The contract import lets you create or update many contracts at once from a CSV file, which is the quickest way to bring existing contracts into oboloo. This guide is for users who set up and maintain contract data.
Before you start
Import your contracts
Open Import Data
Go to Settings > Import Data. The Type tab shows the record types you can import.
Prepare your file from the template
In the Contract Records box, click Download Sample Template. Fill it in with your contract data, one contract per row. Only Contract Title and Linked Supplier are required.
Enter dates (start, end and notice period) as DD/MM/YYYY. Other formats fail validation. After import, dates are shown in your organisation's date format.
Use the supplier's name exactly as it appears in oboloo in Linked Supplier.
Use currency codes such as GBP, USD or EUR.
Remove empty rows and columns.
Click Import Contracts
In the Contract Records box, click the red Import Contracts button. The Upload tab opens.
Upload your CSV file
Drag your file onto the page, or click Select CSV File and choose it. Only CSV files up to 25MB are accepted.
A preview of the first five rows appears. Click Continue to Mapping, or Upload Different File to start again.
Map your columns
On the Map Columns tab, check that each column in your file is matched to the right oboloo field in Map to oboloo field. Columns whose header closely matches a field name (90% or more) are mapped automatically, including custom fields. A preview of the mapped data is shown alongside.
Required fields that aren't mapped are listed in red under Required Fields Missing.
Recommended fields that aren't mapped are listed in orange under Optional, But Recommended.
Click Validate Data
oboloo checks your data and opens the Validate & Import tab. Review the messages at the top:
Some of your records cannot be imported: rows with errors, such as text in a number field, a date not in DD/MM/YYYY format, or a value that doesn't match. These rows won't be imported unless you fix them.
We can fix these automatically: values that don't exist in your settings yet, such as locations, departments, categories or contract types. oboloo can create them for you.
Record that already exists in oboloo: rows whose Contract Title matches an existing contract. These rows will overwrite that contract.
Check the Field Mapping Summary at the bottom. If you need to change your file, click Upload Different File.
Click Start Import
If oboloo found values it can create, a window opens. Tick Automatically create missing values (e.g. locations, departments, categories) and click Fix & Import Data to create them and import those rows. If you leave it unticked, click Import Only Valid Records and the affected rows are skipped.
A progress bar shows the records processed. Imports usually finish within a few minutes.
Fix any failed rows
When the import finishes, click Download Error Report to see each failed row and why it failed. Correct those rows, remove the rows that imported successfully, and import the file again. Download Imported Report lists the rows that were imported.
What happens next
New and updated contracts: new titles create new contracts; matching titles update the existing contract. You become a contract owner of each contract imported.
Problem rows: a row fails if its Linked Supplier isn't found in oboloo, its currency isn't in your settings, or a value can't be created automatically. If Managed By doesn't match an active user, the contract is imported without it. If a category isn't found and you didn't create missing values, the contract is imported without a category.
Currencies: if a currency in your file exists but is inactive, oboloo activates it with an exchange rate of 1. Check its rate under Settings > Currencies.
Import history: the History tab lists each import with who ran it, the number of records, how many imported and how many had errors, and lets you download the error and import reports. The status is Pending, Processing, Success or Failed.
Troubleshooting
My import says Failed, but some contracts were imported
If any row fails, the whole import is marked Failed, even when most rows were imported. Check the Imported and Errors counts on the History tab and download the error report to fix the remaining rows.
A row failed because the supplier wasn't found
The supplier in Linked Supplier must already exist in oboloo. Check the spelling against the supplier record, or import or add the supplier first, then import the row again.
My dates failed validation
Dates must be in DD/MM/YYYY format, for example 31/01/2027. Spreadsheet apps sometimes change the format when you save, so check the CSV in a text editor if needed.
An existing contract was overwritten
A row in your file had the same Contract Title as an existing contract. Correct the contract on its record (see View and Edit a Contract Record), and make titles unique before your next import.
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If you need further assistance, please contact your internal platform administrator for support. Otherwise please reach out to oboloo's support team. If you are unable to view the above area in the oboloo platform, please check your user permissions and access rights.