Importing cardholders and credentials - To accelerate the setup of your system, you can import cardholders and credentials from a CSV file instead of creating them manually in Security Center. - Security Center 5.13

Security Center Administrator Guide 5.13

Product
Security Center
Content type
Guides > Administrator guides
Version
5.13
ft:locale
en-US
Last updated
2025-04-11

To accelerate the setup of your system, you can import cardholders and credentials from a CSV file instead of creating them manually in Security Center.

Before you begin

Ensure that the scheduled task's recipient is configured with an email address, so that they can receive an email report after the scheduled import is run. User email addresses are configured in the User management task, on the user's Properties page.

What you should know

Importing cardholders and credentials manually differs from doing so using a scheduled task. When configuring an Import from a file scheduled task, note the following:
  • If you’re using a network path, you must enter it manually and include the full file name of the CSV file, including the suffix.
  • By default, the CSV source file is automatically deleted after a successful scheduled import, and an email is sent to the scheduled task's recipient. You must generate a new source file for the next scheduled import.
  • If the import fails, the source CSV file is renamed to include the word "Errors" in the file name, and an email is sent to the recipient configured in the scheduled task. You can use the Windows Event Viewer to see why the import failed.
  • The Import from a file action for a scheduled task is only available to users in the Administrators group. Non-admin users can’t see the option, even if granted all privileges.

Procedure

  1. Do one of the following:
    • To import cardholders or credentials manually, from the Config Tool homepage, click Tools > Import tool.
    • To import cardholders or credentials using a scheduled task, from the Config Tool homepage, open the Automation task, click the Scheduled tasks view, and then configure a new scheduled task as follows:
      Status
      Set to Active.
      Recurrence
      Select how often you want the task to run.
      Action
      Select Import from a file.
      Recipient
      Select a user.
      File name
      Click Pencil to open the Import tool.
  2. On the Welcome page of the Import tool, enter the file path to the CSV file you want to import, and click Next.
    The Settings page opens.
    Settings page of the Import tool wizard in Config Tool.
  3. On the Settings page, configure the import settings:
    Encoding
    Select the character encoding type.
    Column delimiter
    Set the CSV field delimiter for columns.
    Decimal delimiter
    Set the CSV field delimiter for decimals.
    Thousand separator
    Set the CSV field delimiter for thousand separators.
    Start at line
    (Optional) Enter a value of 2 or greater to reserve lines for column headings or comment lines.
    Maximum picture file size
    (Optional) Set the maximum picture file size to minimize storage usage. The default value is taken from your access control system settings. Changing its value in the Import tool also changes your system settings.
    Add credential to cardholder key
    Select this option if the CSV file contains both cardholder and credential information.
    NOTE: This option is only applicable when cardholders and credentials are imported from the same CSV file. When this solution isn’t applicable, other cardholder information can be used to strengthen the cardholder identification.
    Card format
    Select the default card format to use when a card format isn’t specified in the CSV file.
    Credential operation
    Select one of the following options:
    Add
    This is the default option. All credentials read from the CSV file are added as entities to your system. If a credential already exists in your database, it’s updated.
    Replace
    With this option, you can replace old credentials with new ones. On the Bindings page, you’ll find more options to specify old (previous) and new credential values.
    Cardholder group operation
    Select one of the following options:
    Add
    This is the default option. All cardholder groups from the CSV file are added to your system as entities. If a cardholder group already exists, the cardholder will be added to the group.
    Replace
    With this option, you can change a pre-existing cardholder's group membership. To reassign a cardholder to a new group, change their group value in the CSV file, then set the cardholder group column to Cardholder group on the Bindings page.
    Transparency color
    (Optional) If the cardholder pictures you’re importing were taken in front of a chroma key screen, you can make the picture background transparent. This is helpful if you created a badge template with a background image. To set the background transparency of imported cardholder pictures, turn the option on, select the color of the chroma key screen the cardholder pictures were taken in front of (usually green or blue), and then set the transparency percentage.
  4. Click Next.
    The Bindings page opens.
    Bindings page of the Import tool wizard in Config Tool.
  5. On the Bindings page, for each sample value, select a corresponding database field in the Binding column.
    If you need to skip a column in your CSV file, leave the Binding column blank.
    NOTE: For entities like cardholders and credentials, a minimum amount of information is required to complete the import.
  6. (Optional) Add more fields to the cardholder key.
    If you need to differentiate cardholders, you can add more information by selecting the Key checkbox beside each field you want to add to the cardholder key. The checkbox is disabled for ineligible fields.
    Tip: The other method to strengthen the cardholder identification is to add the credential data to the cardholder key.
  7. Click Next.
    The Import tool imports the contents of your CSV file into the database. A summary window opens, confirming the number of entities imported and the number of errors encountered.
  8. Click Paper and arrow overlapping a clipboard to copy and paste the contents of the report.
  9. Click Close.