Setup checklist: define one row
Before cleaning a file, decide whether each row represents a person, an organization or a possible sale. Mixed meanings are a common source of migration ambiguity: an organization name may appear where a person’s surname belongs, while a sales amount is repeated against several contacts. Make a short data dictionary explaining each column and who understands it. Do not begin by changing values simply to satisfy an import form; preserve the meaning first.
Separate information from spreadsheet conventions
Colored cells, comments and position within the sheet may carry decisions that are absent from the actual values. Identify those conventions and translate only the useful ones into explicit information. For example, a red cell might mean “awaiting the client’s response” rather than “high priority.” Those meanings require different next actions. Ask the owner to resolve ambiguous conventions before the file is copied into a system where the visual context will no longer exist.
Clean a working copy
Keep an unchanged source snapshot and make transformations in a separate file. Standardize obvious formatting, but do not guess missing identities or merge similar names automatically. Capsule’s import documentation should guide supported columns and mappings. Your own preparation record should explain which rows were excluded and why. A smaller trustworthy import is better than a larger dataset whose unresolved ambiguities have been concealed by neat formatting or a success message.
Verify the readiness decision
Choose a representative pilot containing normal records and known awkward cases. Define what should be created, updated or left untouched, then compare the actual result. Do not move the entire list while the pilot’s meaning is unclear. The readiness test is whether another person can explain the mapping and reconcile the result, not whether the spreadsheet looks tidy. Continue to the record-model guide if row meaning is unresolved, or preserve the source snapshot before preparing the pilot.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- Capsule importing contacts — Merchant documentation · capsulecrm.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-20