Import Users

Import new or updated users into Campium from a CSV file, with precautions for duplicates and data integrity, plus completion email behavior.

Overview

Use the Import Users tool to load many new users into Campium at once or update details for existing users from a CSV file.

The Import Users screen can be found by going to Admin -> Import & Export -> Import -> Users

On the first step, use What are you importing? to choose Campers and families, Staff, or Parents and guardians only. That choice tags every row for the rest of the wizard. Header sniffing no longer decides the mode; it only warns when the file looks like a different type than the one you picked.

Where to find it

Access the Import Users tool from within the Campium admin UI. Depending on your configuration, it may appear in areas such as users, profiles, or data/imports.

Access to the Import Users tool is controlled by the custom-fields permission. If you do not see an Import option in your admin menus, ask an internal admin to confirm that your role includes this permission for your account.

When you open the Import Users screen, you typically see options to upload a CSV file and map its columns to fields such as name, email, or profile attributes.

Before you start

Prepare your data and account before running any import to avoid duplicate records.

Confirm that your role includes the custom-fields permission that unlocks the Import Users tool. If your access is restricted, ask an admin to either run the import for you or grant you the permission.

Recommended practices:

Start with a small test import
Create a small CSV (for example, 3–5 users) that represents typical data. Use this to validate mapping, and duplicates.
Keep a backup of your current data
If you have a report or export feature, export your existing users or profiles first. This gives you a reference if you need to compare or roll back changes.
Use stable identifiers
If your org uses unique IDs, emails, or usernames to identify users, keep them consistent between systems. In your CSV, make sure these values are correct and unique.
Clean your CSV in advance
Remove obvious duplicates, fix misspellings in emails, and ensure each column contains a single type of data (for example, first name, not a mix of names and notes).

Import workflow

Follow these steps each time you use the Import Users tool. Adjust step names according to what you see on screen; wording may vary slightly between environments.

Open the Import Users tool

Sign in to the Campium admin UI with an account whose role includes the custom-fields permission
Navigate to Admin -> Import & Export -> Import -> Users
Under What are you importing?, choose Campers and families, Staff, or Parents and guardians only. Pick Staff only for a staff roster. A camper list without parent columns is still a camper list.

Success check: You see a page that lets you browse for a file or upload a CSV, with the import type set.

Prepare and upload your CSV file

Create or open your CSV file in a spreadsheet tool.
Ensure each column has a clear, consistent meaning (for example, first name, last name, email).
Save the file as CSV with a header row describing each column, if your import supports headers.
In the Import Users tool, use the file picker or drag-and-drop area to select your CSV file.
Confirm the file appears as selected and, if shown, that the row count matches your expectations.
Download the example CSV template directly from the Import Users screen while you are signed in. The template is a logged-in download from within the tool, not a public link you paste into a browser.

Success check: The screen advances to a mapping or preview step that shows your CSV columns and sample data.

Map CSV columns to Campium fields

Confirm Importing as still matches the type you chose. If a yellow Check the import type: banner appears, the file headers look like a different roster than your choice. Go back and change What are you importing? if needed.
For each CSV column shown, choose the matching field in Campium using the dropdowns or field selectors you see.
Pay special attention to identifiers such as Guardian 1 Email (or the equivalent field in your configuration), since the import uses this email address as the first way to determine whether there is a matching family.
Common column names are recognized automatically. For example, mom, dad, mother, and father map to Guardian 1 and Guardian 2, and dob maps to the birth date field. You can still override any automatic match.
If your CSV includes a Person ID, map it so existing people can be matched by their unique ID. This is what lets you safely re-import an updated file against the same records instead of creating duplicates.
If a column has no matching field yet, you can create a new custom field on the fly during this mapping step, then map the column to it without leaving the import.
If the UI offers an option like "Ignore this column" or similar, use it for columns that you do not want to import.
Review any required fields indicated on the screen and confirm you mapped at least one field that can uniquely identify a user.

Success check: All important columns are mapped to the fields you expect, with no obvious mismatches (for example, emails under a phone field), and Guardian 1 Email is correctly mapped for every family.

Preview the import (dry run)

Before anything is written, use the Preview step to see a dry run of what the import will do. The title reflects your type (first 5 families, staff, or parents).
Confirm the line that says Importing as your chosen type. Review the preview counts (families/campers, staff rows, or parent rows) and check that existing records are being matched rather than duplicated.
If the preview looks wrong, go back to Map Fields (or change the import type on step 1) and preview again.

Success check: The preview counts and matched records line up with what you expect from your file before you commit the import.

Run a test import

Create a small CSV with a handful of users that represent typical data and cases, including at least one that already exists in Campium if you want to test updates.
Upload and configure this test file using the same mappings and settings you plan to use for the full import.
When prompted, confirm that you want to proceed with the import.

After the import runs, review any summary or result message.

Success check: The number of created/updated users matches your expectations for the test file, and you see no unexpected error messages.

Verify imported users

Open the profiles or users area in Campium.
Search for the users from your test import by email, name, or ID.
Open a few records and confirm that fields like name, email, and any other key attributes imported correctly.

Success check: User records in Campium match your CSV values. If something looks off, adjust mappings or settings and rerun a small test before continuing.

Run the full import

Once you are satisfied with the test results, return to the Import Users tool.
Upload your full CSV file and apply the same mappings and options that worked during testing.
Review any summary page carefully, including counts and behavior for existing users.
Confirm the import to start processing.

After you confirm, you can close the window. The import keeps running on the server, and Campium emails the account that started it when it finishes (including the filename). The subject and summary counts follow the import type (campers, staff, or parents). Camper and parent imports can also include a What was imported people list in that email.

Success check: The total numbers of created/updated/failed rows are close to what you expected from the full CSV, the completion email matches those counts, and sampled user records show correct data.

After each import finishes, the account that uploaded the CSV receives a completion email for that file. If you do not see it, check your spam or junk folder and any email filters.

The import matches families first by Guardian 1 Email, then by Person ID, then by parent name. If you enter the wrong email and there is no Person ID or matching name to fall back on, the import can create a duplicate family or link users to the wrong family.

How duplicates and updates typically work

The Import Users tool decides whether a row belongs to an existing family or should create a new family by trying several identifiers in order.

Family matching
The import first tries to match on Guardian 1 Email. If there is no email match, it falls back to a matching Person ID, and if that is also missing it falls back to the parent name. Only when none of these match does the import create a new family.
Camper matching
Within a matched family, campers are matched by first name + last name + family. A camper whose first name, last name, and family all match an existing record is updated in place rather than added again.
New vs. existing families
If none of Guardian 1 Email, Person ID, or parent name match an existing family, the import treats the row as a new family and creates a new family record along with its users.
Error handling
When the import cannot process a row because a required field is missing or invalid, the tool may skip that row and show it as an error or warning in the results. Use these messages to clean up your source data and rerun only the problematic rows if needed.

Because family matching starts with Guardian 1 Email before falling back to Person ID and parent name, never guess or reuse email values. Include a Person ID whenever you can so re-imports match cleanly, and validate the behavior using a small test file that includes at least one existing family.

Troubleshooting

Use these common scenarios and answers when an import does not behave as expected.

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