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Import Accounts are typically run on an on-going basis, although some organizations use them to import data one time when first adding animals to their account. If your organization is using an Import Account on an on-going basis, this means animals are continually added and updated in your RescueGroups.org account when you (or your third party software system) upload a new import file to our system. An import file will only ever affect animal listings records that have already been added through that particular Import Account file. So, if there are already animals listed in your RescueGroups.org account added through other means (such as manually entered), no import file will be able to overwrite or change those existing listings.

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• The externalID value provided in your import file must be unique for each animal. This field is used to match up the animals in your data file with those that have already been imported through that particular Import Account. If you want to update an animal record previously uploaded, you'll need to use the same unique externalID to do so.
• To remove an animal previously uploaded, simply do not include a row for that animal in your next upload. When a new version of the import file no longer lists an animal that was already imported through that particular Import Account, then the animal is deleted in the organization's RescueGroups.org account.
• Animals added through an Import Account will not have a user name listed in the Created By field in the RescueGroups.org animal record.

How to create your import data file

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