30 minutes
    • 100,000 contacts: ~2–5 hours

Step 3: Create a Segment for the Contacts

• Navigate to Segments:
  • From the left-hand side under Audience, select Segments.
  • Click New Segment at the top.
• Name the Segment:
  • Enter the segment title: [Email Name] (e.g., “1212A - Fall Graduates for 2024”).
• Set Up the Segment:
  • On the right-hand panel in Elements, search for Import.
  • Expand the first element named Contact and Import Segment.
  • Enter the name of the Import Segment you used in your data file into the value section.
  • Click Save and then Ready to Use.
• Verify the Segment:
  • Go back to the Segments tab under Audience and check if the number of contacts matches your data file.
  • If the numbers match, your segment is ready to use!