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Importing Data

Last updated on Apr 30, 2026

Importing Data

Got a CSV file full of data? Let's get it into TexAu fast. Importing is one of the quickest ways to populate your tables with existing information - whether that's a prospect list from your CRM, a vendor database from Excel, or customer data from another tool.

Before You Upload

Before you hit the import button, let's make sure your file is ready. A few quick checks save headaches:

File Format

TexAu imports CSV files only (Comma-Separated Values). This is the universal data format that works everywhere - Excel, Google Sheets, databases, marketing tools, you name it.

What's a CSV? It's a simple text file where each row is a record and each column is separated by a comma. When you export from Excel or Google Sheets as "CSV," you're creating this format automatically.

File Size & Contents

  • Maximum file size: 10MB

  • Maximum columns: 100 columns per import

  • Minimum: At least one column with headers in the first row

Most business data fits comfortably within these limits. A 10MB CSV file typically holds 50,000-100,000 rows of standard business data, depending on how many columns you have.

Preparing Your CSV

Before uploading, take a minute to clean up your file:

  1. Check for headers - Make sure row 1 contains column names (email, name, company, etc.). TexAu uses these to map your data to the right columns.

  2. Remove extra blank rows - Delete any completely empty rows between your data.

  3. Keep column count reasonable - While TexAu supports 100 columns, if you have 150, remove the ones you don't need.

  4. Watch for special characters - TexAu handles most characters fine, but avoid unusual line breaks or special formatting.

  5. Close the file in Excel - If you have it open in a spreadsheet app, close it first to avoid file-lock issues.

Pro tip: Open your CSV in a text editor (like Notepad) for a quick sanity check. You'll see the raw data and can spot formatting issues before importing.

Supported File Encodings

TexAu automatically detects and handles multiple file encodings, so you don't have to worry about technical details:

  • UTF-8 - The most common encoding (default for most modern tools)

  • Windows-1252 - Common on Windows machines and older Excel files

  • ISO-8859-1 (Latin-1) - Used in some European datasets

If your CSV was created in Excel, Google Sheets, or most modern tools, it's UTF-8 and you're good to go. TexAu figures out the rest automatically.

Upload Process

Ready to import? Here's the step-by-step:

  1. Open your table in TexAu

  2. Click the Import button (usually near the top of your table)

  3. Select your CSV file from your computer

  4. TexAu validates your file - This takes a few seconds. TexAu checks:

    • File is a real CSV (not a binary file disguised as CSV)

    • File encoding is readable

    • File contains data and headers

    • File size is within limits

  5. Review the column mapping (more on this below)

  6. Click Import and watch your data flow in!

File Validation & Safety

TexAu automatically validates your file before importing - this protects your data and prevents errors:

MIME Type Validation

TexAu verifies that your file is actually a CSV, not a binary file (like an image or Word document) misnamed as CSV. If you accidentally try to upload a photo or PDF with a .csv extension, TexAu catches it and shows a friendly error.

Binary File Detection

TexAu scans the beginning of your file to ensure it's text-based data, not corrupted or binary content. This prevents weird import errors and data corruption.

Encoding Detection

If your CSV is in an unusual encoding, TexAu detects it and converts automatically. You'll see a note like "Detected Windows-1252 encoding" in the import dialog - that's the system working behind the scenes so you don't have to think about it.

Why does this matter? If you imported a CSV with the wrong encoding, your data might show garbled characters (especially accented letters or special symbols). TexAu's automatic detection prevents this.

Column Mapping

After uploading, TexAu shows you a column mapping screen. This is where you match your CSV columns to TexAu columns.

How It Works

  1. Left side: Your CSV column headers (like "Email," "First Name," "Company")

  2. Right side: TexAu target columns (where that data goes in your table)

  3. Review each mapping - Does "Email" map to the Email column? Does "Company Name" map to Company? Make sure the matches look right.

