Using Data Upload Templates in Practifi

Some of the functionality described in this article is available as part of our Pinot Meunier release and will not be available if your Practifi instance is not upgraded to this release. 

Overview

Growing firms often encounter large caches of data that can be beneficial to their members, which necessitates moving it into Practifi. The following data upload templates have been developed to enable administrators to efficiently add, update, upsert or delete records in bulk. This guide provides an overview of the available templates and how to prepare your data for import.

• Available Data Upload Templates
• How to Prepare Your Data for Import
  • Download the Relevant Template
  • Format Available Data
  • Load Your Data into Practifi
• Upload Considerations
• Data Load Troubleshooting

Available Data Upload Templates

Practifi Administrators may have different needs when requesting various data templates for their organizations. Some may be curious about the fields available or required on an object and what those fields are intended to capture. Others may want to see examples of the types of data that would look like within a record. Finally, some are looking to prepare for or complete a data load. To meet these varying needs, Practifi has developed three template types: Object Field Descriptions, Sample Object Data and Data Upload Templates. These templates are meant to be used in the following ways:

• The Object Field Descriptions files include recommended and required fields, organized by each Field Name, its API Name, data type, field description, whether it's required and an example of the data you might find within it.
• The Sample Object Data files provide additional examples of complete records within each object for teams to use as helpful comparisons to their data.
• Data Upload Templates are the standardized templates that Administrators should use as a starting point when building their upload or upsert files for an eventual data load.

Download the appropriate template for your needs:

Object	Object Field Descriptions	Sample Object Data	Data Upload Template
Asset / Liability	Download	Download	Download
Contacts	Download	Download	Download
Deals	Download	Download	Download
Entity	Download	Download	Download
Services	Download	Download	Download

Firms that want to utilize Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) data or reporting within their Practifi instance may need to upload it to the objects where RMD fields have been added, if not provided by a custodial integration.

To do so, please reference the following templates:

Objects with RMD-Related Fields	Sample Object Data	Data Upload Template
Asset Liability	Download	Download
Contacts	Download	Download
Entity	Download	Download

How to Prepare Your Data for Import

Download the Relevant Template

1. Select the appropriate Data Upload Template link for the object you want to modify.
2. Save the downloadable CSV file to your computer.

Format Available Data

1. Open the template in Excel or a CSV editor.
2. Fill in all relevant and required fields. Required fields are those marked with an asterisk in the template.
3. Ensure data formats match the expected values (e.g., dates in MM/DD/YYYY format).
4. For updates or upserts, include the record's ID or external ID.
5. Save the updated version of your template as a new file, in case changes are needed later.

Load Data into Practifi

For detailed instructions on importing prepared data, please consult our Using Salesforce Inspector Reloaded in Practifi article. 

Upload Considerations

When updating or upserting data in Practifi, there are several implications to consider:

• Administrators should back up their organization's data before performing any bulk updates or mass record deletions. Teams can learn more about data backup in our Understanding and Using Data Export article.
• You should always use a Batch ID to ensure easy removal if changes to an update are needed. For more information on creating and managing batches, please refer to our Understanding and Using Batches article.
• It is recommended to test load a small batch of records first to confirm the template works as expected in your instance, before completing a larger update.
• Data upserts (which complete either an update or a record insert) should be used when it is unclear whether a record exists.
• It is always recommended to first review your data for duplicate records before completing a load and potentially adding new entries.
  
• As of the Pinot Meunier release, the Set As Created Date and Set As Created By fields on multiple objects can be automatically updated by API calls if permitted by trigger settings. To learn more about this setting and how to enable it, please see our Understanding Triggers article.

Data Load Troubleshooting

When attempting to load data, users may occasionally encounter error messages if the load cannot be completed. The following are some common scenarios and appropriate follow-up actions:

• If you are receiving "Invalid Format" errors:
  • Verify that the entered dates, picklist values and IDs match the expected formats required for the fields they are referencing.
• If you are receiving "Missing Required Field" errors:
  • Check that all mandatory columns have been populated with appropriate data.
• If targeted records aren't updating:
  • Confirm that you included the correct ID or external ID for those records. 
    

Please note: If you encounter any additional errors or issues with the provided data templates, contact Practifi Support.