Customer type or linked contact data needs attention
Distinguish a customer-only import from a combined customer or prospect and contact import.
- Customers with contacts reports Illegal ID (Customers with contacts)
- The linked company cannot be matched (Customers with contacts)
- The customer form requires Type (Customers)
- The individual or company choice is missing (Customers)
- Customer-only import reports Illegal ID (Customers)
- Prospects with contacts reports That Record Does Not Exist (Prospects with contacts)
Customers with contacts reports Illegal ID
Message may mention: Illegal ID.
What it means
This combined import expects company customers.
Import context: Customers with contacts.
Check this first
If the customer is an individual, choose the customer-only import and handle the contact separately.
Show the steps
Check how the detail rows are linked
- Confirm whether this is a single-file or multiple-file import.
- Identify the parent record key and the key used to connect each detail file.
- Verify that every required detail row points to an intended parent, with no spelling or whitespace changes in the linking value.
- Check the import's field mapping for the detail sublist. Defaults alone do not establish that detail rows were imported.
- Separate a record identifier from a line identifier. They serve different purposes.
For assemblies, link member rows to the assembly. For routings, check the operation sequence within each routing. For customer/contact combinations, keep each record's identity and fields separate. Check the actual mapping fields for the record being imported.
Documentation checked September 16, 2026.
The linked company cannot be matched
Message may mention: company.
What it means
The linked customer may be inactive.
Import context: Customers with contacts.
Check this first
Check the customer before changing the contact mapping. Oracle describes importing with an active customer and inactivating afterward; only use that sequence when the intended customer lifecycle supports it.
Show the steps
Check the record reference
- Find the field named in the error on the import's Field Mapping page.
- Open its edit control and check the selected reference type.
- Compare that setting with the actual CSV value. A number could be a name, an external ID, or an internal ID. Its appearance alone does not establish the type.
- Locate the intended record in the same account. Confirm its identity and whether it is available for this transaction.
- Correct the file or mapping so they agree. Use a default only when it applies to every affected row.
If you need to see internal IDs, enable them in your personal preferences or include them in a saved-search export. Supported reference types vary by field. Name matching is generally case-insensitive, so changing capitalization alone should not be the standard recommendation.
For a duplicate-record message, determine whether you intend to update the existing record or create a different one. Do not generate new external IDs simply to get past the error. For inactive records or subsidiary restrictions, verify the intended business setup before changing it. Those are account decisions, not text-cleanup operations.
If that looks right
Documentation checked September 16, 2026.
The customer form requires Type
Message may mention: Type.
What it means
The selected customer form requires a type.
Import context: Customers.
Check this first
Check the field and form settings.
Show the steps
Check the required field and mapping
- Find the exact NetSuite field named in the error. Confirm whether it belongs to the record header, a line, or a subrecord.
- Check that it is mapped to the intended CSV column, or to a valid default.
- Inspect the affected records for missing values. A populated column does not mean every record has a value.
- Expand the relevant field group in the mapping tree. A required field can be present there without being visible in the current mapping list.
- If the field belongs to a sublist, make sure the import actually supplies that sublist's data.
For a field that cannot be written, inspect its availability and the import's read-only-field setting. Ignoring a read-only field allows the rest of the import to proceed; it does not make the field editable. Read-only fields
If a custom field is required, provide the intended value first. Turning off mandatory custom-field validation changes which incomplete records the import will accept. It should be an informed configuration choice, not the default troubleshooting instruction. Mandatory custom fields
Documentation checked September 16, 2026.
The individual or company choice is missing
Message may mention: isperson.
What it means
NetSuite needs to know whether this customer is an individual or company.
Import context: Customers.
Check this first
Map the choice.
Show the steps
Check the required field and mapping
- Find the exact NetSuite field named in the error. Confirm whether it belongs to the record header, a line, or a subrecord.
- Check that it is mapped to the intended CSV column, or to a valid default.
- Inspect the affected records for missing values. A populated column does not mean every record has a value.
- Expand the relevant field group in the mapping tree. A required field can be present there without being visible in the current mapping list.
- If the field belongs to a sublist, make sure the import actually supplies that sublist's data.
For a field that cannot be written, inspect its availability and the import's read-only-field setting. Ignoring a read-only field allows the rest of the import to proceed; it does not make the field editable. Read-only fields
If a custom field is required, provide the intended value first. Turning off mandatory custom-field validation changes which incomplete records the import will accept. It should be an informed configuration choice, not the default troubleshooting instruction. Mandatory custom fields
Documentation checked September 16, 2026.
Customer-only import reports Illegal ID
Message may mention: Illegal ID.
What it means
The customer type may be hidden on the import form.
Import context: Customers.
Check this first
Check the form and default type.
Show the steps
Check the required field and mapping
- Find the exact NetSuite field named in the error. Confirm whether it belongs to the record header, a line, or a subrecord.
- Check that it is mapped to the intended CSV column, or to a valid default.
- Inspect the affected records for missing values. A populated column does not mean every record has a value.
- Expand the relevant field group in the mapping tree. A required field can be present there without being visible in the current mapping list.
- If the field belongs to a sublist, make sure the import actually supplies that sublist's data.
For a field that cannot be written, inspect its availability and the import's read-only-field setting. Ignoring a read-only field allows the rest of the import to proceed; it does not make the field editable. Read-only fields
If a custom field is required, provide the intended value first. Turning off mandatory custom-field validation changes which incomplete records the import will accept. It should be an informed configuration choice, not the default troubleshooting instruction. Mandatory custom fields
Documentation checked September 16, 2026.
Prospects with contacts reports That Record Does Not Exist
Message may mention: That Record Does Not Exist.
What it means
The prospect and contact data may be mapped to the wrong records.
Import context: Prospects with contacts.
Check this first
Check their identifiers and phone mappings separately. Prospect fields belong to the prospect section; the contact's ID and phone belong to the contact section.
Show the steps
Check how the detail rows are linked
- Confirm whether this is a single-file or multiple-file import.
- Identify the parent record key and the key used to connect each detail file.
- Verify that every required detail row points to an intended parent, with no spelling or whitespace changes in the linking value.
- Check the import's field mapping for the detail sublist. Defaults alone do not establish that detail rows were imported.
- Separate a record identifier from a line identifier. They serve different purposes.
For assemblies, link member rows to the assembly. For routings, check the operation sequence within each routing. For customer/contact combinations, keep each record's identity and fields separate. Check the actual mapping fields for the record being imported.
If that looks right
To prepare an update, use a customer search filtered to the prospect stage. Include the prospect identity and phone, plus the contact’s name and internal ID. Keep the two records’ identifiers and phone mappings separate. The broad error text alone does not prove that phone mapping is the cause.
Documentation checked September 16, 2026.
Related errors
- A required field is missing or cannot be written
- NetSuite cannot read the CSV file or its columns
- Item or custom list translations cannot be imported
- Sales order terms and payment method conflict
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