Owners and admins can import a client list from a CSV file. Pets and visit history are added separately (see the note at the end).
Columns the importer accepts
Use a header row. Only first_name is required:
| Column | Also recognised as |
|---|---|
first_name (required) | firstname, first, name, owner, owner_name |
last_name | lastname, surname, last |
phone | mobile, phone_number, cell, whatsapp, contact |
email | email_address, e_mail |
address | street |
notes | note, comments |
- Headings aren't case-sensitive, and spaces or dashes count as underscores, so “First Name” works.
- If there's no last name column, a full name in the first name column is split at the first space.
- Commas, semicolons and tabs are all detected as separators. Other columns are ignored and listed in the preview.
There's a Download template button next to the file picker with the header row and one example line.
Import
- In Excel, use File → Save As → CSV UTF-8 so names with accents or in Urdu or Arabic come through correctly.
- Open Settings → Data and press Choose CSV file. Files can be up to 10 MB and 20,000 rows; split bigger lists.
- Check the preview: rows found, rows ready to import, rows without a first name (skipped), and the first five rows.
- Press Import. Large files are imported in batches with a progress count.
Duplicates
A client is skipped if their phone number or email is already in Vetlyn, or appeared earlier in the same file. Phone numbers are compared by their digits, so formatting differences don't matter. This makes it safe to import the same file twice.
After importing
WhatsApp opt-in isn't imported. Tick Send reminders on WhatsApp on each client once they've agreed.
Add pets from each client's page. For large patient lists or history from another system, see Data migration; we can help.