Pipedrive spreadsheet import: a reconciliation checklist

SOURCE-BASED ANALYSIS · NO HANDS-ON RATING

Define the records before uploading the file

Pipedrive imports spreadsheet columns into fields and links the items represented in a row. People and organizations need names; leads and deals need a linked person or organization. The official import workflow includes mapping, preview and a final import summary. Skipped records have a downloadable file explaining their failures. Treat those controls as evidence to reconcile, rather than assuming a successful upload means a complete migration.

Our recommendation is a migration contract listing which objects you intend to create or update and how they relate. A row is not always one CRM object. One row may describe a person, their organization and an opportunity. Count each intended object type separately.

A fictional 12-row pilot

Assume a consultancy prepares 12 rows covering 10 distinct people, 6 organizations and 12 genuine opportunities. Two people appear on separate opportunities. The target is therefore not 12 new contacts. Give every source opportunity a stable migration reference and maintain a separate list of expected people and organizations.

Use synthetic names and example.com addresses during the pilot. Include one missing required relationship, one invalid date and one optional field with no value. Write the expected treatment of each case before importing; the example counts are planning assumptions, not measured import results.

Prepare a mapping worksheet

1. Label every column by its intended object and field, such as person email or deal expected close date.
2. Remove formatting that changes the meaning of identifiers, telephone numbers or dates.
3. Separate monetary values from currency and define the date format consistently.
4. Review every mapping in the import preview, including links between person, organization and opportunity.
5. Run only the small pilot, then compare expected source references with the created or updated objects.

Our data-quality recommendation is to retain an untouched source copy and an explicit mapping version. Do not quietly repair the only copy of a spreadsheet after import; that removes the evidence needed to explain a discrepancy.

Reconcile skipped, merged and updated rows

Record the import summary by result type. A row that updates an existing contact is not a missing row, and a skipped opportunity may still need manual attention. Open the relevant destination records and verify their links rather than relying on the headline count alone.

For the pilot, compare the 12 intended opportunity references with destination references and the skip file. Every reference should have exactly one explained outcome. Correct only understood rejected rows before re-importing them. Re-uploading the full file without an identity policy can repeat opportunities.

Use a launch gate

Proceed to the full migration only when the pilot preserves names, relationships, values and dates, and another team member can explain every result category. Check permission and recovery options before a production import; do not rely on being able to undo every later side effect, such as an automation triggered by newly imported data.

This guide is a proposed pilot and reconciliation procedure. It does not claim an account-level import test or recommend a particular file-size allowance. Consult the current importer for supported formats, current limits and the exact options available in your account.