How to Import Client Data into BrightClient

Overview

When your practice first activates BrightClient, your existing client and contact records need to be moved into the central BrightClient repository. Rather than creating these records one at a time, BrightClient uses a bulk import process to migrate large volumes of data efficiently in a single operation.

This article explains what bulk import is, what data is included, how the process works, and what to do if any records fail.

What Is Bulk Import?

Bulk import is the process by which your existing client and contact data is transferred from your Bright product such as BrightManager, BrightBooks, or BrightAP - into BrightClient in one go.

It is used primarily when BrightClient is first activated for a practice, to ensure that all your existing records are available in the central repository from day one. Once the import is complete, those records are shared across all connected Bright products.

📋 Note

Bulk import is triggered automatically as part of the BrightClient activation process for your practice. You do not need to initiate it manually. Your Bright product handles the data transfer , your role is to monitor progress and resolve any records that fail.

What Data Can Be Imported?

The following data types are currently supported in bulk import:

Data type	What is included
Business clients	Company and organisation records , including registered name, client type, reference numbers, and contact details
Contacts (people)	Individual person records associated with your clients, Including name, contact details, and roles
Address histories	Historical address records linked to either clients or contacts, including previous addresses and the dates they were active

How the Import Works

The import runs automatically in the background once BrightClient activation begins. Here is what happens at each stage:

1	Data is sent in batches	Your Bright product packages your records and sends them to BrightClient in batches. Each batch is up to 10MB and contains a self-contained set of records, for example, a set of clients or a set of contacts.
2	Data is received and held	BrightClient receives each batch and holds the data securely while tracking the status of the import. Records are not written to the central database immediately , they are queued for processing.
3	Linked records are connected	Where records are related to each other, for example, an address history that belongs to a specific client - BrightClient resolves those relationships once all batches have been received. This ensures linked records are connected correctly even if they arrive in different batches.
4	Import completes	Once all batches have been processed, a summary screen shows how many records were successfully imported and how many failed. You can monitor progress in real time as the import runs.
5	Errors are made available	Any records that could not be imported are listed in a downloadable file. You can use this to identify and fix the issues in your source product, then re-import the affected records.

Resolving Failed Records

If any records fail during import, you can download a file containing the details of each failure. This file is available in two places:

The import summary screen - immediately after the import completes.
A banner on the BrightClient homepage - which remains visible for recent imports that had failures, so you can return to it later.

What the error file contains

For each failed record, the file includes:

The name of the record that failed
The client reference
The field that caused the failure
The reason for the failure

How to fix and re-import

Download the error file from the import summary screen or the homepage banner.
Review each failure and identify the issue in the relevant field.
Open the affected client or contact record in your Bright product and correct the data.
Return to BrightClient and use the retry option to re-import the failed records. You do not need to re-run the entire import ,only the records that failed will be processed again.

Key Things to Know

What to know	Detail
Only failed records need to be retried	Successfully imported records are already in BrightClient and will not be re-processed. Retrying only affects records that failed.
If a client fails, its addresses fail too	Records that depend on a parent record, such as address histories linked to a client will also fail if the parent record cannot be imported. Fix the parent record first, then retry.
Batch size limit is 10MB	Each batch of data sent to BrightClient must be 10MB or less. This is handled automatically by your Bright product , you do not need to manage this yourself.
Records already in BrightClient are skipped	If a record has already been successfully imported, it will be excluded automatically from any subsequent retry. This prevents duplicates.
Validation improvements are coming	The current import process is a first version. A more robust validation step will be introduced in a future release, which will catch errors earlier and improve the overall experience.

Troubleshooting

The import summary screen is showing failures but I cannot see the download link

Refresh the page and check again - the file may still be generating if the import only just completed.
Check the banner on the BrightClient homepage, which provides a persistent link to the error file for recent imports.
If the link is still not available after a few minutes, contact Bright Support.

I fixed the data but the same records are failing again on retry

Check the error file again after the retry to confirm the failure reason , it may be a different field causing the issue after the first fix.
Ensure the corrected data has been saved in your Bright product before retrying.
If the failure reason is unclear, contact Bright Support with the client name and the contents of the error file.

Some of my clients are missing after the import completes

Check the error file for those clients , they may have failed during import.
Search for the client by name in BrightClient to confirm whether they are present under a slightly different name or reference.
If the client is not in the error file and not in BrightClient, contact Bright Support.

The import is taking a long time

Large client databases are processed in batches and imports can take time to complete, particularly for practices with many thousands of records. You do not need to keep the page open , the import will continue in the background and the summary screen will be available once it finishes.

Search

Welcome to our Support