Salesforce Import CSV: Field Mapping Guide

Importing contacts into Salesforce from a CSV file requires more precision than other CRMs. Salesforce distinguishes between Leads and Contacts, has strict field mapping requirements, and doesn't auto-deduplicate by default. This guide walks you through the correct CSV format, field mapping, and import methods.

Leads vs. Contacts in Salesforce

Before importing, decide which Salesforce object to target:

• Leads: For prospects who haven't been qualified yet. Best for cold outreach lists and newly extracted contacts.
• Contacts: For people associated with an existing Account (company). Use this when you already have the company in Salesforce.

For most email extraction workflows, Leads is the right choice. You can convert them to Contacts later after qualification.

Salesforce Lead CSV Template

Important: Salesforce requires Last Name and Company for Leads. If you only have email addresses, you'll need to provide placeholder values (e.g., use the email domain as the company name).

Example CSV

Last Name,Company,Email,First Name,Title,Website,Lead Source
Doe,Acme Inc,jane@acme.com,Jane,Marketing Director,https://acme.com,Web Extract
Smith,Startup.io,bob@startup.io,Bob,CTO,https://startup.io,Web Extract

Import Method 1: Data Import Wizard

The simplest method, available in all Salesforce editions:

1. Go to Setup > Data Import Wizard
2. Click Launch Wizard
3. Select Leads (or Contacts and Accounts)
4. Choose Add new records (or Add new and update existing)
5. For deduplication: select Match by Email when prompted
6. Upload your CSV
7. Map fields — drag columns to Salesforce fields
8. Click Start Import

Limitations: 50,000 records max, only standard objects.

Import Method 2: Data Loader

For larger imports or more control:

1. Download and install Salesforce Data Loader
2. Choose Insert (new records) or Upsert (insert + update)
3. Select the Lead object
4. For Upsert: choose Email as the External ID field to deduplicate
5. Upload your CSV and map fields
6. Execute the import

Tip: The Upsert operation is the key to avoiding duplicates in Salesforce. It inserts new records and updates existing ones based on a matching field (usually Email).

CAPT's Salesforce Export

The CAPT Salesforce export generates a CSV file with the correct Salesforce field names. Since CAPT primarily captures email addresses and source URLs, the mapping is:

CAPT auto-fills the required Company and Last Name fields from the email address, so you can import immediately without manual editing.

Common Salesforce Import Errors

• "Required field missing: Last Name": Every Lead needs a Last Name. If you only have emails, CAPT fills this automatically.
• "Required field missing: Company": Every Lead needs a Company. CAPT uses the email domain.
• "Invalid picklist value": Lead Source must match one of your configured picklist values. Check Setup > Object Manager > Lead > Fields.
• "Duplicate value found": You're trying to insert a record that matches an existing one. Use Upsert instead of Insert.
• Character encoding: Save your CSV as UTF-8. Salesforce doesn't handle other encodings well.

Deduplication Strategy

Unlike HubSpot, Salesforce doesn't auto-deduplicate on import by default. Your options:

1. Use Upsert with Email as External ID in Data Loader (recommended)
2. Set up Matching Rules in Setup to catch duplicates at creation time
3. Deduplicate before import — CAPT's built-in deduplication ensures your export file is already clean

Conclusion

Salesforce CSV imports require more attention to field mapping than other CRMs, but the result is a well-structured lead database. Use the template above for manual imports, or let CAPT generate the correct format automatically. Always use Upsert for deduplication, and make sure your required fields (Last Name, Company) are populated.