Should I segment profile lists before mass importing them into my database?
Usually yes. Everything you assign during an import is applied to the whole file, so a spreadsheet should hold the people who all get the same treatment.
If half your list belongs to one opportunity and half to another, or one group needs a sequence the rest do not, that is two imports rather than one. There is no way to vary an assignment row by row.
1. What is decided per file, and what per row
Four things can be set per row, in a column of your spreadsheet: Opportunities, Groups, Group Role and Kiosk PIN.
Everything else you assign is applied to the entire import, from the Customize & Assign step: profile tags, shifts, sequences and sites, plus opportunities and groups if you would rather set them there than in a column.
That split is the whole reason to segment. Anything in the second list forces a decision about the file as a unit.
A good default is one file per opportunity. People approved for an opportunity can reserve its shifts the moment they claim their account, so the segmentation pays for itself immediately.
2. A worked example
Say you have a group of people who all need the same onboarding sequence, and who should also carry a particular profile tag.
Put only those people in one spreadsheet. Import it, and on the Customize & Assign step give the whole file that sequence and that tag in one action. Everyone lands correctly tagged and already moving through onboarding, with no follow-up work in the database.
Do the same for the next cohort in its own file.
3. What if I already imported without segmenting?
Nothing is lost. You have two ways back.
Select and act in the database. Filter your profiles, select the ones you want, and use the bulk actions there. This works on any plan and needs no second import.
Re-import to fill in a field you can then filter on. Suppose John, Sarah and Miles are already in your database and you want to split them into cohorts. Create a field in Vome, say User Group, add a matching column to a small spreadsheet with the right value for each person, and import it with Update existing profiles turned on. Those values land on the existing profiles, you filter your database by them, and then take bulk actions on each group.
Custom fields need the Enterprise or Ultimate plan. On those plans you can create your own fields and use them to segment inside the database, which often removes the need to plan your files so carefully in the first place. On Recruit and Pro, segment the spreadsheets instead.
You can also set a default value for a field on the import itself, applied to everyone in the file, which is another way to mark a cohort as it arrives.
Summary
- Assignments made during an import apply to the whole file, never row by row.
- Opportunities, Groups, Group Role and Kiosk PIN can be set per row in a column. Profile tags, shifts, sequences and sites cannot.
- One file per opportunity is a sensible default.
- If you forgot to segment, filter and use bulk actions in the database, or re-import to populate a field you can filter on.
Related: How do I prepare my spreadsheet to import into my database? and How do I mass import profiles into my database?