Before you start
Export the collection from Swops (Export contacts to a CSV file) and prepare the file as described in Prepare your Swops export for a CRM: split Name, because a lead needs a Last Name, and remove the apostrophe in front of international phone numbers. A lead also needs a Topic; Swops’ Collection column fills it nicely. You need a security role that lets you create leads; if the import commands are missing, ask your administrator. The import wizard maps only to columns that already exist, so ask your administrator to add any you want first, for example LinkedIn.
Import the file
Open your sales app (such as Sales Hub) and select Leads in the site map on the left.
On the command bar, select Import from CSV. If you cannot see it, look under the more commands menu (the three dots).
Select Choose File, pick your CSV, select Open, then Next.
Choose whether to Allow Duplicates. Your organisation’s duplicate detection rules decide what counts as one (see below).
Set the delimiters for a CSV: comma between fields, and the double quotation mark around values. Swops files use both.
Select Review Mapping. Required columns are listed under Primary Fields and must be mapped. Columns whose headers match show a green tick; a red exclamation mark means you need to pick the column yourself. Choose Ignore for optional columns you do not want.
Map Priority to Rating. Rating is a fixed list, so use the option set button next to it to pair Hot, Warm and Cold with their values.
To reuse these settings next time, enter a name in Name your data map.
Select Finish Import, then Track Progress.
The My Imports page shows each import moving through Submitted, Parsing, Transforming, Importing and Completed, with the number of successes, failures and partial failures.
Which column goes where
| Swops column | Lead column | Contact column |
|---|---|---|
| Collection | Topic | Ignore, or a custom column |
| First name, Last name | First Name, Last Name | First Name, Last Name |
| Name (the original column) | Ignore | Ignore |
| Company | Company Name | Company Name (links only to an account that already exists) |
| Role | Job Title | Job Title |
| Phone | Business Phone | Business Phone |
| Mobile | Mobile Phone | Mobile Phone |
| Website | Website | Website |
| A custom column | A custom column | |
| Address | Street 1 | Address 1: Street 1 |
| Country | Country/Region | Address 1: Country/Region |
| Priority | Rating | A custom choice column |
| Notes | Description (up to 2,000 characters) | Description (up to 2,000 characters) |
| Business analysis, In more depth | Custom multiple-line columns, or Ignore | Custom columns, or Ignore |
| Captured, Research date | Ignore | Ignore |
Importing contacts instead? Select Contacts in step 1. Last Name is required there too. The contact’s Company Name is a lookup: it only links to accounts already in Dynamics, matched through the Lookup Reference button during mapping.
Good to know
- Unrated. Rating offers Hot, Warm and Cold. Values from the file that you do not pair with a value in Dynamics are dropped, so Unrated contacts arrive without a rating.
- Lead source. Want a lead source such as Trade Show on every lead? Add a column called Lead Source to the file, fill it in for every row and map it to Lead Source. Use a value that is already in your list.
- Duplicates. Dynamics comes with duplicate detection rules for accounts and contacts, but not for leads. Ask your administrator to add one (matching on email is the usual choice) if you want duplicate leads caught.
- Errors. Open the import on My Imports, go to the Failures tab and select Export Error Rows to get the failed rows in a file you can fix and import again.
- Undo. In the import log, select the import and choose Delete imported records (or Delete All to remove the log too).
- Excel templates. Dynamics can give you a ready-made template: Excel Templates > Download Template. Paste the Swops columns into it and use Import from Excel if your columns refuse to map.
Checked against Microsoft’s help pages in October 2026: Import data in model-driven apps (the page Dynamics 365 Sales links to for imports), Create or edit leads and Set up duplicate detection rules. Menus change from time to time; if a step looks different, follow Microsoft’s own import guide.