When you upload a subscriber list file in uConnect, the system runs several validation checks before it imports any data. These checks are designed to make sure your file is usable and that subscribers are created/updated correctly.
You’ll go through a guided flow and validation happens at a few key points).
Subscriber List Upload Validations
1. File and required fields
When you first upload your file via Engage > Subscribers > Manual Subscriber Uploads:
The system checks that the file is a valid type: .xls, .xlsx, or .csv.
It then requires you to map certain fields (for students in particular):
First Name
Last Name
Email Address
SSO ID/User Login/NetID – required for students if SSO is enabled
Graduation Year
If any of these required mappings are missing, the upload cannot proceed and you’ll be prompted to correct them.
2. Action-specific checks
Depending on the action you choose (Add, Update, Overwrite, Remove tags, Unsubscribe, Delete, Remove bounced flag):
The system checks that:
The action is valid for the data in your file.
You’ve selected a User Type (or “Multiple” if your file contains multiple user types such as both Undergraduate and Graduate students) and an Email Frequency where required.
For under “Advanced Options,” you'll see "Replace Subscriber List" and “Overwrite Subscribers.” There is extra helper text and emphasis because this option can remove subscribers not present in your file
If any required choices for your selected action are missing or inconsistent, you’ll be asked to adjust them before moving on.
3. Column mapping and data integrity
On the mapping screen, validation ensures:
Each column is mapped correctly:
Either to a subscriber field (First Name, Last Name, Email, User Type, etc.), or
To Community Group(s) (for pre-subscribing to Communities).
A column cannot be mapped to more than one thing but you can have multiple values in one column separated by a semicolon (i.e. Business; Economics)
If you selected “Multiple” for User Type, then a User Type field mapping becomes required
If mappings are incomplete or ambiguous, you’ll be prompted to fix them before importing.
4. Community and tag value checks
In the final step (Community/tag mapping):
The system checks whether the values in your file match existing Communities in your platform.
Values that don’t match any Community are surfaced in a “New Tags/Communities” area, where you must:
Manually map them to an existing Community, or
Leave them unmapped (they won’t be applied).
For automated uploads (SIS), a nightly and on-demand validation method completes the following actions:
Scans new SIS files for values that don’t yet have a Community mapping.
Automatically adds those values into the mapping configuration with null assignments.
Triggers a warning notification to admins so they can complete the mapping before the data is imported.
5. Per-row validation and skipped records
During import, if any subscribers are skipped, the upload summary will:
Show the number of skipped subscribers, and
Provide a reason
Common reasons include:
Missing a required field (e.g., no email).
Invalid or un-mappable Community/tag values (if not resolved in the mapping step).
Conflicts with system rules (for example, SSO ID issues when SSO is required).
The rest of the valid rows are processed normally.
In summary, uConnect:
Verifies file type and required field mappings.
Ensures your action and User Type/Email Frequency selections are valid.
Validates column mappings and Community values.
Surfaces unmapped tags/Communities and skipped records with reasons, so you know exactly what needs correction.