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Error: "The file you are trying to import has an invalid header record" When Attempting to Import a CSV or TXT File

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You are attempting to import a .txt or .csv file into your ACT! database when you receive the following error message: "The file you are trying to import has an invalid header record"



There is more than one possible cause for this issue. This error can occur if the .TXT (or .CSV) file you are attempting to import is damaged. This error will also result when there are spaces or special characters in the header record of the .TXT (or .CSV) file .

To determine whether a damaged text file is causing this issue, import a simple text file first to ensure the ACT! Import function is functioning properly.

Hint: Create a few simple records in an Excel spreadsheet, save this Excel file as a Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt) file, and then attempt to import this file.

If a simple text file imports without error, you can conclude that damage or incorrect formatting in your text file is the cause of this error.

This issue has been documented when there is a damaged header in the ASCII file. Follow the directions below to resolve the issue.

Please examine the header record for the presence of spaces or special characters. You may want to retype the header to ensure this is not the cause of the issue.

Note: Special characters are those characters located above the number keys on your keyboard such as !, @ or #.


Damaged Header in the ASCII File
You can resolve this issue by pasting the column headings, and the corresponding data into a new excel spreadsheet, and then saving this as a new .TXT or .CSV file.

Note: The following information is provided as a convenience. Act! does not provide support for Microsoft Products. For more information on this topic go to Microsoft.com


Follow the steps below to fix the broken header:

  1. Open the ASCII file with Microsoft Excel.
  2. Click and drag to highlight just the cells that have the column headings, click the Edit menu, and then click Copy.
  3. Open a new Excel spreadsheet, click into the first cell, click the Edit menu, and then click Paste. The column headings appear in the new spreadsheet.
  4. Return to the damaged spreadsheet, click and drag to highlight all data cells, click the Edit menu, and then click Copy.
  5. Return to the new spreadsheet, click into the second line, first column, click the Edit menu, and then click Paste. The data appears in the new spreadsheet.
  6. Click the File menu, and then click Save As. A Save As dialog box appears.
  7. Enter a unique name for this .XLS file, and then click Save to save this file as an Excel (.XLS) file.
  8. Once you have saved this file as an Excel (.XLS) file, click the File menu again, and then click Save As to save as either a *.CSV or *.TXT file as desired.
  9. Close Microsoft Excel and from your ACT! database, attempt to import the new text file.



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