topic Is There a Ready-Made Demo CRM Dataset for Learning HubSpot? in Data Hub

Is There a Ready-Made Demo CRM Dataset for Learning HubSpot?

IOcheretnyi — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:04:59 GMT

Hi HubSpot Community,

I’m new to HubSpot, although I have around 15 years of experience in IT as a Software Developer (Adobe Commerce).

Currently, I’m studying for the HubSpot Marketing Hub Software Certification and the Integrating with HubSpot course. To properly follow the lessons, I need a CRM environment populated with realistic demo data (for reports and analytics), including contacts, companies, deals, activities, emails, etc.

I found the sample import files here:
https://knowledge.hubspot.com/import-and-export/sample-import-files

However, these files require manual configuration during the import process, and it is not entirely clear how they should be combined or imported.

My question is:

Is there a ready-made demo dataset or a preconfigured sample CRM setup that can be imported with minimal configuration to quickly create a demo environment for learning?

The goal is simply to have a working CRM with connected objects, so I can practice reports, workflows, and integrations while studying.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Re: Is There a Ready-Made Demo CRM Dataset for Learning HubSpot?

IOcheretnyi — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:07:38 GMT

Additionally, I tried importing contacts, but it requires manual configuration during the import process. Screenshot is assigned below.

Re: Is There a Ready-Made Demo CRM Dataset for Learning HubSpot?

SamTassey — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 19:46:12 GMT

Hi @IOcheretnyi,

Welcome to the community! This is a great question!

Regarding your screenshot, it looks like the field in question would simply need to have a property created, like seen in the dropdown (e.g. create new property - favorite food) To get you started, we can find more on mapping your import file to HubSpot properties here -- https://knowledge.hubspot.com/import-and-export/understand-the-import-tool#mapping-guide

Additionally, I'd like to tag in some of our Top Contributors to see if they have any suggestions on this!

@karstenkoehler, @GRajput, @CarolinaDeMares -- Do you have any suggestions for @IOcheretnyi?

Thanks!

Sam, Community Manager

Re: Is There a Ready-Made Demo CRM Dataset for Learning HubSpot?

IOcheretnyi — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:11:59 GMT

Thx Sam for the quick response.

From a learning perspective, it might be more logical not to include such a field (e.g. “create new property – favorite food”) in the example file.

If the field is not essential for a CRM like HubSpot, it may unintentionally confuse beginners instead of helping them learn the tool.

Demo data should be simple and clear and should not create extra steps or friction.

My concern is that when someone starts from scratch, every additional step significantly slows down understanding and progress.

I hope this note may help improve the learning experience for beginners in the future.

Thanks.

Re: Is There a Ready-Made Demo CRM Dataset for Learning HubSpot?

IOcheretnyi — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:21:10 GMT

GPT advised me to start by importing sample CSV files so that my CRM has some initial data for practice.

As I understand it, I should import 5 CSV files separately, in the following order:

[1] Contacts sample spreadsheet (CSV)
Import type: One file → One object
Object: Contacts

[2] Companies sample spreadsheet (CSV)
Import type: One file → One object
Object: Companies

[3] Companies and deals sample spreadsheet (CSV)
Import type: One file → Multiple objects
Objects: Companies + Deals

[4] Emails and existing contacts sample spreadsheet (CSV)
Import type: Activity associated with existing records
Objects: Contacts + Emails

[5] Calls and contacts sample spreadsheet (CSV)
Import type: Activity associated with existing records
Objects: Contacts + Calls

So the assumption is that these 5 CSV files should be imported one by one to populate the CRM with some basic records.

However, it looks like this import mainly creates static demo data (contacts, companies, deals, and activities). It doesn’t automatically recreate the full environment shown in the Academy lessons — for example relationships used in tasks, sales analytics, sales reports, marketing analytics, pipelines, and dashboards.

Could you please confirm if this is the correct approach for creating a practice environment for the Academy courses?