Templates
Next month's file, without starting again
Save an import as a template and every decision in it is kept: the modules, how rows match existing records, which column feeds which field, the formulas and the value maps. Next month, start from the template. Sloose checks the new file against it, for free, and tells you what changed.
An import template that keeps every decision
An import has two halves. The recipe is the same every month. The data is new every time. A template is the recipe.
What a template holds
- The modules the import feeds, and the order records are saved in.
- For each module: whether rows may already exist, the field a record is matched on, and what happens on a match.
- Every field mapping: columns, fixed values, formulas and lookups.
- Value maps for picklists and lookups.
- How each file was reshaped: title and totals rows taken out, a header row chosen, blanks filled down.
- The row filter and the rules for when a record is updated.
- What to do on an error, and when several records match.
What it never holds
Your rows. A template is instructions: the column names its file had and the values its value maps translate, never the data. That makes it safe to share with your whole organisation.
Every change to a template's recipe is kept as a version, whether a person, an API token or an AI assistant made it. Renaming it or changing who can see it is not a new version.
Re-import next month's file, with its small differences
Next month's export is never quite the same file. Here is September's member list, the file a template was made from, and October's.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Member ID | First name | Last name | Membership | Renewal date | Branch | |
| 2 | M-0412 | lena@kestrelridge.example | Lena | Fischer | Standard | 31/10/2026 | Brisbane |
| 3 | M-0413 | tom@brightwater.example | Tom | Okafor | Premium | 15/11/2026 | Melbourne |
| 4 | M-0414 | grace@orchardlane.example | Grace | Liu | Standard | 01/12/2026 | Sydney |
| 5 | M-0415 | sam@tidewell.example | Sam | Nguyen | Premium | 30/09/2026 | Sydney |
| 6 | M-0416 | mei@harbourline.example | Mei | Tanaka | Standard | 20/10/2026 | Perth |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Member ID | First name | Last name | E-mail address | Mobile | Membership | Renewal date | Branch |
| 2 | M-412 | Lena | Fischer-Brandt | lena@kestrelridge.example | 0491 573 087 | Standard | 2026-10-31 | Brisbane |
| 3 | M-0413 | Tom | Okafor | tom@brightwater.example | Premium | 2026-11-15 | Melbourne | |
| 4 | M-0414 | Grace | Liu | grace@orchardlane.example | 0491 574 118 | Corporate Plus | 2026-12-01 | Sydney CBD |
| 5 | M-0415 | Sam | Nguyen | sam@tidewell.example | 0491 574 632 | Premium | 2027-09-30 | Sydney |
| 6 | M-0417 | Ravi | Patel | ravi@willowmere.example | 0491 575 254 | Standard | 2027-10-01 | Hobart |
What the template check finds
- A column spelled differently, like E-mail for Email, or under a name the field is known by, is found for free and offered for you to accept. Columns are found by name, so a column that moved is still found.
- A column the check cannot find, like E-mail address where the template read Email, is listed. Choose its column yourself, or let Fill the gaps ask the AI.
- A column that is new this month, like Mobile, is pointed out, in case it belongs in the import.
- Values the value maps have not seen, like a new membership level, are listed to translate.
- Anything that changed in your CRM since the template was saved, such as a field that was removed, is flagged rather than dropped.
The check is automatic, free, and changes nothing. Every part it confirms is marked From the template without your opening it. If the file does not fit, it says so, and offers your other templates, best fit first.
What a dry run adds
Some differences are in the values, not the columns. If the template matches members on Member ID, row 2'sM-412 finds nobody, because the record you hold is M-0412. Adry run shows that row as Would create instead ofWould update, before anything is written. A one-line formula on the Member ID mapping that pads the number fixes it, this month and every month after.
Fill the gaps asks only about what is new
When the check leaves something open, Fill the gaps asks the AI about those parts and no others. The template's own parts are not asked about. What the AI proposes lands as suggestions for you to review, and nothing replaces a decision the template made.
Prefer to do it yourself? I'll fill them myself takes you to the first gap.
What costs AI credits, and what doesn't
- Running an import again: no credits.
- A dry run: no credits.
- Retrying failed rows: no credits.
- The template check against a new file: no credits.
- A file the template already covers: nothing for the AI to do, so no credits.
- Fill the gaps: credits, for the open parts only.
Value maps carry over, so only values the import has not seen before can go to the AI. A run from a template still counts against your plan's runs and rows, like any other run.
A recurring import, month after month
- Start an import from the template
Choose it under Start from, or press Start an import on the template’s own page.
- Load this month’s file
The template check reads it at once: what fits, what is spelled differently, and what is new.
- Settle what changed
Accept what the check found, then Fill the gaps or map the rest yourself.
Check the whole import and see what each row would do.
Confirm once, and the run is recorded with its results.
Share templates with your team
A template you save is private to you. On the Team, Business and Enterprise plans you can share it with your whole organisation, so anyone can start an import from it. Changing a shared template takes the builder role or above.
An import copies its template, so changing the import changes nothing in the template. When the template moves on, the import says so and offers to take the latest version.
A template can also be exported as a file and brought back in from one, or written by anAI assistant over MCP for a person to review.
What a template does not carry
Changes you made to one file's rows, such as an edited cell or a row you excluded by hand, belong to that import and not to the template. A file that needs them next month needs them again. How the file was reshaped is different: the template keeps it and reshapes next month's file the same way.
Sloose has no scheduled imports. Each run is started by a person.
Questions people ask
How do I reuse an import template next month?
Start a new import from the template and load the new file. Sloose checks the file against the template for free, keeps everything that still fits, and shows you what changed.
Does running an import again use AI credits?
No. Running an import, a dry run and a retry never spend AI credits. Credits are spent only when someone asks the AI, such as pressing Fill the gaps.
What if a column is renamed in the new file?
A column spelled differently, or under a name the field is known by, is found for free and offered for you to accept. A column the check cannot find is listed, and Fill the gaps can ask the AI about it.
Does a template store my data?
No. A template holds the recipe: column names, mappings, match rules, formulas and value maps. Never rows.
Can I schedule a recurring import?
No. Sloose does not run imports on a schedule, and every run is started by a person. Starting from a template keeps that to a few steps.
What happens if my CRM changes after I save a template?
Every import started from a template is checked against your CRM as it is today. A removed field is flagged, not silently dropped. See the docs.
Make this month's import the last one you build from scratch
Start on the free plan. Save your first import as a template when it's done.