Although Sporty makes it easy for you to export your databases to Excel, there is no option to import data. An import function was originally made available, but it was subsequently removed because:
- There is a better alternative to getting accurate details of your current members into the system (see below)
- People accidentally corrupted their existing databases when importing, due to mistakes like not understanding that the values displayed in Excel can be different to the underlying data (E.g. date formats), or mapping data to incorrect fields, or inadvertently importing the same data twice, or importing into the wrong database
It was also discovered that old databases held in Excel often had missing fields (which creates a problem if importing into a field that you've set to be mandatory), or had data validation issues caused by human data entry (such as floating character spaces and illegally formatted email addresses).
You can of course manually enter each of your old records into your Sporty database, but this can be time consuming and prone to human error. Also, the data would be no more accurate or up to date than your old list in Excel.
Instead, a better alternative is to let your members create their own record in your Sporty database themselves. This is much quicker and easier for them to do individually, than for you to do on their behalf. And it ensures that your database is accurate and current. All you need to do is give them a link to your online registration form.
Since every form has a unique URL, you can copy yours and provide it to everyone in your old database. You can also display your link on your website, post it to your Facebook, email it, Tweet it, and promote it directly to your old members. Importantly, you only need to do this once, because once people have registered the first time within Sporty, you can then use the Sporty database function to invite them back and communicate with them directly for future seasons.
To learn how to get the link (URL) for your form/database, see 'Method 2' of this article.
To learn how to copy the email addresses of everyone from your old Excel database and paste them into the free Sporty eNewsletter facility to email everyone your link, see this support article.