Import Errors - Difference between invalid record ID and update only import

[MVerità]

Hello everyone,

Recently I imported some new companies into Hubspot: after the import, the app returned some records as failed imports. Now, the import was an update-only type, so "Update only import" errors were expected since I knew some records might've belonged to old records that are not anymore present in the app. So far so good, but I also got another error for some records, which is the "Invalid record ID": the documentation says that this type of error arises when "Record ID listed in the file did not match existing IDs in HubSpot".

Isn't this exactly the kind of error that the Update only import error catches? I exactly want to NOT import records where the company ID doesn't match any record in Hubspot, but I was expecting only the Update only import error to appear, and I don't understand what's the difference compared to the "Invalid record ID" error.

[Nhal]

Ah yeah, I’ve run into that too! It’s confusing when the error message doesn’t quite line up with what you expect. Quick q: when you exported the records to prep the update, did you grab the HubSpot Record ID field directly? If not, try this: 1. Go to your Companies view. 2. Create a filtered view of the records you want. 3. Click Actions > Export view and make sure Record ID is included. 4. Use that ID column as your match key in the import file. I once got hit with the "Invalid record ID" error when I accidentally used a contact ID in a company import. Easy mixup if you’ve got multiple tabs open or someone renamed columns. Give that a shot and let me know how it goes 🙂

[karstenkoehler · Accepted solution]

Hi @MVerità,

How many other identifiers were in your import? Was there also the company domain name in there? It's a nuance but could explain the different error messages.

Highlights below are mine.

Update only import: "You selected that the import should only update existing records, but your import file contains unique identifier values that don't correspond to existing records in HubSpot. For example, you imported an Email value that doesn't match an existing contact's email, or a Record ID value that doesn't match an existing record. The affected rows were not imported, so new records were not created, but existing records were updated."

Invalid record ID: "During the import, one of the file's columns was mapped to Record ID. However, Record ID listed in the file did not match existing IDs in HubSpot. The records were not imported."

For your overall goal, correct, it doesn't make a difference. Personally, I would not spend time on further investigating it and close the issue as, in any case, no new records were created.

Best regards

[MVerità]

Thank you Karsten! Yes, it was more a curiosity than anything, but also wanted to make sure the records were not imported for the right reason. I didn't have any other identifiers in that particular import, only the Record ID. In any case, thanks for the help 🙂