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Update or Delete Records in Bulk

Data Imports  Premium Feature 
Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or Account Executive to learn more about this feature.

You can update or delete many Case IQ records at once via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) using Case IQ's data import feature. Bulk updates allow you to make changes to multiple cases simultaneously, saving time and reducing manual effort. For example, if you need to edit all cases in your application at once, you can export a data file from your source system and run a data import with that new file. The system will look for cases in both Case IQ and the data file, then update them with the information in the data file. After that, it will add any cases from the data file that are not in Case IQ yet. 

You can only update or delete records of one record type at a time. For example, if you want to delete both case and profile records, you will need to run a data import for cases, then run another for profiles. You can schedule a recurring import to update records in bulk but cannot for an import that deletes records. 

This article covers how to update and delete Case IQ records in bulk using data imports, which is relevant for cases, emails, notes, parties, profiles, to-dos, user profiles, and any data or custom forms in your Case IQ system. Refer to the Add or Edit a Data Import article for details on adding, editing, validating, and scheduling data imports or migrating your legacy case management system to Case IQ. If you want to migrate file attachments into Case IQ, see the Import File Attachments in Bulk article for details. 

Data Import page in Settings under the System tab.

Update Records in Bulk

You can update Case IQ records in bulk with a one-time data import or schedule updates on a set frequency. Before scheduling bulk updates, make sure your organization is prepared to post data files to Case IQ's SFTP server. Reach out to your Account Executive for your SFTP credentials.

One-Time Bulk Update

To immediately update multiple records with a data import, use the following steps:

  1. Open your .csv, .txt. or .xlsx data file and edit the record data as needed. Save your changes to the data file.
    1. See details on Case IQ's data file requirements in Add or Edit a Data Import: Data File Format.
  2. In Case IQ, navigate to the Data Import page in Settings under the System tab.
  3. You can use either an existing data import or add a new data import for the update.
    1. If you want to use a data import you have already configured, make sure: 
      1. The data import's entity is the record type you want to update. For example, if you want to update parties in bulk, make sure the "Import Entity" for the data import is set to "Parties".
      2. The data import's "Update Method" is set to "Update existing and insert new records". If it is not, click the Edit button on the data import's page. Then, set the "Update Method" to "Update existing and insert new records". Click the Save button.
    2. If you want to set up a new data import for the bulk update, refer to the Add or Edit a Data Import: Add a Data Import article for detailed steps on configuring an import and mapping fields. Make sure to set the new data import's "Update Method" to "Update existing and insert new records".
  4. Open the data import's page that you want to use for the bulk update.
  5. Click the Options () button on the data import's page.
  6. Select the "Import data" option. 
  7. The "Import data" pop-up will be displayed, where you can upload the updated data file in the "Upload file" box. 
  8. The system will run high-level validation to confirm the data file contains column headers and a consistent number of delimiters for each row. When the system confirms the data file is in the correct format, you can click the Import data button to proceed. 
    1. If there are problems with the data file format, the system will list the first error it finds. You can correct the error in the data file and reupload it to the pop-up.
  9. The system will begin importing data in the background. You can navigate away from the data import page while the system processes the file. When the data is successfully imported, the records will be updated with the information in your data file.
    1. The system will send a notification to the data import's "Error Notification Recipients" when the import is complete. 
    2. In the "Data Import Completed" notification, you can click the View integration log button to see the process logs and check for any errors. 

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Scheduled or Recurring Bulk Update

You can set up automation to update records on a set frequency by adding a schedule process rule, which will automatically import data files you upload to Case IQ's SFTP when the rule is triggered. However, you must configure a data import before you can set up the automation. You can use either an existing data import or add a new data import. 

  • If you want to use a data import you have already configured, make sure: 
    • The data import's entity is the record type you want to update. For example, if you want to update parties in bulk, make sure the "Import Entity" for the data import is set to "Parties".
    • The data import's "Update Method" is set to "Update existing and insert new records". If it is not, click the Edit button on the data import's page. Then, set the "Update Method" to "Update existing and insert new records". Click the Save button.
  • If you want to set up a new data import for the bulk update, refer to the Add or Edit a Data Import: Add a Data Import article for detailed steps on configuring an import and mapping fields. Make sure to set the new data import's "Update Method" to "Update existing and insert new records".

After confirming your data import is ready, use the following steps to add a "Schedule Process" rule and "SFTP Data Import" action. You can see details on other types of rules in Add a Rule.

