Tutorial Series - Import Tool Part 2 - Import Updates, Manual mode

76 STEPS

1. Welcome to the Import Tool Tutorial Series, Part 2 -- Import updates, Manual mode.

In this tutorial we will review how to import updates to matches within a Competition.

2. We are returning to our demo competition Cascade Fall 2026.

Instead of manually updating match details one at a time, we will import all updates from a file and process them through the Import Tool.

3. From the Competition, click Imports. We can see the previous import we did in the list under this region.

4. Click Import Schedules

5. Since we have multiple schedules in this file, keep the default choice of Use Excel Column in the Schedule area.

6. We have an updated Excel file with updates to different types of match details. Click Choose File to select your updated Excel file from your computer.

7. For this example, our updated file is called Manual import demo update - semifinals.xlsx.

Note there is currently a limit of 20 columns that can be mapped. Delete any empty columns from your file before importing. This limit will be expanded soon.

8. Select it and click Open

9. Type a Description for this import if you wish.

10. Click Continue

11. Click Auto Map Columns

12. Since we used the Import template, our columns all auto-mapped.

For this update example, there were various date and time changes, we added finance codes to our matches, and semifinal teams were set.

13. Our Excel data is previewed here in a grid. If you have any edits to make, you can use the interactive menu or search bar to find the match and make those edits here. You do not need to delete the import, nor re-import the Excel file.

14. The confirmation banner tells us it mapped 16 columns from our previous import, plus 3 new ones -- our finance code columns -- for a total of 19 columns.

15. Click Mapping Completed

16. Confirm the column values here to ensure the data has been entered accurately into your Excel file.

17. Click Mappings are correct when ready.

18. When dates are formatted consistently, the tool will auto-detect and turn the relevant selection green.

If nothing is in green, go back to the Import Excel File step using the Back to button, then find and edit the incorrect entries using the grid.

19. Click Continue to Time Format

20. Consistent time formats are also auto-detected.

If the match times from Excel display in 24-hour format, they will automatically convert to 12-hour format after the import is completed.

21. Click Continue to Site Mapping

22. Since we already mapped these sites in our initial import, click Auto Detect Site Mappings to map these automatically.

23. The confirmation banner shows how many locations were auto-detected from this competition's import history.

24. If you want to check how your sites were mapped, move the Hide Completed toggle to the left.

25. If you find an error, simply click the name of the Location from the Excel column, and remap it.

Move the toggle back to the right to hide completed site mappings.

26. Close the confirmation banner and click Site Mapping Completed

27. Correct or confirm any unverified field names before proceeding.

28. Click Schedules

29. The number of matches in each schedule is listed here.

30. Click Confirm to proceed

31. A Preview of the Import is displayed here, giving you a chance to have a first look and ensure the data has been mapped as expected.

32. Click Import Matches into Staging when ready.

Recall that the staging area is a new feature of the import tool, which identifies exact matches and allows us to process changes and updates.

33. Click Import Matches into Staging to confirm this action.

34. A new match was in our import file. If there were several new matches, they would be listed here.

Options are to select the matches to create and click Create Selected Matches, click the plus sign next to the match, or Create All New Matches.

35. For this example, we will click the plus sign.

36. In Manual mode, the number of possible duplicate matches are listed in this section.

37. The Duplicate Rank column provides a ranked order of what makes each match a possible duplicate. Same Match ID is ranked highest.

38. If there are no differences between the match details of what is currently in Ref Insight and the match in this import file, the tool can auto-detect them.

Click Auto Detect All Perfect Matches to have the tool check for perfect matches.

39. You can dismiss all flagged duplicates, but if any of the matches have new items compared to what is currently in Ref Insight, those items will be lost if you click this button.

40. The tool did not find any exact pairs, so for Manual mode, we need to individually review each possible duplicate.

If your match IDs are consistent, stable, and not re-used or duplicated within a Competition, the Synced mode is more efficient.

41. If your match IDs are not consistent between imports, are not stable, and are re-used or duplicated within a Competition, Manual mode is used so each possible duplicate can be reviewed.

42. Duplicate match IDs (match keys) often occur when matches from multiple seasons or years are kept inside one Competition.

It is best practice to clone a competition for a new season and archive the old competition to avoid duplicate match IDs.

43. Let's inspect a few matches.

Click the magnifying glass next to a match.

44. Because this match is a possible duplicate of a match that already exists in Ref Insight (within this Competition), our options are to create it as a new match or link it to an existing match.

45. This system shows why it thinks it's a possible duplicate under the "Matched On" column.

It found the same match ID, but noticed some of the details are different.

46. At first glance, we can see the Date and Time of this match in our import file is different than the match found in Ref Insight.

47. If this is not a new match, the next step is to Link what exists in Ref Insight to what our import file says.

48. Once the match is linked, the difference details are listed here.

We can see the date and time has changed, and previously empty columns now have new entries.

49. We have not taken any action on these differences yet, so its Disposition is Pending, meaning it is waiting for us to decide what we want to do with it.

50. We now see what this import says and what is current in Ref Insight. The State column shows what items are the same, and which items are proposed for this import to update.

51. If you want to acknowledge the change this import is proposing, but not modify what is currently in Ref Insight, click the Dismiss button.

What is currently in Ref Insight remains the same and none of the proposed changes will be applied.

52. To accept the proposed changes, click Accept PROPOSED Changes Only

53. The Disposition of this match now says Accepted because we accepted the proposed changes.

Had we dismissed them instead, it would say Dismissed.

54. Click Cancel to return to the list of possible duplicates.

55. Let's look at an example where the team names for semifinal matches have been updated from placeholders to actual team names.

Click the magnifying glass.

56. Previously we had the placeholder CL-U12-F_Bracket A #1

57. This import file now has a specific home team listed.

58. Click the lightning bolt to link the matches.

59. The new team names are proposed changes. These differences, plus a few others, are listed in the Diff Detail column under the Review area.

60. Click Accept PROPOSED Changes Only

61. Click Cancel

62. Repeat these steps for each match until all possible duplicates have been reviewed and actioned.

63. All our possible duplicates have now been reviewed and actioned.

Under the Updated Matches area, the tool has identified 29 other matches where all the game details are the same but found new data in previously empty columns.

64. The difference details are listed for each match in the Diff Detail column.

Note the new entries we brought in for division, match type, and three different finance codes.

65. In the Updated Matches area, you can select specific matches using the check box, click the plus sign next to a match, or Select All by checking the top check box.

66. Click Update Selected Matches after making your selections.

67. Click Update Selected Matches again to confirm this action.

68. Note the Rows shortcut is defaulted to 10, so it only updated 10 out of our 29 matches. Nineteen matches remain.

69. Click the dropdown and select All to display all the rows.

70. Click the top checkbox to select all the matches.

71. Click Update Selected Matches

72. Click Update Selected Matches again to confirm this action.

73. Our import batch has now been APPLIED and a Finalized Date and time stamp displays.

74. In this tutorial we added a new match, reviewed and accepted proposed changes for possible duplicates, and updated other matches with new column information.

Click Return To Competition when ready.

75. Our latest import is now listed in the Imports region of the competition.

76. Thank you for watching Part 2 of the Import Tool tutorial series -- Import Updates, Manual mode.

See Part 3 of the Tutorial series to learn how to convert your Competition from Manual to Synced mode and for new imports in Synced mode.