Top 3 SaaS Services for Importing CSV Files

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Developer Partners

Data flows consistently and constantly across multiple departments and between different companies. Thus, importing data into applications is crucial for efficient business operations. However, this data exchange process is also a frequent pain point. Managing the data causes companies to lose valuable time trying to make sense of messy spreadsheets.

Often, entire business teams will find themselves waiting, entirely dependent on IT and data specialists. This unnecessary distraction stops entire departments from productive day-to-day operations, delaying decision-makers from making data-driven choices.

The end result for business users is a frustrating and inefficient experience and hours worth of productivity lost.

A key challenge faced by B2B SaaS startups is that their potential clients already have existing data. This is a problem. Migrating to a new system is time-consuming and costly. Even if the new software shows promise, most won’t risk losing crucial data during the transition. Most clients seek improved software solutions, but not at the expense of compromising existing data integrity.

Data transfer limitations are another concern that forces clients to stay with their current software provider.

To address this issue, SaaS startups should incorporate a data import feature where clients can transfer their data from previous systems to a new one with ease. Platforms like Flatfile, Dromo, and CSVBox offer solutions for SaaS companies to streamline the implementation of front-end processes and initial validation. This helps simplify the first half of the data migration process.

The Three Best Data Import Tools

Data importers affect customer experience. They’re important for a company’s bottom line.

Three SaaS companies stand out in data file importing: Dromo, Flatfile, and CSVBox.

Understanding the differences between Flatfile, Dromo, and CSVBox will help in choosing the right customer data onboard experience.

Flatfile

Created in 2018 by David Boskovic and Eric Crane, Flatfile has since become an all-in-one platform after raising $100 million across multiple investment rounds in six years. It describes itself as the “easiest, fastest, and safest way for developers to build the ideal data file important experience.”

Ease of Integration

Using Flatfile as a data import tool gives companies a customizable importer to implement and improve as they see fit.

The biggest downside is it requires a lot of legwork for engineers to transform Flatfile into exactly what your company needs.

Demo

You can request a demo by contacting Flatfile. Fortunately, there is also a YouTube video that provides a detailed demo of Flatfile features and products.

Strengths

• Large-scale data manipulation.
• Branding-tailored customer experience.
• Real-time data validation and process.
• Support for up to 1GB files.
• SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, CCPA, and GDPR compliance
• Multi-team collaboration.

Pricing

• Flatfile offers a free “Starter” tier that’s capped at 50 files a month.
• The “Professional” tier is billed annually but is priced at $799 per month.
• Larger businesses can avail of the custom-priced “Enterprise” tier.

Dromo

Dromo is a middle-ground between Flatfile and CSVBox. It’s neither as cheap as the latter nor as expensive as the former. A big downside is that it lacks the security certifications that Flatfile (SOC 2 TYPE 2, HIPAA, and GDPR) and CSVBox (SOC 2 TYPE 2) have.

Ease of Integration

You can embed Dromo directly into your app or website. An alternative is to trigger it using their in-house Headless API.

Demo

Dromo has many demos in their sites that you can explore. They also have some on YouTube.

Strengths

• Excellent customer service.
• Intuitive and user-friendly UI.
• Accessible platform
• Best user experience, by far.

Pricing

• Dromo’s “Starter” tier starts at $0 a month but you have to pay $2.50 per import
• Upgrading to the “Professional” tier will cost $399 per month but you get 250 imports for free monthly. Afterwards, you only need to pay $2 per import.
• The “Enterprise” tier includes unlimited imports, guaranteed uptime, live support, and integration calls with a shared Slack channel, among others for an undefined cost.

CSVBox

The best-entry-level data importer. It offers a ton of features and validation rules with commendable customer service. The only downside? It has a basic UI.

Ease of Integration

CSXBox is particularly beneficial for companies requiring support for larger files (up to 500,000 rows) and needs a reliable platform that can manage such volume without the associated cost. It enjoys “fast” import speeds, claiming that users can enjoy a “production-ready data importer in minutes, not weeks.”