Handling Unmapped Columns

  • Columns that exist in your table - Automatically mapped if the names match

  • New columns from your CSV - TexAu offers to create them for you

  • Columns you want to skip - Leave unmapped and they won't be imported

If your CSV has extra columns you don't need (like internal IDs or test data), just leave them unmapped and they'll be ignored.

Smart Type Detection

Here's where TexAu gets clever. When you import data, TexAu analyzes your data and suggests semantic data types automatically.

What This Means

TexAu looks at your actual data (not just the column header) and figures out what it contains:

  • Email addresses → Recognized as "email" type

  • Phone numbers → Recognized as "phone" type

  • URLs → Recognized as "website" or "linkedinProfileUrl" type

  • Company names → Recognized as "companyName" type

  • Names → Split into "firstName," "lastName," or kept as "fullName"

  • Addresses → Recognized as "city," "country," or "address" type

Why It Matters

When a column has a proper semantic type, TexAu can:

  • Format data consistently (e.g., phone numbers always display with proper formatting)

  • Validate data (catch invalid emails or phone numbers)

  • Enable enrichment (fetch additional data based on email address, company name, etc.)

Example: You import a CSV with a "email" column. TexAu automatically sets it as Email type. Now you can enrich that column to fetch job titles, company names, or LinkedIn URLs tied to that email.

Handling Duplicates

Sometimes your CSV contains duplicate records. Here's how TexAu handles it:

Duplicate Detection

TexAu scans for exact duplicates in your file before importing. If it finds multiple rows with identical data, it'll ask:

  • Import all rows - Keep duplicates as-is

  • Remove exact duplicates - Only import unique records

  • Mark for review - Import all and flag potential duplicates

Duplicates in Your Table

If you're importing into a table that already has data, TexAu won't prevent you from adding duplicates, but it warns you:

  • "This email already exists in your table"

  • "This company name was imported last month"

You decide whether to skip, overwrite, or keep both records.

Pro tip: Before importing, decide your duplicate policy. Should every prospect email be unique? Or can you have multiple contacts from the same company? Once you decide, stick with it for data consistency.

Common Import Errors & Fixes

"File is too large"

  • Problem: Your CSV is bigger than 10MB

  • Fix: Split your data into multiple files and import separately, or contact our team if you need larger imports handled specially

"Too many columns"

  • Problem: Your CSV has more than 100 columns

  • Fix: Remove unnecessary columns in Excel/Sheets before exporting, or import multiple CSVs and merge them

"No header row detected"

  • Problem: Your CSV doesn't have column names in row 1

  • Fix: Add a header row to your CSV with clear column names before uploading

"Special characters showing as garbled"

  • Problem: Your encoding is incorrect or unusual

  • Fix: In Excel/Sheets, export as UTF-8 CSV. In Google Sheets, use "Download as CSV" which defaults to UTF-8

"Mapping shows unexpected columns"

  • Problem: Your CSV has extra blank columns or odd formatting

  • Fix: Open in a text editor and remove extra commas or spaces, then re-export

"Import seems stuck"

  • Problem: Large file taking a while to process

  • Fix: This is normal for files with 50,000+ rows. Let it run - importing usually takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on size

After Import

Once your import completes, you'll see:

  • Import summary - "Successfully imported 1,247 rows" with any warnings or issues

  • New rows in your table - Visible immediately with all data populated

  • Missing values preserved - If a cell was empty in your CSV, it stays empty in TexAu (ready for enrichment)

  • Timestamps recorded - TexAu notes when each row was imported

Best Practices

To make importing smooth every time:

  • Keep headers consistent - Use the same column names across imports if possible

  • Clean before importing - A few minutes of cleanup beats debugging dirty data later

  • Import gradually. If you have 1 million records, import in batches of 100,000 rather than all at once

  • Review the mapping. Even if you're in a hurry, spend 30 seconds checking that columns mapped correctly

  • Document your source - Add a note to your table about where the data came from and when it was last updated

Need help? If your import fails or you're not sure about mappings, our team can walk through it with you - just reach out!

What's Next?