Appearance
Relationships in a Batch
A contact batch can link contacts to each other — a spouse, a parent, a colleague. Each relationship is one row on the batch's Relationships tab.
Relationships usually come from the contact spreadsheet: every filled group of contact_relationship_* columns becomes a row here when you upload the file. See Adding Contacts in Batch for the columns. There is no separate relationships spreadsheet, so this tab has no Import from Spreadsheet button; you can add rows by hand.
A relationship is saved on both contacts and appears on each contact's page. Its start and end dates are saved too, but no screen shows them yet.
The Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Contact | The contact the relationship is for, by CauseVox ID or reference ID |
| Related Contact | The other contact, by CauseVox ID or reference ID |
| Type | What the related contact is to the contact (e.g., Parent) |
| Reciprocal Type | What the contact is to the related contact (e.g., Child) |
| Start Date / End Date | Optional dates for the relationship, as 2024-03-01 or 3/1/2024 |
A reference ID that matches one existing contact is replaced with that contact's CauseVox ID when the row is staged. A reference to a contact in the same batch stays as written until the batch is processed.
What the Review Screen Tells You
These rows are kept, with a warning:
- Contact not found yet. No contact has that reference ID, and no row of this batch does either. Import that contact first; processing refuses the relationship if it still isn't there.
- Processing will refuse this relationship. Something the relationship needs is missing or wrong: a contact, the type, a date that can't be read as a date, a reference ID several contacts share, both ends on the same contact, or a reciprocal type for a type that isn't in your relationship list. The highlighted cell, if any, is the one to fix.
- Not in your relationship list. The type (or reciprocal type) isn't one of your relationship types. It imports as written. To have it offered in dropdowns (the edit dialog, segment filters), add it under CRM Settings > Contact > General > Contact Relationships before processing.
A type in your relationship list is saved in the list's spelling, whatever capitalization the file used, and a blank reciprocal type is filled from the list (Parent → Child).
Adding and Editing Rows
- Add: click Add Relationship Row. Name both contacts by CauseVox ID or reference ID — a contact in this batch included — and type the relationship; the type fields suggest your relationship list but accept any text. Save and Add Another keeps the contact filled in.
- Edit: click anywhere on a row. The row's warnings are listed under the form, and are checked again when you save.
- Delete: click the trash icon on the right side of a row.
Editing or deleting a contact row on the Contacts tab doesn't change its relationship rows. If you change a contact's reference ID or remove the contact, update or delete its relationships here too.
Processing
Relationships don't hold up the batch: you can process it while relationship rows have warnings. Relationships are processed after the contacts, and a refused relationship never stops its contact from importing.
- A relationship between two contacts that already have one of the same type isn't added again.
- A relationship whose reciprocal side already belongs to another relationship between the same two contacts is refused, naming that relationship. For example, if Pat is already Gretchen's Mother (Gretchen is Pat's Child), a row making Pat Gretchen's Parent with reciprocal Child is refused. Edit the existing relationship on the contact page instead.
- A refused relationship is marked with an error on this tab. Fix the row and click Reprocess Failed Lines (or Resume batch).
- If the error says the other contact is in this batch but isn't saved yet, that contact's own row failed. Fix it, then click Resume batch once the batch finishes.