How can I import my existing customers?

Want to quickly and easily add multiple customers to your account? You can import a customer list via an Excel file (.xlsx or .xls, maximum 20 MB). Other formats such as CSV are not supported: in that case, first save your file as an Excel file.

Preparation

Do you have customer data spread across different invoices or documents? Then it is important to first consolidate them into one central list.

Tip: In the import dialog, click Download example file to download an Excel template. That way you can immediately see which columns you can use and what your file should look like.

Example Excel file

Below is an example of what your Excel file could look like:

Note: The first row must contain the column names (such as title, last_name, etc.). The actual customer data starts from row 2.

Two columns are often confused:

• Company type (company_type): is the customer a company or a private individual?
• Legal form (entity_type): the legal form of a company, such as BV or NV. Preferably put the legal form in this separate column, not in the title.

How do you import your customers?

1. In the menu, go to Contacts → Clients.
2. Click Import.

An “Import clients” dialog opens:

Import settings

Click Download example file at the bottom to download an Excel template with the most commonly used columns.

3. Upload your Excel file.
4. Check the settings.
5. Click Import to proceed to the column mapping.

Step 2: Column mapping

After uploading your file, the column mapping screen appears:

On this screen, you map the columns from your Excel file to the correct data fields in Sage Cloud Demat Invoicing:

Tip: Sage Cloud Demat Invoicing automatically recognises column names that match the example file. If you used the example file as a basis, most columns will already be mapped correctly.

6. Check that all columns are correctly mapped.
7. Click Continue…

Step 3: Review

Before the import is executed definitively, you get a review screen. There you will see:

• which rows have been detected as duplicates (mentioning the field the match was made on);
• with the “Overwrite” option: which records will be updated, with the changed fields highlighted (current versus new value);
• error messages for rows with missing required fields or invalid values.

Confirm to execute the import.

Available data columns

Below you will find an overview of all data columns you can map when importing. The “Column in example file” column shows the column name as it appears in the downloadable example file. You are not required to use those names (you map the columns yourself in step 2), but it makes mapping easier. Fields marked “(none)” are not in the example file: add a column for them yourself.

Basic details

* In the column mapping, Title, Last name and Company type are shown as required fields. In practice: the title is required for companies; for private individuals the title is automatically composed from first name + last name, and the last name is required.

VAT details

Note: Enter the VAT number without country code and without spaces or dots. So “0123456789” and not “BE0123456789” or “0123.456.789”.

Address details

Contact details

Bank details

Invoicing settings

Contact persons

These columns are only processed if you chose Contact persons: Also import in the import settings.

Peppol details

Other

Legal forms

For the Legal form field (entity_type in the example file), Sage Cloud Demat Invoicing recognises the common Belgian and international legal forms. Some examples:

Foreign forms such as SRL, SA, SARL, GmbH, AG and Ltd are also recognised. If you use a value that is not recognised, you will get an error message during the review step with the valid values.

Country codes

For fields with country codes (vat_country_code, address_country, iban_country_code), use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes (2 uppercase letters):

Tip: Always use 2 uppercase letters for country codes. A complete list can be found at ISO 3166-1 alpha-2.

How are duplicates detected?

Sage Cloud Demat Invoicing checks per row whether there is already an existing customer that matches. This is done based on these fields, from most to least specific:

1. External ID
2. First name + last name + email address
3. Title + email address
4. Title + VAT number
5. Email address
6. VAT number
7. First name + last name
8. Title

The first combination that is fully filled in AND matches an existing customer determines the match. Address details are not used for duplicate detection.

Note: The email address weighs heavily. Two different customers with the same email address are considered duplicates. For the most reliable detection, fill in a unique External ID or VAT number per customer.

What happens with duplicates?

Depending on your choice for “On duplicates”:

After the import

After a successful import, you will find your new customers in the customer overview (Contacts → Clients). It is recommended to randomly open a few imported customers and check that all data has been transferred correctly.

Note: Rows with missing required fields or invalid values get an error message during the review step. Fix these in your Excel file and try again, or check after the import whether the number of imported customers matches the number of rows in your file.

Tips for a successful import

• File format: use an Excel file (.xlsx or .xls) of maximum 20 MB
• Country codes always as 2 uppercase letters (BE, NL, FR, DE)
• VAT numbers without country code and without spaces or dots
• Yes/no fields (VAT shifted, automatic reminder): fill in as 1 or 0
• Email addresses: keep them unique per customer (important for duplicate detection)
• Empty cells are no problem for optional fields
• Duplicates: use “On duplicates” → “Overwrite” to update existing customer data

Need help? Contact our support team, we are happy to assist!