When importing data from a CSV into Demandbase, it’s important to understand how the platform applies data hierarchy and matching rules. This article outlines how Demandbase prioritizes data from different sources, the criteria used to match records, and the required fields for imports.
To import data, see Import, Update, Add, and Delete Account, Opportunity, People, and Activity Data from a CSV File.
Data Priority by Source
For merged records (a record with multiple sources), Demandbase applies the following source prioritization hierarchy to determine which value is retained:
- CRM data
- Marketing Automation System data
- CSV data
- Demandbase data
Record Matching
CSV data is matched against records in Demandbase using the following rules:
-
Accounts are matched against data from your CRM or Demandbase using the following prioritization:
- External account ID (if provided)
- Account domain + account name
- Opportunities are matched against accounts using the account domain, account name, or external account ID.
-
People are matched against accounts using the external account ID, account domain, or account name. See Understanding Lead to Account Matching.
Important: Importing people records only makes the data available for advertising campaigns. To see activity at the person level, an integration with a CRM or Marketing Automation System is required. -
Activities are matched against accounts or people using the external person ID.
Important:- If the external person ID is related to an account, then the activity is matched against both the account and the person.
- If the external person ID is not related to an account, then the activity is matched against the person only.
Data Storage and Time Zone Conversion
All data in Demandbase is processed and stored in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to ensure consistency across regions. In the user interface, these values are automatically converted to the local time zone of the user’s browser. As a result, while the underlying date and timestamp remain in UTC, the displayed value may differ depending on the user’s location. See Understanding Demandbase Data Availability.
For example, a date imported as “2025-08-27” is stored as “2025-08-27 00:00:00 UTC.” For a user in a time zone behind UTC, such as Pacific Time, this would appear as “2025-08-26.”
External IDs
External IDs are unique identifiers (UUID) for each record. Including an External ID when importing or updating data via CSV helps prevent duplicate records and ensures accurate matching in Demandbase.
Sourcing External IDs
To source External IDs:
- Use the UUID from your external system (for example, Account ID and Contact ID from Salesforce).
- If no external system exists, create your own UUID system, or generate UUIDs using a UUID generator tool.
Tip: UUID's can be either alphanumeric or numeric.
Locating External IDs in Demandbase
To find External IDs within Demandbase:
- Go to any table.
- Click Edit Columns.
- Search for and add the External [Object] ID column.
- Click Apply.
Include the External [Object] ID column in your CSV file to ensure proper matching during import.
Account Fields
Required Account fields:
- Account Name
- Account Domain
Optional Account fields:
-
Owner (Email or Name)
Tip: Highly recommended to include an email address, as having an associated account domain improves match rates. It also makes the owner eligible for Snapshot Subscriptions on the Auto-Create Account Lists settings page. See Configure Auto-Create Account Lists. - Phone Number
- Employees
- Annual Revenue
- Industry
-
External Account ID (highly recommend)
Important: To match CSV accounts to CRM accounts, include column named "External Account ID" or "Account External ID". - Custom Fields
People Fields
Required People fields:
-
External Person ID
Tip: A person's email address can also serve as the Person ID. However, the import file must still include a separate Email field. - First Name
- Last Name
Optional People fields:
- Account Name
- Account Domain (highly recommend)
- City
- Country
- External Account ID (highly recommend)
- Person Type
- Postal code
- Role
- Title
- State
- Custom fields
Opportunity Fields
Required Opportunity fields:
- External Opportunity ID
- Opportunity Name
- Account Name
- Type
- Account Domain
- Created Date
- Owner Email
Optional Opportunity fields:
- External Account ID (highly recommend)
- Stage
- Probability
- Close Date
- Is Closed
- Is Won
- Amount
Activity Fields
You can import task, call, meeting, email, and custom activity types.
Task
Required Task Fields:
- TimeStamp
- Activity Date
- Owner
- External Person ID
- External Activity ID
Optional Task Fields:
- Title
- Account Name
- Description
- Account Domain
- Priority
- Status
- Type
Call
Required Call fields:
- Activity Date
- Caller
- TimeStamp
- Title
- External Person ID
- External Activity ID
Optional Call fields:
- Duration
- Account Name
- Description
- Account Domain
- Recording URL
- Callee
- Direction
Meeting
Required Meeting fields:
- Start Time
- Title
- Activity Date
- Owner Id
- End Time
- External Person ID
- External Activity ID
Optional Meeting fields:
- Location
- Account Name
- Account Domain
- Body
- External URL
- Outcome
Required Email fields:
- TimeStamp
- Subject
- Activity Date
- From Email
- External Person ID
- To Email
- External Activity ID
Optional Email fields:
- Open Sales Email
- Open Sales Email
- Account Name
- Attachment IDs
- Account Domain
- Sender First Name
- Click Sales Email
- Recipient Last Name
- Marketing Email Open
- Status
- Click Email
- Sender Last Name
- Body
- Recipient First Name
Custom
Important:
- To import custom activities via CSV, you must first create the corresponding activity types and fields. See Create Custom Activity Types and Fields.
- The data import size has a soft limit of 100MB (can be increased by contacting Demandbase Support) and a fixed hard limit of 1GB.
- Once you import custom activities, make sure to define and assign engagement points to them. See Understanding Engagement Point Categories and Activity Types.
Required Custom Activity fields:
- Activity Date
- External Person ID
- External Activity ID
Optional Custom Activity fields:
Any custom activity field that is a string type.