Importing addresses from Excel into PowerMessenger

Step 1: Screenshots

This is my excel-file, containing my community users' data, to import into my Powermessenger users table "pm1_users"

Here's the scheme of the "pm1_users" table, we want to add the addresses:

As you can see, my excel column names don't match those from the "pm1_users" table in PM. Additionally there are empty lines and a big headline that I really don't need. Well I just got this table from my client...

Step 2: Sanitize the excel file and save as *.csv

1. Open the excel file
   
2. Delete all unnecessary columns.
   
3. For this tutorial we will only use the users first name, last name and email address.
   
4. Change your excel's column names to the ones matching your "pm1_users" table
   
5. Delete all empty lines between the column headers and the first address line, if there are, and below the last address to import.
   
6. Save your sanitized excel file as "addresses_sanitized.xls" or whatever name you like ;-)

Having done all these steps you will have a sanitized excel file:

Now save that excel file as *.csv:
Click "File --> Save as" --> chose *.csv as file extension, and save that new file.
Open this *.csv file with a text editor like notepad and delete the first line containing your column names. The result should look like this: (Please notice, for legal reasons, all of the names are blurred, except the last line "John Smith", serving as a dummy, to show how such an address line should look like.

Step 3: Get ready for importing the addresses

Now we are almost good to go. We need one last step, before performing the import:

Open your text editor and type the following:

UserFirstName,UserLastName,UserEmail

Copy this line.

Now open PHPMyAdmin in your favorite browser and click to view the "pm1_users" table.

Click "Import"
On the import page click on "file" --> "browse" and select your sanitized *.csv file
See this screenshot for the right settings (Please note, that I'm working on a German computer, thus the expressions in your browser might be slightly different, but I'm sure you'll find the correct places):

Paste the line that you have just copied (UserFirstName,UserLastName,UserEmail) into the form field "column names" and click o.k.

If everything was correct, you should now have imported your addresses from your excel file into PM.

Step 4: Additional steps to consider

We have only used three columns for the import, which was o.k..
But what about the other columns?

o.k. the "UserID" column will get an auto_increment value, so we don't have to care about this one. But what about the rest?
Should we add a default password?
Should we set the Email verified column to "1"?
Should we add a default "UserGroupID"?

Well, what ever you like...
However all of these things can already be done in the sanitized excel file.
Just add the needed columns with the correct column names and add the default values in excel.

Things to remember:
Be careful for legal issues, since it's you who adds the users. Dont' forget to inform your users.
There's no "double opt-in" when you add the addresses!
Your users dont' know their passwords. Remember to inform your users about that, too.
Add a page on your website, where your users can modify their data,
or get their password (re-)sent,
add a page where your users have the ability to unsubscribe.
...