February 16th, 2021

It's time to run another patron import. You have the import saved, which makes things easier... but what about the field mapping? Well, Alexandria saves that too!


It's true! When you create a saved import, your field mapping will also be saved. You'll just need to make sure the order of the fields in your file always remains the same.

Create a Saved Patron Import
  1. Go to Tools > Import and select the Patrons category.
  2. Click Create Saved Import. Enter a name for the import and click OK. (You can fill out the settings either before or after you save the import.)
  3. Fill out all the tabs:
    1. Overview. Edit the name, add notes, and decide whether you want to mark the import as a favorite and share it.
    2. Settings. If you didn't fill out the setting prior to saving the report, fill them out now. This lets you define defaults, updates, and how barcodes are handled.
    3. Schedule. Schedule the import to run automatically if you would like. Note that this is only available for FTP/FTPS imports.
    4. Notification. If you would like an email notification whenever the import runs, turn on Enable Email Notification and enter the appropriate email address(es).
    5. File Source. Choose where the import file is coming from (choose a file from your computer or use FTP/FTPS). This is also where you'll do your field mapping.
  4. Click Save in the upper right-hand corner when you're done.


And there you go! You'll be able to find your saved import by going to the Saved tab while the Patrons category is selected. Note that if you're using the Choose File option to select where the import is coming from, you'll need to unlock the import, go to the File Source tab, and select a new import file for future imports. Otherwise, it will just import the same file every time.

Update your patron information automatically with GG4L, Clever, and/or COMPanion's FTP Service.


This tip is specifically for v7 users. Still on version 6? Learn about switching to Alexandria 7!