Could not parse ‘_______’ as field name

Click here for a complete list of contact upload errors and how to fix them!

When you see a contact upload error that starts with “Could not parse” you likely have data that needs to be reformatted.

To check the correct format the field requires, go to Programs – Manage Fields.

The variable name column corresponds to your spreadsheet’s headers. The “type” column indicates how the data should be formatted. Scroll to the bottom of the Manage Fields page to see a glossary of field types.

Different field types, their definitions, and examples

Two common formatting issues: dates and Boolean fields.

The most common error is that dates are formatted in the excel default: MM/DD/YYYY. Message requires the format YYYY-MM-DD. You can change the format for all the dates in this column.

• Open the spreadsheet and highlight the date column by clicking on the letter at the top of the column.
• Right click and select format cells.
• Choose Category: Date and Type: Year-Month-Day format with dashes.
• Click OK.

Repeat the process with all date columns, save the file, and import it into Message.

Another common error is Boolean fields. Boolean fields ONLY accept True or False. Variations such as yes/no will cause an error.

• To replace all incorrect variations within the file, highlight the Boolean field column by clicking on the letter in the column header.
• Click the Magnifying Glass in the upper right corner of the spreadsheet.
• Select “Replace.”
• In the “Find what:” search box, type in the variation of true that you have (true, True, yes, YES, etc) and in the “Replace with:” type “TRUE” and then select “Replace All”.

Repeat this for all variations of TRUE, and then all variations of FALSE.

You can check to be sure everything has been replaced with a filter.

• Highlight the correct column and click “Sort and Filter.”
• Select “Filter.”
• Click the drop down.
• If there is anything other than TRUE or FALSE, repeat the process above to replace it.