--- title: "Importing data and AI import" description: "Bring customers, payments and partnerships into Qualy from CSV files, third-party syncs, or PDFs with Qualy AI." lastModified: "2026-06-13" lang: "en" wordCount: 1204 url: https://qualyhq.com/training/getting-started/importing-data-and-ai-import --- ## Site navigation - [For schools](/international-education/for-schools.md) — For international education schools - [For agents](/international-education/for-education-agents.md) — For international education agents - [Explore](/training.md) — Watch videos on how to use Qualy - [About](/about.md) — Learn about Qualy's mission and values - [Pricing](/pricing) - [5-min demo](/demo.md) - [Login](https://dashboard.qualyhq.com) # Importing data and AI import > Get your existing data into Qualy quickly. ## At a glance - **Intended for:** Everyone - **Available in:** All plans - **Reading time:** 4 minutes - **Last updated:** 31st May 2026 ## Quick summary The Import area offers three routes: a CSV file from your computer, a sync with another app, and advanced imports (such as from RTO Manager). Qualy AI import reads PDFs to extract payment plans, customers or partnerships, with auto-create or review-and-save modes. ## Overview Moving to Qualy—or just bringing in a batch—shouldn't mean re-typing everything. The **Import** area offers several routes, including **Qualy AI** that reads documents for you. ## The import routes ### File from computer Import using a **CSV** stored on your computer. A **sample CSV** shows the expected format so your file lines up. ### Sync **Sync data** between Qualy and other third-party apps, rather than a one-off file. ### Advanced options Specialised imports—such as **RTO Manager**—to bring partnerships or payments across from existing systems and reports. ## AI import **Qualy AI** reads your **PDFs** and extracts the data. Choose: - **What you're importing** — **Payment plan**, **Customer**, or **Partnership** - **A processing mode**: - **Auto-create records** — build records automatically - **Review & save** — check everything and save only what you want The first few times, use **Review & save** so you can confirm the AI's extraction before records are created. ## Avoiding duplicates Imports match customers on their **email address**, so getting the email right is the single most important thing for a clean import. Qualy tidies each email before comparing—**trimming spaces and lowercasing** it—so capitalisation alone won't trip it up (`Anna@School.com` and `anna@school.com` are treated as the same person). What *does* create a second profile is a genuinely different email: a typo, a different domain, or stray spaces in the middle. So before you import, make sure each customer's email exactly matches the one already in Qualy. Imports can also flag when a record **already exists**. If duplicates still slip through, use the **merge** tool to consolidate them. See the merging guide. ## When an import doesn't go as planned Every import gives you a clear result. Qualy shows a count of how many records were **added**, **updated**, **skipped** and **errored**, and the import as a whole finishes as either **completed** or **failed**. So if something didn't come through, you can see straight away how many rows were affected. Rows usually get **skipped** or **errored**—or create an unexpected duplicate—for one of a few simple reasons: - **An email that doesn't match** — a typo, extra spaces, a different domain, or capital letters. (Qualy compares on the lowercased email, so capitals alone won't break a match, but a genuinely different address will.) - **A missing required field** — a row that's lacking something Qualy needs. - **A malformed file** — the file isn't in the expected shape (the sample CSV shows what that looks like). The fix is the same in every case: **tidy the data in your file and re-import.** You can re-run an import as many times as you need. If a re-import keeps creating new profiles for people you know are already in Qualy, check the email column first—an extra space or a changed address is the usual culprit. For ongoing data from another system, set up a **sync** rather than repeated file imports—it keeps Qualy in step automatically. ## Frequently asked questions ### What can I import into Qualy? Customers, payment plans and partnerships. You can import from a CSV file, sync with another app, or use Qualy AI to extract data from PDFs. ### How does a CSV import work? Choose 'File from computer', upload a CSV, and follow the steps to map and import. A sample CSV is available to match the expected format. ### What is AI import? Qualy AI reads your PDFs and extracts the data for you. You choose what you're importing—payment plan, customer or partnership—and a processing mode. ### What are the AI processing modes? Auto-create records builds records automatically from the extracted data; Review & save lets you check everything and save only what you want. ### What is the RTO Manager import? An advanced option to import partnerships or payments from RTO Manager exports and reports, so you can bring existing data across. ### Can I sync instead of importing a file? Yes. The Sync option connects Qualy with other third-party apps to keep data in step, rather than a one-off file import. ### Will importing create duplicates? Imports can flag when a record already exists. Use the merge tool to clean up any duplicates that slip through. ### How does an import know it's the same customer? It matches on the customer's email address. Qualy tidies the email first—trimming spaces and lowercasing it—so 'Anna@School.com' and 'anna@school.com' are treated as the same person. The email is the key, so it's the one field worth getting right before you import. ### My import created a second profile for someone who already exists—why? Almost always a mismatch in the email. If the email is spelled differently, has a typo, has extra spaces, or is on a different domain, Qualy can't tell it's the same person and creates a new profile. Tidy the email in your file so it exactly matches the one already in Qualy, then re-import—or use the merge tool to combine the two profiles. ### Do capital letters in an email matter? Not for matching—Qualy lowercases emails before comparing, so capitals won't stop a match on their own. (In the past, uppercase letters did cause some imports to miss; that's handled now.) A genuinely different address, a typo, or stray spaces will still create a separate profile. ### My import failed or some rows didn't import—why? After an import, Qualy shows you a count of what happened: how many records were added, how many updated, how many skipped, and how many errored—and the import itself finishes as either completed or failed. Rows usually get skipped or errored for one of a few reasons: an email that doesn't match what's already in Qualy (a typo, extra spaces, a different domain, or capital letters—Qualy matches on the lowercased email), a required field left blank, or a file that's malformed. Fix the data in your file and re-import; you can re-run as many times as you need. ### I'm importing a second course for an existing student and it errors—what's wrong? When you bring in another course or payment for someone already in Qualy, the import needs to recognise it's the same person—and it does that by their email. If the email in your file doesn't exactly match the one on their existing profile (a typo, extra spaces, a different domain, or different capitalisation, which Qualy lowercases before comparing), or a required field is missing, that row can be skipped or errored instead of attaching to them. Check that the student's email matches their existing profile and that all required fields are filled, then re-import. If a duplicate profile was created in the meantime, use the merge tool to combine them. ## Prefer doing this via the Qualy API? Head over to our developer docs for everything you need—endpoints, examples, and simple how-tos. 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