Bulk Import lets you create a large number of relationships at once — instead of adding each vendor through the relationship wizard individually. You can also import existing relationships with prior assessment data preserved.
Choosing a Template
From Settings → Import Relationships, download one of two CSV templates:
The downloaded template includes one example row. Delete it before adding your own data.
Upload Rules
Before uploading your CSV, review these requirements:
- Do not rename column headers — the importer matches columns by header text (including the
(Required) / (Optional) marker). Matching ignores case and surrounding whitespace.
- Complete every column marked (Required)
- You may delete Data Type and Business Context columns you don’t need — a missing column is treated as
No for every row
- Columns the importer doesn’t recognize are rejected with an error naming the unknown column
- Paste values only — formulas are not supported
- Business Unit values are matched case-insensitively and must either match an existing Business Unit in your org or be spelled consistently throughout the file (VISO TRUST will create it on import)
- All Yes/No columns accept
Yes, No, or blank — blank is treated as No
Column Reference
Both templates share a common set of columns. The Existing Relationship template adds the legacy assessment columns described below. Header text includes a (Required) or (Optional) marker — leave it exactly as generated.
VISO TRUST records the user who runs the import as the creator of each relationship. Templates downloaded before this column was retired may still include a Client Username column — it’s accepted and ignored.
Data Type Columns
The template includes one Data Type - <name> column for every data type enabled in your organization’s data type configuration (for example, Data Type - PCI (Payment Card Industry) Data). This includes custom data types you’ve added, and excludes default data types you’ve disabled. Enter Yes, No, or leave blank for each.
Data Type columns are optional. If you delete one, every imported relationship is treated as No for that data type. Templates downloaded before a data type configuration change still upload — disabled and default data types remain recognized.
Business Context Columns
The template also includes one Yes/No column for each intake (business context) question configured for your organization. Together with data types, these determine the business cases and controls brought into scope. Like Data Type columns, these are optional — a deleted column is treated as No.
Legacy Assessment Columns
The Existing Relationship template adds the following columns to preserve prior assessment data (all required in that template):
- (Legacy) Assessment Start Date
- (Legacy) Assessment Completion Date
- (Legacy) Assessment Review Frequency
- (Legacy) Assessment Recertification Type
- (Legacy) Automatic Artifact Updates
- (Legacy) Assessment Inherent Risk
- (Legacy) Assessment Residual Risk
After Import
Once uploaded, VISO TRUST validates the file and reports any errors before creating relationships. Fix any flagged rows and re-upload if needed.
When you start the import, it runs as a background job:
- You can leave the page or close the tab. The import keeps running, and VISO TRUST emails you whether it succeeds or fails. Both notifications can be turned off under Notification settings → Relationship Management.
- The import page shows live progress, such as “Imported 120 of 500 relationships”. The History tab also lists in-progress imports with their counts.
- Only one import can run at a time per organization. Wait for the current import to finish before starting another.
If an import stops before finishing, the relationships already imported are created and unaffected. Imports do not resume. To bring in the rest, upload a new file containing only the rows that did not import.
If Instant Assessment is enabled at the organization level, newly imported relationships will automatically be assessed using publicly available data.
For large imports, start with a small test batch (10–20 rows) to validate your column formatting before uploading your full list.
