# Data Import Have your participants saved in an Excel file or another spreadsheet? Send it to us — we'll import the data into ActiveNow for you, saving you the time it would take to add each participant manually. Send the file to — by the next day, all the data will be imported into the system. ## How to prepare the file for import? To ensure the data import goes smoothly, we recommend following a few guidelines when preparing your data file. 1. The first row of the file should contain column names – the names should clearly describe the content of each column. 2. The file should only include columns that are to be imported into the system – non-standard data will be imported as custom fields for clients. 3. Columns containing an email address and phone number may only contain a single value. Additional phone numbers or email addresses can be imported as custom fields for clients and should be placed in a separate column. They will not be used for sending emails or SMS messages within the system. 4. It is good practice to eliminate duplicates in the file – if duplicates are present during import, they will also be duplicated in the system. An example import file might look like this: *Imports are performed only for active subscribers* --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.activenow.io/en/getting-started/import-data.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.