# Import data
Your project might have already started and have collected data so far. With that in mind, the start point in Dots is to help you continue with where you are at in your project and retain the information already collected. In this section, we walk through the steps to import data from your existing data sources and for some real-time sources, we help you keep your data in sync between them.
# Import from a spreadsheet
To import a data table, click on Data menu from the navigation bar. Next, click on Import table and select Spreadsheet. This will launch a window where you can 1) drag and drop a file from your computer or 2) locate and select a file from your computer's file directory.
Once you have selected a file to import, Dots will provide a preview of file where you can review the column headers and glance at the first and last 5 rows of data so you can be sure it's in right format before importing.
To complete the import process, click on the + Import button.
Supported spreadsheet formats
.csv.xlsx,.xls
For spreadsheets with multiple sheets, Dots will only import the first sheet found in the workbook.
# Import from KoBoToolBox
To import a data table, click on Data menu from the navigation bar. Next, click on Import table and select KoBoToolbox. This will launch a window where you can sign in to your KoboToolbox account (Humanitarian server only). Once signed in, Dots will display your list of forms. Select the form and click Preview.
Next, Dots will provide a preview of file where you can review the column headers and glance at the first and last 5 rows of data so you can be sure it's in right format before importing.
To complete the import process, click on the + Import button.
# Tables settings
Each data table you have imported will have its own table settings menu. To access a table's settings, view the table and click on the ellipsis icon found on the top-right corner on the table view. This will expand the table settings menu where you can
- rename table,
- export table, and
- delete table.
For tables imported from KoBoToolbox, the table settings will provide you with additional configuration options:
- Change column header language. Select the language to display the column headers in when viewing your table.
- Enable/disable
auto-updates. This feature allows Dots to automatically import new submissions from KoBoToolbox and update its data table with an additional row for each submission. - Metadata summary. This provides reference information about each table and includes: table name, owner, source, Kobo account/CSV file, URL, number of questions/columns of data, and if it has location data.
