Formatting Excel Data For Successful Import Into Sharepoint Lists

Properly formatting Excel data is a crucial first step for successfully importing that information into SharePoint lists. Taking the time to clean and standardize columns, data types, and entries in Excel will enable seamless integration with SharePoint’s data validation features and prevent truncation or loss of data later.

Formatting Columns and Data Types

The headers, formats, and information types used in an Excel workbook must precisely match those that have been defined for the destination SharePoint list. Follow these best practices for optimizing Excel data before import:

Matching data types between Excel and SharePoint

SharePoint offers various column types for validating and managing information, including:

Table of Contents

Single line of text
Multiple lines of text
Choice (drop-down menu)
Number (currency, percentage, etc.)
Date and Time
Yes/No (checkbox)
Person or Group
Hyperlink or Picture

Scan the target SharePoint list to see column settings. Cross-check that the same headers, formats, and data types are being used in the source Excel worksheet to prevent failed imports or data corruption.

Converting text and dates to appropriate SharePoint formats

Improperly formatted dates and text cause many data import failures. Verify that:

Dates use the YYYY-MM-DD format
Text does not exceed maximum field lengths defined in SharePoint
Text does not contain special characters not allowed as defined in SharePoint data validation rules

Use Excel’s built-in data cleansing functions under the Data tab to trim text spaces, convert dates into ISO standard format, and normalize data as required.

Cleaning up data formatting issues

Scan all Excel columns for irregular formatting and data inconsistencies which may cause import problems, including:

Merged cells
Combined date and text strings
Numeric values stored as text
Extra spaces, inconsistent capitalization in text
Non-standard date formats

Use Excel’s search and replace tools to fix formatting problems across entire columns. The goal is consistent data formatting compliant with SharePoint’s column settings.

Configuring Import Settings in SharePoint

Once your Excel data has been properly prepared and validated, configure the import operation itself in SharePoint to manage how that information integrates into the destination list or library:

Mapping Excel columns to SharePoint columns

Manually match each column from the Excel sheet to the associated SharePoint column in the import mapping:

Column headers must have identical names
Choose data types from importing matching list column types
Optionally normalize column names to prevent truncation

Accurate column mapping ensures each cell imports into the correct SharePoint destination.

Handling data validation and required fields

Configure the following data validation options as part of the import process:

Enforce data validation rules on new imports
Flag import errors for invalid data
Specify requirements for mandatory column values

Activating validation and required column rules during import prevents bad data from entering SharePoint lists to maintain information integrity.

Importing data as new items or appending to existing list

Choose whether to import Excel rows as new SharePoint list items, or append to existing items via column lookups:

Add new items for importing unique data
Append to column (e.g. Employee ID) to update existing rows
Avoid duplicating rows already in the SharePoint list

Select the appropriate insert vs. update behavior based on whether Excel data contains new or existing information.

Troubleshooting Common Import Issues

Despite best efforts validating Excel data and configuring SharePoint imports, sometimes problems still occur. Quickly diagnose three common categories of import issues:

Dealing with errors during the import process

Fix and re-run imports when they fail directly upon execution. Potential causes include:

Data type mismatches between Excel sheet and SharePoint columns
Mandatory column rules violation where imports missing required values
Excel cells contain invalid data per SharePoint validation rules

The import summary will identify specific records with problematic data needing correction in the source Excel workbook.

Investigating data truncation and loss of formatting

If SharePoint columns show truncated or mismatched data after import:

Verify Excel cell data does not exceed SharePoint column maximum lengths
Re-check date formats use YYYY-MM-DD and numeric formats avoid decimals
Adjust import mapping to prevent incorrect columns associations

Fixing truncation requires carefully checking the exported SharePoint data against the original Excel workbook to isolate discrepancies.

Correcting Validation Rule failures after import

SharePoint columns configured with additional Validation Rules can flag bad data that gets by the initial import. To resolve:

Review Validation Rule error notifications in the list view
Identify failing rows based on the column and rejection message
Update invalid Excel data and re-import corrected rows

Addressing Validation Rule failures often requires iterative loops of importing Excel data and fixing errors until all rows comply.

Automating Imports with Power Automate

Manually importing Excel data works for one-time list population, but regular imports benefit from automation. Power Automate provides these capabilities:

Creating automated flows to schedule imports

Build a Power Automate flow to handle importing Excel on daily, weekly, or monthly schedules. Flows allow configuring recurrence, triggering time windows, custom schedules tailored to business needs.

Adding pre- and post-processing steps like data cleansing

Expand flows beyond just importing by preprocessing Excel data before bringing into SharePoint. Useful steps include:

Sanitizing and validating data in Excel
Appending incremental data into staging tables
Deriving calculated columns to populate list formulas

Post-processing can also enhance imports, such as routing subsets of imported records to other systems.

Sending notifications when imports complete successfully

Use Power Automate capabilities to build robust error handling and notifications:

Email list owners upon successful and failed imports
Log critical errors to a centralized reporting table
Insert code snippets to handle import issues

Monitoring automation provides confidence scheduled imports run smoothly and data remains protected.