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Common Activity Import Errors

When you import activities, the Validate step checks every row before anything is saved and lists any problems. This article explains the issues you're most likely to see and how to fix each one.

Overview

Validation sorts issues into two kinds:

  • Errors block the import. You cannot reach the final step until they're resolved.
  • Warnings are advisory. They never block the import — they just flag something worth a second look.

Because import is all-or-nothing, an import with errors changes nothing. Fix the problems in your source file (or adjust which columns you include) and run Validate again. Nothing is saved until the import completes cleanly.

For the full field rules referenced below, see the Activity Import Field Reference.

TODO (screenshot): The Validate step showing an Errors summary with a couple of row-level messages.

Review Before Confirming

On the Validate step, each issue names the row, the field, and what's wrong. Work top to bottom. When the same error repeats across many rows, it's almost always faster to fix it once in the source file than row by row.

Unknown Activity ID

What it means: a row has an Activity ID that doesn't match any activity in this event — "no activity found with this ID in this event."

How to fix it:

  • Confirm you're importing into the right event — Activity IDs are unique to their event.
  • If you meant to create a new activity, clear the Activity ID cell so the row is treated as a create.
  • If you meant to update, use the correct ID. The reliable way to get valid IDs is to export the activities first and edit that file.

Invalid or Out-of-Order Dates

What it means: a Start, End, or response-window cell can't be read as a date/time, or the End is not after the Start.

How to fix it:

  • Use a clear date and time. Both 12-hour (9:00 AM) and 24-hour (18:00) forms are accepted.
  • Make sure End comes after Start. If you're updating only the End, remember it's checked against the activity's existing Start — the resulting End must still be later.
  • You can supply Duration instead of End; Eventene derives the End from the Start.

Missing Required Fields (New Activities)

What it means: a row that creates a new activity (blank Activity ID) is missing something required — Name, Activity Type, Start, and either End or Duration.

How to fix it: fill in the required cells, or — if you meant to update an existing activity rather than create one — add the correct Activity ID. Required fields apply only to creates; on an update, a blank cell preserves the existing value.

Invalid Enum Value

What it means: a cell that accepts a fixed set of values contains something else — for example an Activity Type that isn't Schedule, Registration, or Lead, or a Limit that isn't None or Max. The message lists the accepted values, e.g. "expected one of None, Max."

How to fix it: change the cell to one of the accepted values (see the Field Reference). Values are not case-sensitive and surrounding spaces are ignored, so max and Max are both fine.

Max Attendees Is Required

What it means: a new activity sets Limit to Max but leaves Max Attendees empty — "Max Attendees is required when Limit is Max."

How to fix it: add a Max Attendees value (a whole number from 1 to 1,000,000), or set the Limit to None if you don't want a numeric cap.

Places Is Not Supported

What it means: a Limit cell is set to Places. Place-based limits depend on Place assignments, which Activity Import doesn't handle yet — "Places is not supported by Activity Import yet. Use None or Max."

How to fix it: set the Limit to None or Max in your file. If the activity genuinely needs place-based capacity, set that in the editor instead — see Configure Attendance. (On export, a place-based activity's Limit comes back blank for this same reason.)

Duplicate Activity IDs

What it means: the same Activity ID appears on more than one row. Import applies rows in order, so multiple rows for one activity are confusing and the results can be hard to predict.

How to fix it: keep one row per activity. Consolidate the changes for an activity into a single row before importing.

About Warnings

Warnings don't block the import; they just point out something you may want to improve. For example, an activity with an External Link but no Link Name warns that participants will see a bare link. You can import as-is, or add a friendly Link Name.

Test With a Small Sample First

If a file is large or you're unsure about the format, import a handful of rows first. Confirm they create and update the way you expect, then run the full file. Because blank cells preserve existing values, a small test won't disturb the columns you didn't include.