Transfer entries from one project to other

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Question

Hi!
I’m working on two different private projects, and I would like to transfer some entries from one project to the other. Is there a way to do this? For example, is it possible to export the entries from the old project as csv and use it to import them in the new one? Or I have to manually create the entry again in the new project and delete it in the old one?

Thanks in advance,
Caro

I confirm I have read the User Guide at docs.epicollect.net

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I confirm I have tried asking the same question to Perplexity AI with the tag #epicollect5, but it did not help.

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Transferring Entries Between Epicollect5 Projects

You can transfer entries from one private Epicollect5 project to another without having to manually re-enter every record. Here’s how you can do it using the built-in export and bulk upload features:

1. Export Data from the Old Project

  • Access your old project in Epicollect5.
  • Go to “View Data” on the project’s dashboard.
  • Click on “Download” in the navigation bar.
  • Choose the CSV format for export.
  • Download the required form/branch data. If there are multiple forms or branches, each will be separated into its own CSV file

2. Prepare the CSV for Import

  • Open the exported CSV file with Excel or Google Sheets.

  • Clear the identifier columns, such as ec5_uuid, ec5_branch_uuid, or other UUID columns. These unique IDs must be cleared so Epicollect5 recognizes the uploaded rows as new entries, not as edits to existing ones

  • Save the edited file as CSV.

Note: Media files (photos, audio, video) cannot be transferred in bulk this way—only text-based fields and supported question types

3. Import Data into the New Project

  • Within your new project, go to the entries section and look for the bulk upload option.
  • Upload your CSV file. Make sure:
    • Each row represents a valid new entry.
    • No system identifiers from the previous project remain.
  • You can upload up to 150 entries per CSV (maximum 1MB per file). If you have more, split them into several files and repeat the upload

4. Clean Up Old Entries (Optional)

  • After confirming the entries have been successfully added to the new project, you can delete the duplicates from the old project if needed.

Important Considerations

  • The bulk upload feature handles most standard field types (dropdown, text, number, radio, checkbox, date, time, etc.), but not all question types (notably, media files are excluded)

  • Branch data (sub-forms) should be handled carefully. If you’re transferring entries with branches, ensure their parent-child relationships and corresponding columns are maintained in the CSV.

Manual Option

If your entries are too few or need rich media, you may need to recreate individual entries. But for most text and list data, exporting and bulk uploading is far more efficient than manual copying

In summary:
You do not have to manually re-create all entries—Epicollect5 supports exporting entries as CSV and then importing them into another project, provided you follow the guidelines above

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Hi! That was super clear and will save me a lot of time, thank you so much.
Caro

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