Before making bulk changes, we recommend taking a snapshot of your nation so it can be restored if needed.
Clearing fields using batch actions (lists)
Some fields can be cleared directly from a list using batch actions.
To do this, go to People > Lists, open the list of people you want to update, then select Batch update > Clear field.
Using the Clear field batch action will remove all existing data in the selected field for every person on the list.
Currently, the following fields can be cleared using batch actions:
Point person
Home phone number
Mobile phone number
Ethnicity
Religion
Place of worship
All social media data, including:
Twitter profile data (public profile link and profile picture)
Facebook profile data (public profile link and profile picture)
LinkedIn profile data (public profile link and profile picture)
Clearing fields in bulk using imports
Many fields that are not available in batch actions can be cleared in bulk using an import.
To clear a field using an import, you will need to upload a CSV file where the field you want to clear contains an empty string value. This means the cell should contain a single space character (" ").
The importer must also be able to match each row in your file to an existing record.
When clearing fields via import:
Include a column that contains an existing unique identifier, such as an email address or NationBuilder signup ID, so the importer knows which record to update.
Include a column for the field you want to clear, and set the value to a single space (
" ").Be sure the Overwrite existing data option is checked.
When these conditions are met, the existing value for that field will be removed for the matched records.
This method applies to most standard profile fields.
Leaving a cell completely blank may cause the importer to ignore the field. To ensure the field is cleared, use a single space (" ") as the value.
Clearing custom fields via import
Custom fields can also be cleared using imports, but the behaviour depends on the custom field type.
For custom fields that support clearing via import, the value must be set to an empty string (" ") and the import must be run with Overwrite existing data enabled.
The following custom field types can be cleared using this method:
Text
Multiple choice
The following custom field types cannot be cleared in bulk via import:
Number
Checkbox
Fields that cannot be cleared via batch actions or imports
Some unique identifier fields cannot be cleared using batch actions or imports. These include:
civicrm_id
county_file_id
datatrust_id
dw_id
external_id
nbec_guid
ngp_id
pf_strat_id
rnc_id
rnc_regid
salesforce_id
state_file_id
van_id
If you need to clear one of these fields in bulk, please email [email protected] with:
A link to a list of the affected profiles
The name of the field you want to clear
Confirmation that the field should be cleared in bulk
Notes and best practices
Clearing data in bulk is permanent and cannot be undone without restoring from a snapshot.
It is good to test imports on a small set of records before applying them to your full database.
When using imports to clear data, make sure you understand which fields are being overwritten, as the Overwrite existing data option applies to all mapped fields in the import.