Choose Data Handling for Import
On the Import Options page of the Import Assistant, choose a Data Handling option to indicate how the imported data will affect NetSuite data:
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Add — Select if all imported records are new to NetSuite.
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Update — Select if all imported records already exist in NetSuite, and the import is intended to modify these records.
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Add or Update — Select if imported records are a mixture of new and existing records.
See Required Permissions for CSV Imports to get an understanding of the permission level a user must have for a record type to add or update records of that type through CSV import.
Be aware of the following issues for CSV data updates of NetSuite data:
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Your selection of a reference type in the Import Assistant's Field Mapping step determines how CSV file records are mapped to existing NetSuite records. Possible reference types are external ID, internal ID, or name. Issues with reference types may cause update errors; name references are more susceptible to errors because of matching failures. For more information, see Select Reference Types.
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By default, NetSuite fields will not be cleared of data when the CSV file contains corresponding fields that do not contain data. You can change the default behavior by enabling the Overwrite Missing Fields advanced option. For information, see Overwrite Missing Fields.
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Imports always populate dependent field values automatically when related field values are set, in the same manner that dependent field values are populated in the user interface. For updates, be sure to include all necessary values in CSV files, to avoid inadvertent changes of existing field values to defaults.
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Updates of sublist data depend on the setting for the Overwrite Sublists option, and on whether sublists are keyed. Overwrite Sublists can be set as an advanced option for an import job, or as a general preference for all imports at Setup > Import/Export > CSV Import Preferences.
If the Overwrite Sublists option is enabled, CSV file sublist rows completely replace existing sublist data. If the Overwrite Sublists option is disabled, for keyed sublists, CSV file sublist rows selectively update existing sublist data, and for other sublists, CSV file sublist rows are appended to existing sublist data.
For more information about the option, see Overwrite Sublists. To review which sublists are keyed, see Supported Sublist Imports.
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Complete deletion of sublist data currently is not supported. Existing sublist data can only be overwritten with new CSV file sublist data, not with an absence of CSV file sublist data.