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How to Prepare Your Payaca Projects CSV File

If you need to import Projects from outside of Payaca them to an existing customer follow this process.

Matt Franklin avatar
Written by Matt Franklin
Updated this week

Getting Started

This guide will help you create a CSV file to import multiple projects into Payaca at once. You'll need:

  • A spreadsheet program (Excel, Google Sheets, or similar)

  • Your Payaca customer information

  • Project details you want to import

Step 1: Find Your Customer IDs

  1. Log into Payaca and go to your Customers page

  2. Click on a customer to view their details

  3. Look at the web address (URL) in your browser - it will look like this:

    https://web.payaca.com/customers/8128556b-4615-40a3-848d-aaa6b83cc5c6/projects

  4. Copy the long ID number (the part between /customers/ and /projects/):

    8128556b-4615-40a3-848d-aaa6b83cc5c6

  5. This is your Customer ID - save it somewhere safe

Step 2: Create Your Spreadsheet

Template example here

Open your spreadsheet program and create these column headers in the first row:

Required Columns

  • customer_id - The Customer ID from Step 1

Recommended Columns

  • reference - Your project reference number (e.g., "JOB001", "2024-001"). If left blank, Payaca will assign one automatically

Optional Address Columns

  • address_line1 - Street address (e.g., "123 Main Street")

  • address_line2 - Unit/Suite/Building (e.g., "Suite 100")

  • city - City name

  • postcode - Postal code

  • country - Country (if blank, defaults to "United Kingdom")

Optional Access Contact Columns

These are for people who can provide access to the site (e.g., building managers, security, reception):

  • access_contact_name - Name of the person who can provide site access

  • access_contact_email - Their email address

  • access_contact_phone - Their phone number

  • access_contact_description - Any helpful notes (e.g., "Building manager - available 9-5")

Note: You can add multiple access contacts by separating them with semicolons (see examples below)

Optional Project Details

  • tags - Labels separated by commas (e.g., "Priority,Solar,Residential")

  • pipeline - Workflow name (e.g., "Install" or "Service")

  • pipeline_stage - Current stage (e.g., "New lead" or "In Progress")

  • assign_to_email - Email of team member to assign to

  • notes - Multiple notes separated by semicolons (e.g., "Call customer first;Bring ladder")

Step 3: Fill In Your Data

Example Data Entry:

customer_idreferenceaddress_line1citypostcodeaccess_contact_nameaccess_contact_emailaccess_contact_phonetagspipelinepipeline_stageassign_to_emailnotes8128556b-4615-40a3-848d-aaa6b83cc5c6JOB001123 High StreetLondonSW1A 1AAJohn [email protected]+44 7700 900123Solar,PriorityInstallNew [email protected] survey needed8128556b-4615-40a3-848d-aaa6b83cc5c6JOB002456 Park LaneLondonSW1A [email protected]+44 161 123 [email protected] check duea947d23f-7891-42b5-9123-bcd4e5f6g7h8JOB003789 Queen RoadManchesterM1 1AASarah Jones;Mike [email protected];[email protected]+44 7700 900789;+44 7700 900321Repair,UrgentServiceNew [email protected] fault reported

Important Tips:

  1. Customer IDs:

    • Use the exact ID from the Payaca URL

    • You can mix different customers in the same file

    • Double-check the IDs are correct

  2. References:

    • Can be left blank (Payaca will auto-assign a number)

    • If you provide one, make sure it's unique

    • Use your own numbering system if preferred

  3. Tags:

    • Separate multiple tags with commas (no spaces after commas)

    • Example: Solar,Priority,Residential

  4. Notes:

    • Separate multiple notes with semicolons

    • Example: Check access code;Customer available mornings only;Quote requested

  5. Access Contacts:

    • Add details for people who can provide site access

    • Can be building managers, security, reception, tenants, etc.

    • For multiple contacts, separate with semicolons

    • Example: John Smith;Jane Doe in the name column

    • Make sure each field has the same number of semicolon-separated values

  6. Email Addresses:

    • Must be exact email addresses of Payaca users in your account (for assign_to_email)

    • Access contact emails can be any valid email address

    • The assigned person will be responsible for the project

Step 4: Save Your File

  1. Click File → Save As

  2. Choose CSV (Comma delimited) as the file type

  3. Name your file (e.g., "projects_import.csv")

  4. Click Save

Important: If Excel warns about features not compatible with CSV, click "Yes" to keep the CSV format.

Step 5: Check Your File

Open your CSV file in Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac) to verify it looks correct:

customer_id,reference,address_line1,city,postcode,access_contact_name,access_contact_email,access_contact_phone,tags,pipeline,pipeline_stage,assign_to_email,notes "8128556b-4615-40a3-848d-aaa6b83cc5c6","JOB001","123 High Street","London","SW1A 1AA","Building Manager","[email protected]","+44 7700 900123","Solar,Priority","Install","New lead","[email protected]","Site survey needed"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Wrong Customer ID: Always copy from the Payaca URL

❌ Spaces in tags: Use Solar,Priority not Solar, Priority

❌ Wrong email addresses: Must match exactly with Payaca user emails

❌ Wrong date format: Don't include dates in this import

What Happens Next?

Once your CSV file is ready:

  1. Your technical team will run the import script

  2. Projects will be created in Payaca automatically

  3. You'll receive a summary showing successful and failed imports

  4. Failed rows can be corrected and re-imported

Need Help?

If you're unsure about:

  • Finding customer IDs

  • Which pipeline names to use

  • Which email addresses are valid

  • Any column values

Check with your Payaca administrator or the person running the import.

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