Core Docs - Supporting Rock - CSV Import

Rock Version: v19.0
Last Modified: 2025-11-04 9:18 AM

Do you have data from another system that you want to get into Rock in an automated way? If so, the CSV Import feature is just what you need. This feature lets you add data to Rock from a CSV file. Currently only Person data can be imported this way. In most cases you would use this to import Person data from an external system, such as a previous ChMS. This is a quick and efficient tool, with features that help you troubleshoot problems with your import if any errors are encountered.

Preparing the Import

The first steps in Rock are pretty straightforward. You'll select a Data Type (which will be "People") and then a short description of where the data is coming from. Then you can upload your CSV file and start your import.

Note that the steps above only apply to your very first import. As pictured below, the process will be slightly different if you've done an import already.

Field Mapping

The next step in the process is to map the columns in your CSV file to fields in Rock. As pictured below, each column in your CSV file will be listed on the screen, with a drop-down menu underneath it. All you need to do is pick the field in Rock that corresponds with the column in your file. For instance, if your file has a first_name column then you would pick "First Name" as the field in Rock that it should map to.

After all of the mapping has been completed click the Import button at the bottom of the page to start the import.

Final Steps

After clicking Import as described above, Rock will arrange and import your data. If everything went well, you'll see a success message as pictured below.

There may be cases where the data doesn't import smoothly into Rock. If that happens, Rock will give you a new CSV file that contains the errors that were encountered. Click the Download CSV File With the Errors button to get this file. The file will contain a column named "CSV Import Errors" which will give you details on the issue that was encountered. The best part is, you can take that error file, make your edits directly inside it, and then re-import it as-is. This lets you re-process only the records that hit an error.

If a person record is successfully found or created in Rock, but if that record hit an error during the import, a special note will be added to the person's record. In the example pictured below, the import process encountered an error with the person's Gender. This alerts people who are viewing the profile to potentially incorrect or missing data, prompting them to update the record if the correct values are known.