Importing from CSV or Excel
The import feature lets you bring tasks or issues into Varai Sprints in bulk from a spreadsheet. This is ideal when migrating from another tool, setting up a sprint from an existing plan, or loading a large backlog quickly.
What you can import
| Item type | Supported formats |
|---|---|
| Tasks | CSV (.csv), Excel (.xlsx, .xls) |
| Issues | CSV (.csv), Excel (.xlsx, .xls) |
Before you import: preparing your file
Your spreadsheet must have a header row with column names that match Varai Sprints's field names.
Required columns
For tasks:
title— the task name (required)
For issues:
title— the issue title (required)severity— Critical, High, Medium, or Low (required)
Optional columns
| Column name | Accepted values / format |
|---|---|
description | Plain text |
priority | Critical, High, Medium, Low |
status | To Do, In Progress, In Review, Blocked, Done, Cancelled |
assignee_email | Email address of a workspace member |
planned_start_date | YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2026-05-01) |
planned_end_date | YYYY-MM-DD |
estimated_hours | Decimal number (e.g., 4 or 2.5) |
tags | Comma-separated list (e.g., frontend,auth) |
epic_title | Exact title of an existing epic |
Click the Download Template button in the Import modal to get a pre-formatted CSV file with all the right column headers. Fill it in and re-upload.
Running an import
- Go to the Tasks or Issues list.
- Click the Import button in the top-right toolbar (or go to the sprint and click Import Items).
- The Import modal opens.
- Select the target sprint (all imported items will be added to this sprint).
- Click Choose file and select your CSV or Excel file.
- Varai Sprints parses the file and shows a preview of the rows it found.
Reviewing the preview
The preview shows:
- A table of all rows found in your file
- Green rows — valid, ready to import
- Yellow rows — warnings (e.g., assignee email not found — will import without assignee)
- Red rows — errors (e.g., missing required field) — these will be skipped
At the bottom you see a summary:
Ready to import: 47 rows
Warnings: 3 rows (will import with partial data)
Errors: 2 rows (will be skipped)
Handling errors
Click on a red row to see the specific error. Common errors:
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Title is required" | Add a title to that row in your file |
| "Invalid date format" | Use YYYY-MM-DD format for dates |
| "Invalid priority value" | Use exactly: Critical, High, Medium, or Low |
You can correct your file and re-upload, or choose to import the valid rows and skip the errors.
Import options
Before confirming the import, you can set:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Skip invalid rows | Import valid rows and ignore rows with errors (on by default) |
| Stop on first error | Cancel the entire import if any row has an error |
Confirming the import
- Review the preview and options.
- Click Import X Items.
- A progress indicator shows as rows are created.
- When complete, you see an import summary: how many items were created, how many had warnings, how many were skipped.
After the import
All successfully imported items appear in the target sprint immediately. You can:
- Open individual items to add more detail
- Use bulk edit to update multiple items at once (e.g., set all imported items to a specific status)
- Filter the sprint list to see just the newly imported items (tip: they all have the same creation timestamp)
Limitations
- Maximum file size: 5 MB
- Maximum rows per import: 1,000 rows
- Importing does not update existing items — only creates new ones. If you need to update existing items, use bulk edit
- Attachments cannot be imported via CSV — they must be added manually