Import with CSV

  • 2 minute(s) read
Prev Next

Import with CSV imports data from a specified CSV resource or URL into a table in Quickbase. This step requires a well-formed dataset.

Note

If there is an issue importing the data, such as incompatible types with your Quickbase table, or a unique field constraint, the pipeline is aborted and you can view the progress that was made from the activity log. Changes are not rolled back.

Limits

The Import with CSV step has the following limits:

  • Imports data in batches of 500 records

  • Supports a maximum of 10,000 records in a single transfer
    If your data exceeds this limit, the first 10,000 records are imported and the pipeline terminates with an error. Data imported before the pipeline terminates is not rolled back.

  • Times out after 8 minutes
    If the import doesn't complete in that time, it is aborted and you can view the progress that was made from the activity log.

  • Does not support data transformation within the step
    If you need to transform the data or overcome these limits, use the Import to Quickbase step. Learn more

Use the step

You can use this step as the first step in a pipeline.

  1. On the My pipelines page, select Create Pipeline.

  2. Select the Import with CSV step from the Quickbase channel.

  3. Connect to the channel. Learn how to connect to Quickbase.

  4. Fill in the fields:

    • App and Table—Select the destination app and table.

    • Merge field—Select the field to match against when updating existing records. Records with no match are added.

    • CSV URL—Enter the URL used to fetch the CSV file. Enter either a:

      • Direct URL—Use the URL from the address bar, when viewing your file. For example: https://ucdcef5c77276cd5f570b1c33ef4.dl.dropboxusercontent.com/cd/
        Note: The URL must be publicly accessible. This step does not support authentication headers.
        Learn more about using direct URLs.

      • File transfer handle—Use a Look Up or Search step in channels such as Dropbox or OneDrive to locate the file, then reference the file transfer handle. drop.file.png

    • Header row—Enter a comma-separated list of column names. The order of the names maps to the position of the columns in the CSV. In the case where you want only a few columns returned (not all of them), provide only those particular headers, for example: namecol1, namecol3, namecol4, namecol12

    • Row quote char field—If values in your CSV file contain the same character as the delimiter, use the Row quote char field to define what encapsulates an entire value when read from the CSV. Learn more in Python’s documentation.

Use direct download URLs for CSV files

When using files from cloud storage services (such as Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive), be aware that the URLs these services provide are often HTML preview links rather than direct file download URLs. These links may not work correctly with the Import with CSV step, which requires a direct file download.

To ensure compatibility, we recommend the following approach:

  1. Retrieve the file using a Lookup step.

  2. Then, pass the file using the file transfer handle into the Import with CSV step.

This ensures the file is accessed in a format the step can process reliably.