  1. In Settings, navigate to the Rules page under the Workflow tab. 
  2. Click the Add Rule button.
  3. The New Rule form will be loaded. In the "Name" field, enter a descriptive name for your rule.
  4. In the "Rule Type" field, select "Schedule Process".
  5. The "Frequency" and "Trigger Time" fields will now be displayed for you to fill in. 
    1. Frequency: choose the frequency with which the system should run the data import. You can choose from the following options: calendar quarterly, daily, daily (work week), fiscal quarterly, weekly, and monthly. 
      1. If you select "Daily (work week)", the process will be triggered every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
      2. If you choose "Weekly" or "Monthly", a "Days of the Week" or "Days of the Month" field will be displayed so you can choose the days within the week or month to run the process. The "Days of the Month" field has a "Last calendar day of the month" option at the end of the list. You can select multiple days.
      3. "Calendar quarterly" and "Fiscal quarterly" will schedule the process for 00:00:00:000 on the first day of the next quarter. Fiscal quarters are based on the "fiscalYearStartMonth" setting on the Options page, see Update Application Options.
    2. Trigger Time: set the time that the system should run the process. The system may not use the same timezone you do. Hover your cursor over the question mark icon beside the field to see the system's timezone.
  6. Click the "+" button in the Actions section and select "Add SFTP Data Import".
  7. The following fields will be displayed in the New SFTP Data Import form for you to fill in: 
    1. Data Import: select the data import for the bulk update you want to schedule.
    2. Keep Source Files: choose if the system should retain the data files you upload to Case IQ's SFTP server. Your previous data files may be processed again if they remain. 
    3. Validate Only: if you want to run a bulk update with this rule, we recommend against checking this option. If you check this option, the system will only run validation on the data file when the rule is triggered and it will not update or add records in Case IQ.
    4. Unique Filename Prefix: enter a unique set of lowercase characters you will add to the beginning of data file names for this import. Case IQ uses this unique file name prefix to identify the files to import into your application when this rule is triggered. 
  8. When you fill in the unique file name prefix field, Case IQ will populate what your data file names should look like following our file naming conventions in the "Data file name preview" field, i.e. "[unique file name prefix]_{arbitraryId}.csv". 
    1. Make sure the data files for this bulk update are named following this format. All data file names must begin with the unique file name prefix for the import followed by an underscore. For example, if the unique file name prefix is "employees", your data file names must begin with "employees_".
    2. Any text following "[unique file name prefix]_" in a data file name is called an "arbitrary ID". Case IQ will not use the arbitrary ID to identify data files, so you can include any text as the arbitrary ID.
    3. Each data file for the data import can have a different arbitrary ID. Arbitrary IDs can be helpful for users to identify different data files in a recurring data import. For example, the arbitrary ID can be a timestamp when the data file was exported by your source system. 
  9. After noting the data file name preview, click the Save button in the New SFTP Data Import form. 
  10. Click the Save button for the New Rule form. You have now scheduled your bulk record update.

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Delete Records in Bulk

You can run an import from its page to delete many records at once. However, you cannot schedule a data import to delete records. Use the following steps to delete records in bulk:

  1. Open your .csv, .txt. or .xlsx data file. 
    1. See details on Case IQ's data file requirements in Add or Edit a Data Import: Data File Format.
  2. In the data file, add a column header named "Delete" or "delete". 
  3. For each record you want to delete in Case IQ, type "true", "yes", or "1" for the record's row in the "Delete" column. 
  4. When you are done entering records to delete, save your changes to the data file.
  5. In Case IQ, navigate to the Data Imports page in Settings under the System tab. 
  6. You can use either an existing data import or add a new data import.

    Existing Data Import

    If you want to use a data import you have already set up, make sure: 

    • The data import's entity is the record type you want to delete. 
      • For example, if you want to delete cases in bulk, make sure the "Import Entity" for the data import is set to "Cases".
    • The data import's "Update Method" is set to "Update existing and insert new records". 
      • If it is not, click the Edit button on the data import's page. Then, set the "Update Method" to "Update existing and insert new records". Click the Save button.

    Data import already available in the application.

    Delete

    New Data Import

    If you want to set up a new data import to delete records, refer to the Add or Edit a Data Import: Add a Data Import article for detailed steps on configuring an import and mapping fields. Make sure to set the new data import's "Update Method" to "Update existing and insert new records". 

    New Data Import form.

    Delete
  7. Open the data import's page that you want to use to delete records.
  8. Click the Options () button on the data import's page.
  9. Select the "Import data" option. 
  10. The "Import data" pop-up will be displayed, where you can upload the data file with the "Delete" column in the "Upload file" box. 
  11. The system will detect that the data file contains a "Delete" column header and display a warning to confirm you want to proceed. At the same time, the system will run high-level validation to confirm the data file contains column headers and a consistent number of delimiters for each row. When it confirms the data file is in the correct format, you can click the Import data button to proceed. 
    1. If there are problems with the data file format, the system will list the first error it finds. You can correct the error in the data file and reupload it to the pop-up.
  12. The system will run the import in the background and will delete the records per the data file. You can navigate away from the data import page while the system processes the file. The system will send a notification to the data import's "Error Notification Recipients" when the import is complete. In the "Data Import Completed" notification, you can click the View integration log button to see the process logs and check for any errors.
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Deleting Parent Records

If you delete a record's parent, all its child records will be deleted too. For example, if you delete a case with a data import, the system will also delete the case's parties, notes, files, etc. 


sftp bulk edit bulk deletion overwrite system clear integration

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