Fixing Reference Data Files

The Issue

Reference Data can be a complex and frustrating issue to deal with. The files need to be created in a specific way and saved in a specific format. This guide will help you work through fixing your Reference Data files.

The Resolution

The first step to correcting reference data is verifying that the data matches our expectations. Then we need to make sure that there aren't any special characters or white space. Finally, it needs to meet the proper size. If the file is too large, it won't upload.

• No more than 15 columns
• No whitespace between data rows
• File under 1MB (for standard upload) or no more than 15MB (if divided by User Group)
• Alpha-Numeric data
• Saved as a .csv (comma delimited)
• Ensure that you are not using special characters in your data.
  Some that should be avoided are:
  Quotes, Commas, Diacritic Marks, Vertical Pipes

Step by Step

1. Open your csv file in Excel, Sheets, or Numbers
2. Ensure your headers are correct
3. Ensure you have no more than 15 columns
4. Delete any gaps in your data. There should be no blank rows
5. Ensure that all of your data is alpha-numeric and that you avoid special characters
   • , ` ~ { } " | & % * are some examples of characters to avoid
6. Delete all unused Columns after your data
   • This will delete whitespace that you don't know is there
7. Delete blank rows after your data sets
   • This will delete whitespace you don't know is there
8. Now save your file as csv (comma delimited)
   • I suggest adding (fixed) at the end of the file to keep your original, just in case.
   • Ensure that when you save it, you do not save it as UTF-8
9. Try uploading your file again