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> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
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# Initial Data Import

**_Plan Requirement_**: ${color}[#1d4ed8](**Free Trial**) or ${color}[#4338ca](**Ultimate**)

**Import from a spreadsheet** helps you move to CloudBridal from another system or set up your store with bulk data, using Excel spreadsheets instead of typing everything in. Find it in [Reports & tools](https://go.cloudbridal.com/reports) › **Tools** › [Import from a spreadsheet](https://go.cloudbridal.com/reports/import). It needs permission to change settings.

## Available Import Types

CloudBridal currently supports importing three types of data:

### Inventory Items Import

Supported fields:

- **Customer type**: The type of customer the item is for, or blank if it's not customer specific. Must _exactly_ match one of the customer types you have defined in [Customer Settings](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/customers).
- **Item type**: The type of item the item is. Must _exactly_ match one of the item types you have defined in [Settings › Items](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/inventory).
- **Vendor name**: The name of the vendor/designer the item is from. CloudBridal will automatically create a new vendor if the name is not found in your existing vendors.
- **Item Internal Name**: The item's name/style ID/SKU from the vendor.
- **Item Display Name**: The name you would like to display to your customers. If blank, uses the _Item Internal Name_.
- **Quantity**: The quantity of the item you have in stock.
- **Size**: The size of the item, or variation name if it's a non-dress item.
- **Color**: The color of the item, if applicable.
- **Wholesale price**: The price you pay for the item.
- **Retail price**: The recommended retail price of the item.
- **Sale price**: The actual price that the customer pays for the item. If blank, uses _Retail price_.
- **Comments**: Any notes you would like to include about this item.

### Customers Import (Contact Data)

Supported fields:

- **Customer type**: The type of customer the item is for. Must _exactly_ match one of the customer types you have defined in [Customer Settings](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/customers).
- **Name**: The customer's full name.
- **Email**: The customer's email address.
- **Phone number**: The customer's phone number.
- **Event Date**: The customer's event date, such as their wedding date. This creates an event on the customer's Events tab — or updates the date on the event they already have.
- **Home address**: The customer's home address.
- **Notes**: Any notes you would like to include about this customer.

| Note: If a customer is already flagged **No Email** or **No Phone**, importing a value for that field clears the flag automatically.

### Customers + Appointments Import

This import type lets you migrate historical appointment data while automatically creating customer records. It's ideal for stores transitioning from another booking system.

Supported fields:

- **Appointment type** _(required)_: The type of appointment. Must match one of your existing appointment types defined in [Appointment Settings](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/appointments) (matching is case-insensitive).
- **Date** _(required)_: The appointment date. Supports various formats including `yyyy-MM-dd`, `MM/dd/yyyy`, and `dd/MM/yyyy`.
- **Start time** _(required)_: The appointment start time. Supports `HH:mm` format (e.g., `14:30`) or text format (e.g., `2:30 PM`, `9am`).
- **End time** _(required)_: The appointment end time. Same format options as Start Time.
- **Customer name** _(required)_: The customer's full name.
- **Customer email**: The customer's email address.
- **Phone number**: The customer's phone number.
- **Event Date**: The customer's event date, such as their wedding date.
- **Home address**: The customer's home address.
- **Referred from**: How the customer was referred to your store.
- **Internal notes**: Private notes about this appointment (not visible to customers).

| Note: The customer type is automatically determined based on the appointment type's associated customer type setting.

**How customer matching works:**

When importing appointments, CloudBridal will:

1. First try to match an existing customer by email address or phone number
2. If no match is found, create a new customer record with the provided information
3. Link the appointment to the matched or newly created customer

## Import Process

Follow these steps to import your data:

### Step 1: Download the Template

1. Open [Import from a spreadsheet](https://go.cloudbridal.com/reports/import).
2. Choose what to import: **Items**, **Customers**, or **Customers and their appointments**.
3. Click **Download template**. For items, you can instead click **Download your current items** to edit what you already have.

### Step 2: Fill in Your Data

1. Open the template in Excel or another spreadsheet application
2. Fill in your data according to the column headers
3. Save the file when complete

- See the fields reference above for more information on what each column means

| Tip: It's a good idea to try the import using 1-2 items first to make sure your data imports the way you expect.

### Step 3: Upload and Verify

1. Click **Upload file** and select your filled-in file.
2. CloudBridal checks it straight away and shows what will be imported.
3. Review the summary to make sure it matches what you expect.

![A customer file checked and ready to import](https://cloudbridal.com/images/help/data-import.webp)

### Step 4: Begin Import

1. Click **Start import** and confirm.
2. The import runs in the background, so you can keep using CloudBridal.
3. You'll receive an email with the results and any issues when it's done.

## Reimporting Data

You can run imports multiple times to make any corrections as needed:

- **Inventory Items**: If CloudBridal finds a matching item (same vendor and item name), it will update that item instead of creating a new one
- **Customers**: A customer with the same name and email address as an existing one updates that customer instead of adding a new one. A matched customer's event date updates their existing event rather than adding a second one
- **Appointments**: CloudBridal matches existing appointments by the combination of date, start time, and customer name. If a match is found, the appointment is updated rather than duplicated.

## Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during import:

- Check that your template follows the required format
- Look for required fields that might be missing
- Verify that date fields are in the correct format
- For appointment imports, ensure all appointment types exist in your [Appointment Settings](https://go.cloudbridal.com/settings/appointments) before importing
- For very large imports, try splitting into smaller batches
- Review the email results for specific error messages

If you need assistance with importing your data, contact CloudBridal support at [support@cloudbridal.com](mailto:support@cloudbridal.com).