Importing your data into ATIYO with Excel or CSV

ATIYO product documentation · Integrations · 5 min read

If you already track your avatars, angles, and ad types in a spreadsheet, you don't need to retype anything to get started in ATIYO. You can bulk import all of it into your Brand Bible using the Excel or CSV template. This guide walks through downloading the template, filling it out correctly, and getting a clean import on the first try.

What you can import

The Excel/CSV import populates your Brand Bible — the library ATIYO uses when you build a brief. Importing is the fastest way to seed a workspace that already has months of research behind it.

Customer avatars and sub-avatars
Core desires tied to each avatar
Marketing angles
Ad types you run

Import is for library data only. Assets like video and images belong in the Vault, and briefs are created inside ATIYO — those aren't part of the CSV import.

Why import at all instead of adding entries by hand? If you're coming from a research doc, an agency handoff, or a previous tool, you likely already have this thinking captured somewhere. Importing gets months of work into ATIYO in one pass, so your first brief can draw on a complete library instead of a blank one.

Step 1: Download the template

Always start from the official template so your columns match what ATIYO expects. Building your own file from scratch is the most common reason an import fails.

Open your Brand Bible.
Choose the bulk import option and download the Excel/CSV template.
Open the file in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers.

Step 2: Fill in your rows

Keep the header row exactly as it comes in the template. Add one entry per row and leave a cell blank rather than typing placeholder text like 'N/A' when you don't have a value.

Paste your existing spreadsheet data into the matching columns.
Double-check that avatars and their sub-avatars line up with the right core desires.
Remove any empty rows at the bottom of the sheet before saving.
Save the file as .xlsx or .csv (either works).

Pro tip: Import a small batch of five to ten rows first. Confirming that those land correctly saves you from cleaning up a 300-row mistake.

Step 3: Upload and review

Once your file is ready, upload it from the Brand Bible. ATIYO reads the rows and adds each entry to your library. Review the imported entries and confirm the counts match what you expected from your spreadsheet.

Fixing common import problems

Most issues come from formatting rather than the data itself. Run through this list if something looks off:

Mismatched headers — rename your columns back to match the template exactly.
Merged cells — unmerge everything; the import reads a flat grid.
Hidden characters — retyping a suspect cell often clears invisible line breaks pasted from a doc.
Duplicates — if you import the same file twice you'll get duplicate entries. Archive the extras rather than deleting your library.

Mapping a messy spreadsheet to the template

Real research files are rarely as tidy as a template. If yours mixes several ideas into one cell or spreads an avatar across multiple tabs, do a little prep before you paste:

Flatten everything onto a single tab so one row equals one library entry.
Split combined cells — if a cell lists three angles, give each its own row.
Trim notes and commentary down to the value the column actually asks for.
Make sure every sub-avatar clearly belongs to a parent avatar so the relationship survives the import.

Spending ten minutes here almost always beats fixing dozens of entries after the fact.

Cleaning up after an import

You don't have to get every entry perfect in the spreadsheet. After importing you can edit any avatar, desire, angle, or ad type directly in the Brand Bible, and you can archive entries you no longer need instead of deleting them. Archiving keeps your library tidy while preserving history, which matters because past briefs may reference an entry you've since retired.

Hold on to your filled-in template file after the import finishes. It's a ready-made backup of your structured library and a fast way to seed another brand or workspace later without redoing the research.

Next steps

With your Brand Bible populated, you're ready to start briefing. Head to create a brief to build your first creative brief using the avatars and angles you just imported, or read how ATIYO fits into your creative workflow to see where the library sits in the bigger picture.