File Too Large for CRM Data Map

To produce a demo of a CRM system, I was trying to use some data from an Access system and suck it up into CRM using the Import Data Wizard. I'd created my queries and tables in Access and exported the data out into a .csv file using the Export Wizard in Access.

With this .csv file (it originally had 2,100 or so records) I tried to create a Data Map for my import. I selected my .csv file to use as the Sample Data for my map. Naturally CRM complained that this file was too large to be used as the sample. I deleted some of the records from my file, leaving about 50 rows, and then tried again. I was still getting the error though. My file size was only around 200kb, well below the 4mb limit that CRM has for file uploads by default (this can be changed in the web.config for CRM). I didn't have very many columns, maybe 50 at the most.

I should point out I was using Excel 2007 to edit my .csv files, and Access 2007 generated the file.

I thought that 200kb was large for what was in the file; just 50 rows of data like I mentioned.

What ultimately fixed it was this (although I don't know why).

1) I opened my original .csv file in Excel.

2) Deleted the rows I didn't want.

3) Clicked Save (I got a prompt about losing formatting if I saved it to a .csv file, and I clicked yes I wanted to continue).

4) Closed the document

5) when I got a prompt asking if I wanted to change the file, I clicked yes.

In earlier attempts I had been clicking no, because I'd already manually performed the save process after I removed my rows. I didn't think I needed to do it again.

After clicking yes to perform this second save on exit, my file size shrank considerably and CRM had no issue with the sample 50 rows of data. I am not sure if there were some artifacts in the file from Access creating it or if Excel was changing the file in the second save in a way that a manual save was not. All I know is that this worked. I can't say that it'll fix every problem relating to .csv files being too large for an import, but there's no harm in trying it.