> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.maestra.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Import Channels

A **channel** groups touchpoints together. Channels themselves can also be grouped.

You can add channels one at a time through the interface, following [How to create a channel](/customers-orders-and-products/actions/channels-and-touchpoints/channels/how-to-create-a-channel), or import them in bulk from a CSV file.

<Warning>
  Import can only create child channels. The parent channel has to already exist in your account.
</Warning>

To load channels into your account, go to **Customer Data Platform → Imports**. Click **New import** to open the import settings.

## Step 1. Choose what to do with the data

Pick the import type — **Reference data → Channels**.

## Step 2. Prepare and upload the file

Work out which fields you need.

### Fields for loading new channels

| Field                                                     | Required       | Description                                                                                           |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Maestra parent channel ID<br />Parent channel external ID | ✅ At least one | The parent channel the new channel will be attached to                                                |
| Channel external ID                                       | ✅              | The unique ID the new channel is loaded under. A Maestra ID is generated automatically after the load |
| Channel name                                              | ❌              | A unique channel name. If omitted, it's taken from the external ID                                    |
| Channel description                                       | ❌              | Criteria for grouping touchpoints into this channel                                                   |

### Fields for editing existing channels

| Field                                                     | Required       | Description                                                        |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Maestra parent channel ID<br />Parent channel external ID | ✅ At least one | The parent channel the channel is attached to                      |
| Channel external ID<br />Channel Maestra ID               | ✅ At least one | The ID of the channel you're editing                               |
| Channel name                                              | ❌              | A unique channel name. If omitted, it's taken from the external ID |
| Channel description                                       | ❌              | Criteria for grouping touchpoints into this channel                |

<Accordion title="How do I find a parent channel's Maestra ID or external ID?">
  Find the parent channel under **Settings → Customers and actions → Channels**.
</Accordion>

Build the file. Use the first row for the names of the fields you're loading data into — the wording is up to you.

* File format: `.csv` or `.txt`.

See [Preparing a file for import](/import-data/preparing-a-file-for-import) for the full set of recommendations.

Upload the file and click **Continue**.

## Step 3. Map the file's fields

Maestra Platform maps the file's fields to its own automatically. Check the result and adjust it by hand if you need to:

* In the **Import** column, tick the fields you want to load. Unticked columns are skipped.
* In the **Maestra field** column, map each file column to a field on the account. Optional fields left unmapped are skipped.

Click **Continue**.

## Step 4. Review and start the import

Before you start, Maestra Platform shows the first rows of the file with the mapping already applied.

* Check that the data looks the way you expect.
* Add an import comment if you want one.
* Start the import.

## How to track the import

Once started, the import appears in the list on the **Import** page. For each task you'll see:

* start date,
* import type,
* source file with its comment,
* load progress,
* rows imported and errors,
* who started it.

If errors came up during the import, some rows were skipped. Open the import details to see which rows had a problem and why. Fix them in the file and run the import again.

## The result

Once the import finishes, the channels show up in the data section.

For creating touchpoints, see [how to add](/customers-orders-and-products/actions/channels-and-touchpoints/touchpoints/how-to-create-a-touchpoint) and [how to import](/import-data/references/how-to-import-touchpoints) touchpoints.