Preparing data for CSV import

Modified on Fri, 19 Jul at 4:09 PM

Get started in Asana using your own data in an easy and fast way. The CSV Importer will help you move your workflow out of spreadsheet software such as Excel or Smartsheet to Asana, so you can get started right away on any project. You can also import data from other work management tools.

Once imported, you’ll immediately see your rows as trackable tasks in a project and each column as metadata about your tasks.

Organize the data in your spreadsheet

screen of spreadsheet with references for column names


CSV Importer
 allows you to get your data into Asana with no manual mapping. You can name the columns in your spreadsheet with the following labels to automatically map fields in your project:

  1. Name: use this column for the names of the tasks in your project.
  2. Description: use this column to provide details and context within the task.
  3. Assignee: assign one owner to each task by adding the email address of an Asana user from your workspace or organization. Tasks created in Asana can only be assigned to one user.
  4. Collaborators: you can add several of your colleagues as collaborators on a task by adding email addresses of valid Asana users from your workspace or organization on a separate column. Take care to separate them with a comma and do not add any spaces in between.
  5. Due Date: use the standard US date format of month/day/year to track the due date of each task.
  6. Start Date: add a separate column for start dates, available with a paid subscription. If you do not have a paid subscription, the information in the start date column will appear in the description of your task. 
  7. Type: set "Milestone” as a value to differentiate milestones from regular tasks in your project.
  8. Section/Column: a new section will be created once you manually move tasks into the desired section or column.
  9. Other information: additional column information will be listed from top to bottom in the task description field in the order of your columns.

If any column contains incorrect data, such as an email address in the Due Date column, none of the due dates will import correctly. A new text-based field will be created instead.

Always include a header row with column names so that the CSV Importer can recognize the type of data you are importing

How to import a spreadsheet to Asana

There are three different opportunities to import data from a CSV file into Asana:

  1. When creating a new project from a team
  2. When using the Quick Add button
  3. When using the drop-down menu in an existing project.

Importing data via CSV will not update any existing tasks in the project. The CSV importer can only add tasks to a project.

Create a project for a team by importing a spreadsheet

When creating a project via the Teams tab in the sidebar, hover over the team name and click Create project in the flyout. 

In the next window, select Import spreadsheet.
 
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Import spreadsheet from the Quick Add button

screen of Import spreadsheet option inside template modal

To import a CSV file to create a new project from the Quick Add button:

  1. Click the Quick Add button in the top right corner and select Project
  2. Once on the Choose a project template modal, click Import spreadsheet


Import spreadsheet from the drop-down menu in an existing project

screen of import csv option inside project menu

To import a CSV file to add task to a project:

  1. Select the project header drop-down menu next to your project's name
  2. Hover over Import
  3. Choose CSV

Provide details, select a file and preview your project

Add details to your project

screen for Add project details modal

After selecting the option to import a spreadsheet or CSV, you will be directed to a modal where you will be able to specify information about your project, like the name or privacy settings:

  1. Use the Project name field to give a name to your project
  2. Select the team you wish to add the project to
  3. Set your project privacy settings by selecting between a project that is public to the entire team you have selected or just to specific project members
  4. Click on Select file to import to continue


Select a CSV file to import

screen for select a CSV to import modal

Once you have specified the name of the project, you will be able to select the file you wish to import.

Click on Select a CSV file to import to select a CSV file from your computer. You can also drag the file from your computer and drop it inside the modal.


Preview your project

screen for preview modal

You can preview how the project will look, and make changes if you need to before finishing the import of the CSV file:

  1. Click on Upload new CSV to get back to the previous screen and select a different CSV file
  2. Select the Make changes option if you prefer to edit the information that has been uploaded to your project from the CSV file
  3. Click Go to project if you are happy with how your project looks

Get started

templatecsv.png

To get started, use the above as a template to create a spreadsheet and upload it to Asana.

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