It's quick and easy to create multiple websites by uploading source data to RAI. All of this is done in the Start Sites section in RAI.
Quick guide
1. Download source file: Click Download example file (.xlsx) in the top right corner. Open the file in Excel and fill in the relevant cells with customer business data. Remember that one row represents one business/website. Read more about the XLSX file below.
Remember to convert to CSV
Be aware that while the source file is downloaded in XLSX format, it needs to be uploaded in CSV format in order for RAI to be able to process it. It's easy to save a file in CSV format in Excel by clicking Save As... and selecting .csv from the File Format dropdown.
2. Upload data: Content data is uploaded to RAI via the CSV file. This CSV file contains business specific Global Data for each business and a template ID for each website.
CSV size
The recommended maximum size of a batch is 500 listings (rows) per CSV file.
3. Validate data: Once the CSV file has been uploaded, RAI checks and validates that the data is correct and placed in the right data fields. The system will report if any errors are found in the data.
4. Generate start sites: When the data has been validated, RAI auto-generates your Start Sites. The process runs in the background and you can do other work in the system while the auto-generation takes place. The duration of the process depends on the batch size. You will receive an email when the site-creation process has been completed.
Filling in the XLSX/CSV file
Uploading batch data can only be done by users with an Admin user role.
Download example file
Data is uploaded to RAI through a CSV file. To use the batch upload function, you must download the example file in XLSX format.
XLSX file
This is what the file looks like when opened in Excel:
The top row (Row 1) contains Global Data tags in a fixed order. To ensure that the data will be imported correctly, it's very important that you don't change neither the tags nor the order of cells in the first row.
The first column (Column A) must contain the template ID that you want for each Start Site. You can find the template IDs in the template library.
The following rows (Row 2 - ...) must contain business information for each business you want to create a website for in the batch (one company per row).
Remember to convert to CSV
Be aware that while the source file is downloaded in XLSX format, it needs to be uploaded in CSV format in order for RAI to be able to process it. It's easy to save a file in CSV format in Excel by clicking Save As... and selecting .csv from the File Format dropdown.
How to upload the CSV file to RAI
When you are ready to upload your CSV file, click on the Upload Batch Site Data button.
You will then see the following options:
- Source file: Upload your CSV file
- Upload options: You have two upload options. Check the first box if your CSV file was saved from Microsoft Excel for Mac. Check the second box if you don't wish to keep Global Data from the templates specified in the file.
- Batch name: Give the batch a descriptive and easily identifiable name.
- Upload: When you have completed all the fields, finish by pressing the Upload button.
Data validation
Once uploaded, RAI validates the data provided in the CSV file and displays four random listings from the file that you have to validate manually. When validating the content, make sure that the content is placed correctly in the corresponding Global Data fields.
When you have checked the listings, click on Start Site Production to generate the start sites.
Validation fail
If validation fails, the system will display an error message that indicates where and what in the file data is incomplete or wrong. Correct the errors and upload the CSV file again.
Generate Start Sites
After validation, the system is ready to auto-generate the Start Sites by merging the uploaded data with the attached templates. You don't have to stay on the particular site during the rendering process as the system creates the sites in the background. The duration of the process depends on the size of the batch.
Start site rendering process screen
- Estimated time: This field displays the estimated time to completion of the batch upload.
- Process bar: The progress bar indicates how far the process is and the success/failure rate below.
- Start sites from this batch: Click on this button to get an overview of completed Start Sites from this batch during the rendering process.
List of completed Start Sites from batch
The list shows all completed Start Sites from a particular batch upload. All the sites are by default published and created on a trial subscription.
Overview of batches
- Upload batch data: To upload a new batch, click the Upload Batch Data button.
- Download example file: Download and use the example file. Input client business data directly in the file. This will be the source data used when RAI creates the sites.
- Batch ID: Indicates a unique number of each batch uploaded. The sites generated in the batch will inherit this ID so that you can always trace any site back to its origin.
- Batch name: Each batch can be given a name/title when it's uploaded.
- Status: The status indicates whether the batch is done or still in progress.
- Created: Shows the creation date of each batch upload.
- Created by: Displays the name of the RAI user who initiated the batch upload.
- Show sites: Click on this link to see the list of individual Start Sites that have been generated in the specific batch.
- Download source: To download the original source file that originated the batch, simply click on the CSV File download link.