Import your Excel Coaching Log

Overview of the import process

1. Backup your data (recommended)
2. Select your XLSX file (based on the ICF template)
3. Review imported clients and sessions, resolving potential issues
4. import the content into the app (no data is saved to your database until you confirm all is good to go)

The import is designed to be forgiving and will warn you about anything that looks suspicious. You always stay in control during the review step, and the whole import process is happening on your device for privacy and confidentiality reasons.

Required template and file type

• Use the official ICF template (ICF Coaching Log template).
• Save your Excel log in the .xlsx format. .xls files are not supported.
• The import reads columns A–H only, starting from row 3.

Column mapping (A–H)

• A — Client Name
• B — Contact Information
• C — Individual / Group
• D — Number in Group
• E — Start Date
• F — End Date
• G — Paid Hours
• H — Pro‑bono Hours

Client name parsing (Column A)

The app tries to parse first/last names and company names safely. Best results come from consistent formatting.

Recommended formats

• First Last (recommended)
• Last, First (comma form)
• Last / First or Last – First (with spaces around the separator)

Company name handling

The following patterns are treated as company name:

• Name (Company)
• Name – Company / Name - Company
• Name : Company / Name ; Company

Nicknames

• Nicknames in quotes or parentheses are kept:
  • John "Jack" Smith
  • John (Jack) Smith

Particles and multi‑word last names

Particles are preserved as part of the last name (examples):

• de, del, van, von, da, di, bin, al, la, le …

Example: “Maria de la Cruz” → last name: “de la Cruz”

Things to avoid

• Mixing multiple formats in the same file (e.g., First Last and Last, First).
• Embedding contact info inside the name field.

Individual / Group (Column C)

The app recognizes Individual and Group in multiple languages and common short forms.

Examples that work:

• Individual: Individual, Ind, I, Individuel, Individuell, Individuale, Personal, 個人, 개인, индивидуальный, व्यक्तिगत …
• Group: Group, Grp, G, Groupe, Gruppe, Gruppo, Grupo, 團體, グループ, 그룹, группа …

Best practice: keep values consistent (e.g., only “Individual” / “Group”).

Number in Group (Column D)

• Numbers only (e.g., 2, 3, 10).
• If Column C is Group, the number is required.
• If Column C is Individual, the app assumes 1 when empty.

Start Date / End Date (Columns E & F)

The import accepts:

• Excel‑formatted dates
• ISO dates (2024-05-12)
• Common formats (12/05/2024, 05/12/2024, 12.05.2024)
• Two‑digit years are interpreted relative to the current year

If only one date is provided, the other is assumed to be the same date.

Warnings are shown for:

• Invalid dates (e.g., Feb 30)
• Future dates
• Dates more than 30 years in the past
• End date earlier than start date

Paid / Pro‑bono hours (Columns G & H)

The app is flexible, but to avoid ambiguity minutes are recommended.

Recommended (minutes)

• 90 → 90 minutes
• 45 → 45 minutes

Also accepted

• 1:30 → 1 hour 30 minutes
• 1h30 / 1h 30 / 1h30m
• 1.5 → 1.5 hours (90 minutes)
• 45 min

Warnings

• Ambiguous formats like 1,30 may be interpreted but flagged.
• Very high durations are flagged:

  • 10 hours for same‑day sessions

  • 24 hours for multi‑day sessions

What produces errors vs warnings

Errors (must be resolved before importing):

• Missing client name

Warnings (import allowed, but review recommended):

• Missing contact info
• Invalid or unusual dates
• Invalid or unusual minutes
• Group size issues
• Empty session row
• Potential duplicates

Best practices checklist

• Use the official ICF template and save as .xlsx
• Keep consistent name formatting in Column A
• Keep one language for the Individual/Group column
• Enter numbers only for group size
• Use Excel date formatting for dates
• Enter minutes for paid/pro‑bono hours