February 07, 2009
Import wizard dates in Salesforce.com
Something interesting about importing dates via the Import Wizards in Salesforce. There is nice documentation about how to import dates into salesforce here, and clearly document the required format of dates.
Well, forget about that, it doesn't work for the Import Wizard. A totally different, undocumented format is required for the Import Wizards.
I had opened a support case was great, they gave the exact solution, below via email. If I find a knowledge base/documentation link I will post it.
When importing Date/Time values into salesforce.com using the import wizards, you cannot format the cells using the 24 hour clock. The import wizard requires the AM and PM nomenclature in the field. Do this by formatting the cells so that the mask they use is:
m/d/yyyy h:mm AM/PM
To do this in Excel, follow the instructions below:
1. Highlight the column in question.
2. Right click and select the "format cells".
3. Select the "custom" option and choose the value "m/d/yyyy h:mm".
4. Place your cursor in the field on top of the list and add the "AM/PM" value to the end so that it looks like the value below:
m/d/yyyy h:mm AM/PM
5. When done, click OK, and your column will be properly formatted.
Once you have done this, and entered the date/time values into your file, you will be able to import without problem.