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Data Center

The Data Center is your hub for managing workspace data in MessageDesk. It has two tabs:

• Import: upload CSVs of contacts and historical messages, map fields, resolve duplicates, and monitor progress.
• Message History: search, filter, and export every message sent or received in your workspace.

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Access the Data Center

Go to Account → Settings → Data Center (under Workspace Settings), then choose the Import or Message History tab.

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How to import contacts

Build your contact list quickly by uploading a CSV and mapping it to MessageDesk fields.

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Start an import

1. Open Settings → Data Center.
2. Click Start Import.
3. Choose your .csv file and upload.

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Map your columns

• Columns that match MessageDesk field names auto-map.
• Adjust mapping manually as needed.
• You can map custom fields. Make sure the CSV data type matches the field type.

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Review duplicates and errors

• MessageDesk updates duplicates (matched by email or phone) with the values in your import. Only mapped columns with a value get updated. Empty cells leave existing fields unchanged.
• The importer flags invalid data (for example, bad phone or email format) so you can fix it and re-upload.
• Processing skips problem rows.

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Monitor progress

After you start the import, you’ll see the real-time status. When complete, a summary shows total processed, imported, skipped, and any error reasons.

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How to import messages

Import past SMS from any platform or service into MessageDesk so you keep the full conversation context.

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Start a message import

1. Open Settings → Data Center.
2. Click Start Import.
3. Upload your .csv file.

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Map your data

• Map CSV columns to MessageDesk message fields (timestamp, direction, phone number, text, channel/line).
• Review and confirm the mapping for accuracy.

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Validate, review, and import

• Preview parsed messages and fix any errors the validator surfaces.
• Click Import to start processing. A bottom banner flags pre-import issues (if any).

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Supported message types

• Outbound (sent) messages.
• Inbound (received) messages.
• 1-on-1 conversations.
• Group conversations.

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How message import works

• Automatic conversation creation: If a conversation doesn’t exist for a row, MessageDesk creates it.
• Existing conversations: Rows match into existing threads when possible.
• Channel requirement: You can only import messages into outbound channels that already exist in your workspace.

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File requirements and limits

Format

• CSV only (.csv).
• UTF-8 encoding.
• Include a header row.
• Each row must have the same number of columns as the header.

Required data

• For contacts: At least one method: email or phone
• For messages: Required fields typically include timestamp, direction (inbound/outbound), phone number(s), message text, and channel/line identifier

Validation

• Emails must be a valid email format.
• Phone numbers must be valid E.164 (+15551234567).
• Custom fields must match their defined type.
• Duplicate detection runs on email and phone (contact imports).

Limits

• Max rows per file: 5,000
• Max file size: 10 MB
• Platform: Web only (imports aren’t supported on mobile or desktop apps)

If a limit is exceeded, you’ll see errors like “CSV file is too large” or “Imports are only supported on web.”

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What gets imported

• Contacts
• Custom fields (when mapped)
• Messages (text content only. No media or internal comments.)

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Message History

The Message History tab is a searchable, filterable archive of every message in your workspace. Use it to audit conversations, build reports, or export filtered slices to CSV or PDF.

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Access message history

Go to Settings → Data Center → Message History.

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Filter your messages

Narrow the list using the filter controls at the top of the tab. Available filters:

• Phone Numbers: scope results to one, several, or all phone lines in the workspace (see Scope by phone number)
• Date range: limit results to a specific window
• Direction: inbound or outbound
• Message Type: filter by message type
• Contact: messages tied to a specific contact
• Label: conversations carrying a given label
• User/agent: messages sent by a specific teammate
• Status: delivery state (e.g., delivered, failed)

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Scope by phone number

Use the Phone Numbers filter to control which phone lines are included in the view and any export.

• All Phone Numbers. Leave every line checked to include the entire workspace’s Message History across all phone lines in a single export.
• A single phone number. Uncheck the others to scope Message History (and the resulting export) to just that line. For example, only your Front Desk or only your Sales Line.
• A subset of lines. Check any combination of lines to export just those.

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Search within results

Use the search bar to run a free-text search across the messages currently shown. Search runs on top of your active filters, so you can drill into a filtered slice rather than the entire archive.

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Export your text message history to CSV or PDF

Click Export to download a CSV of the current view. Use CSV exports for data analysis, reporting, and bulk archiving. For a shareable, human-readable record, use PDF instead. You can export at two levels of scope:

• All phone lines in a workspace. Leave every line checked in the Phone Numbers filter to export the workspace’s full Message History in one file.
• A single phone number. Uncheck the other lines in the Phone Numbers filter to export Message History for just that line.

Use PDF exports to create shareable, human-readable records of a conversation or a filtered slice of message history. Useful for audits, compliance reviews, or sharing context with stakeholders.

• From a conversation. Open the conversation in the Inbox, click the ⋯ More Options menu in the conversation toolbar, and choose Export → PDF. See Export a conversation for the full per-conversation flow.
• From Message History. Apply your filters in Settings → Data Center → Message History, then choose Export to PDF.

PDF exports include the full message thread with timestamps, participants, direction, and inline previews of supported media. Media handling

• The PDF embeds renderable media (images and other formats supported in PDF) inline.
• For non-renderable media (videos and other unsupported file types), the PDF shows a direct S3 link to the file and the note “Could not load preview” so the attachment stays accessible.

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Permissions

Roles with Data Center access (typically Admin and Manager) can use Message History. Ask an Admin to adjust your role if you don’t see the tab.

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Frequently asked data import and export questions

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What file types can I upload?

CSV only. Export Excel files (.xlsx) to CSV first.

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Do contacts need both email and phone?

No. Each row must include at least one: email or phone (you can include both).

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How are duplicates handled on contact import?

MessageDesk checks email and phone. When a row matches an existing contact, MessageDesk updates that contact with the values from the import. Updates only apply to columns you mapped, and only when the mapped column has a value. Empty cells leave existing fields unchanged. Updates apply to standard fields (name, email, phone, address, and so on) and custom fields.

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Why did some rows fail?

Common reasons: invalid email/phone format, missing required fields, custom field type mismatch, or a channel that doesn’t exist (for message imports). Fix and re-upload.

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Can I import more than 5,000 rows?

Split your data into multiple CSV files. Each file can hold up to 5,000 rows and ≤ 10 MB.

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Can I import from mobile?

No. Imports are web-only. Use a desktop browser. What’s the difference between Inbox search and Message History?
The Inbox is for working live conversations. Message History is the workspace-wide archive built for audit, reporting, and bulk export. What format are exports in?
CSV for data and reporting, or PDF for shareable conversation records. Can I export Message History across every phone line at once?
Yes. In Settings → Data Center → Message History, leave every line checked in the Phone Numbers filter and click Export. That produces a single file covering the entire workspace. To export just one line, uncheck the others before exporting. Can I export Message History across all workspaces on my tenant?
No. Message History exports are scoped to a single workspace. If your tenant has multiple workspaces, run the export in each workspace separately. Are media attachments included in exports?\

• CSV exports. No. CSV files contain message text and metadata only.
• PDF exports. The PDF embeds renderable media (images) inline. For non-renderable media (videos and other unsupported types), the PDF shows a direct S3 link and a “Could not load preview” note.

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Best practices

• Normalize phone numbers to E.164 before upload.
• Clean your data. Dedupe and validate emails to cut skips.
• Test with a small CSV (10–20 rows) to confirm mapping and validation.
• Keep a backup of your source CSV and import results for audit.