Demo

CSVBox shines when it comes to transparency and demoing their product. There is a short demo video of CSVBox on YouTube.

A short video is great, but the most exciting thing about CSVBox demos is that they have a live demo page in their site that you can actually interact with the importer and see it in action. Just head over to the link below and click the “Start” button to see the CSVBox importer in action:
https://csvbox.io/demo1

Strengths

• Affordable.
• Straightforward.
• Customized styling.
• Supports import files up to 500,000 rows.
• SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliant.

Pricing

• CSVBox offers five monthly subscription service tiers: Sandbox (free), Startup ($19), Pro ($49), Growth ($99), and Plus ($199).

Choosing the Right Solution For Your Business

When choosing a data file important for your business, consider these four factors: features, pricing, white labeling, and security.

Features

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to importing CSV files. How your business operates will determine the data file importer features you need. Do you need to integrate the importer with third-party systems? Are you planning to incorporate automation capabilities using an API? Do you prefer a no-code setup?

As your business grows and its needs change, find a product that can meet its needs today and has enough room to accommodate its future needs.

Pricing

Look for products that offer clear and upfront pricing. The last thing you want to happen is paying for a product that doesn’t fully outline its available features and you’ll find out later on that what your business needs is only available in more expensive tiers or plans.

The two most common data import pricing models are per-usage and flat billing. Each has its advantages and drawbacks. Per-usage charges are best for businesses with fluctuating needs. But, this also means that usage spikes can make pricing unpredictable. On the other hand, flat-rate monthly or annual charges require fixed payments, regardless of use frequency.

If your business usage is unpredictable, flat-rate billing is more simple and better. If your usage rate is low, per-usage billing is more economical as long as you carefully monitor the usage.

Regardless of the billing cycle you choose, what’s important is that you’re aware of all the potential fees and additional charges involved. If possible, ask for a multi-year pricing guarantee.

White Labeling

White labeling is one of the most common features SaaS companies upcharge. Make it clear if the software can let you customize the importer based on your organization’s brand identity. Even if this isn’t a requirement for your business right now, brand identity might become crucial down the line.

Safety and privacy

Is it important that the software provider never gain access to data files? If it is, look for self-hosted options. An alternative is self-contained importers embedded in web browsers, which use privacy architecture. Either lets you avoid processing and storing files on outside servers.

Security certifications like SOC 2 and complications with other safety regulations should be a minimum requirement when looking for organizations you will trust your data with.

Developer Partners — Your Comprehensive Data Management Solution Provider

We understand the challenges B2B SaaS companies face when it comes to data import functionality.

Tools like Flatfile, Dromo, and CSVBox can only do so much. They might excel at parsing and validating data from CSV files, but this is just one part of the process. The next step is more critical. Integrating the parsed data into your core database requires custom back-end development. This is where our expertise in custom back-end services comes into play.

We understand the value of Flatfile, Dromo, and CSVBox in business operations. These services help streamline the front-end process of importing, parsing, and validating CSV data. It’s these solutions that allow development teams to focus on core functionalities without worrying about the data intake process.

However, your B2B SaaS application’s back-end still needs custom development to handle the integration of the parsed data.

Some of the tasks that require a more involved back-end include

Data Mapping

We can map the parsed data fields to their corresponding fields in your data scheme for accurate and efficient data storage.

Data Transformation

We handle data transformations like formatting dates, converting currencies, and manipulating text data for compatibility with your database structure.

Data Validation

Most products can only handle basic data validation. We can implement custom validation rules specific to your business needs, which can involve everything from checking for duplicate entries to enforcing specific data formats for data integrity.

Database Integration

We’ll establish a secure and efficient connection between your application’s back-end and preferred database for a smooth parsed data flow.

Conclusion

When you partner with Developer Partners for custom back-end development, you free your internal teams to focus on their core responsibilities. We take care of the complicated task of integrating the data from front-end parsing tools into your back-end for a seamless data import experience for your B2B customers.

If you you are a tech company offering a B2B SaaS solution, contact Developer Partners for building a robust data import feature.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Developer Partners