Import feed spreadsheets

When working with a large number of creative variants, you may find it easier to work in a spreadsheet than in Ad Canvas. Follow the steps below to add creative content to a spreadsheet and upload up to 2000 variants at once.

Supported spreadsheet formats

• Google Sheets
• CSV (comma-separated values)
• TSV (tab-separated values)

Limitations

• Maximum file size: 5 MB
• Spreadsheets can have up to 2,000 content rows and one column header row.
• Column header names must match the Brand Awareness data schema.
• You can't use the same variant name and size in multiple rows. But you can use the same variant name in different rows with each size it supports.
• Images must be hosted on a server and added by entering a URL. The host server must allow Google to crawl the images. You can only import up to 1,000 unique images per spreadsheet.
• When using Google Sheets, all of your creative content must be in a single sheet. If you upload a spreadsheet with multiple sheets, select one sheet to import. All other sheets will be ignored.
• The sizes you include in the spreadsheet must be the same sizes you've selected for the creative in Ad Canvas.
• Font selection isn't supported.

Step 1: Download the spreadsheet template

To get a spreadsheet template with only the creative sizes and assets used for a specific data-driven creative format, download a template from a creative in Display & Video 360's Ad Canvas.

1. Sign in to Display & Video 360.
2. Find and open your advertiser.
3. In the left menu, click CreativeCreatives.
4. Open an existing data-driven creative or create a new one. You can choose a creative that uses a custom format or one of the formats available in Display & Video 360. The template you download will only include the assets used in this format. It will also include the sample asset values you start with when you make a new creative in Ad Canvas.
5. If you're not in Ad Canvas, click Ad Canvas.
6. Click Upload file .
7. Click Download template. If the creative already has assets, those values will not appear in the spreadsheet. Exporting a spreadsheet with all of the variants and assets of an existing creative is not supported.

Show me how

Download a spreadsheet template

If don't have access to Display & Video 360, you can download a template below.

The following templates contain a column for each asset, style, or line of text used in Display & Video 360's data-driven creative formats. The templates have rows for a single variant in 3 sizes: 300 x 250, 250 x 250, and 300 x 600. To add another size, add a row with the same variant name and a new size in the size column.

Download a template for a specific format:

• Blank Slate
• Cuecard
• Panorama

If your creative uses a custom format, you can download a template that contains a column for every asset that can be used in any data-driven creative format. Some columns in the generic template may not need to be filled out. To save time, download a template from a creative in Display & Video 360's Ad Canvas.

Download generic template

Step 2: Fill out the spreadsheet

1. Open the spreadsheet in your favorite spreadsheet editing software, or import it into Google Sheets.
2. Add a row for each variant you want to create.
3. Fill out each column in the row with the creative assets, text, and URLs that will be used for the creative variant. For more details, review the data-driven creative assets checklists.
   1. In the size column, enter the dimensions of the creative variant. For example, "300x250".
   2. In image asset columns (logo, backgroundImage), enter a hosted image URL beginning with http:// or https://. For example, "https://www.example.com/myimage.jpg". Note: When you upload the spreadsheet, Display & Video 360 will copy the image to Google's ad server. You can only import up to 1,000 unique images.
   3. In color columns (callToAction_0_buttonColor), enter a hexadecimal or RGBA color value. For example, "#FFFFFF" or "rgba(255,255,255,1)". Tip: When using RGBA values in a CSV, make sure to wrap the value in quotes since it contains commas.
   4. In text columns (callToAction_0_content_text), enter one or more words. For example, "Buy now".
4. (Optional) Add your own columns to the spreadsheet to store notes or other information. If you're designing a similar creative for multiple creative formats, you can add columns for any Brand Awareness schema element. Any columns that aren't required for a creative format will be ignored when you upload your spreadsheet and won’t cause errors.
5. If you're using a CSV file, include quotes around any value that contains commas. Otherwise the comma will be interpreted as a delimiter for separating column values.
6. When you're done, save the file. If you're using software with it's own format, such as Excel, make sure to save the spreadsheet as a CSV file with UTF-8 encoding.
7. If you're using Google Sheets to edit your spreadsheet, share it with [e-mail]. Only view access is needed.

Step 3: Import the spreadsheet

When you import a spreadsheet, the spreadsheet data will replace any existing creative content and variants in Ad Canvas. For example, if a variant exists in Ad Canvas, but isn't in the feed spreadsheet, the import will delete the variant. For this reason, it's a good idea to start from a fresh creative and use the spreadsheet as your source of truth for creative updates.

1. Sign in to Display & Video 360.
2. Find and open your advertiser.
3. In the left menu, click CreativeCreatives.
4. Open an existing data-driven creative or create a new one. Make sure to choose the same data-driven creative format as your spreadsheet. If the formats don't match, the spreadsheet may be missing required columns.
5. If you're not in Ad Canvas, click Ad Canvas.
6. Click Upload file .
7. Select a feed source.
   • If you're using a CSV or TSV file, select Local file, then upload your spreadsheet.
   • If your file is saved in Google Sheets, select Google Sheets, then copy and paste the full URL of your spreadsheet. If there are multiple sheets (or tabs) in your spreadsheet, select the sheet to import.
8. Click Import. Any existing creative content in Ad Canvas will be replaced with the content of the spreadsheet. If variants are deleted and there are existing dynamic rules, deleted variants will be unassigned from these rules.
   • ​If there are problems with the spreadsheet, you'll be given a list of errors. Download the errors, fix your spreadsheet, then import it again. For help fixing these errors, check the troubleshooting section below.
   • If your spreadsheet was imported successfully, you'll be taken to the list view in Ad Canvas where you can review your imported variants.
   • If your spreadsheet contains images, they'll be processed and hosted for serving. This can take several minutes depending on the number of images and the responsiveness of your image server. If you leave the page or cancel while the images are processing, all progress will be lost.
9. Review your imported creative variants in Ad Canvas, then add or edit your dynamic rules.

Troubleshoot spreadsheet import problems

When you import a feed spreadsheet, the file is checked for all of the required columns for the creative format you're using. Each value in the spreadsheet is also checked to make sure it can be used in Ad Canvas. Review common problems below to learn how to fix them.

Spreadsheet columns have the wrong name

The name of each column header must be the same as the column header name in the feed template, which matches the names used in the Brand Awareness schema. It's easy to accidentally introduce typos when editing the spreadsheet.

How to fix it:

1. Download the feed template.
2. Compare the column headers in your feed spreadsheet with the column headers in the template to make sure all column header names match.
3. Rename any incorrectly named columns.
4. Import the spreadsheet again.

Spreadsheet is missing required columns

Your file must have all of the columns required for the creative format you're uploading variants to. If columns are missing, the template may have been downloaded from a different creative format or a column may have been accidentally deleted.

Your spreadsheet's header row must have these columns:

Column Type	Column Name in Template	Description	Example Value
Variant name	name	The name of the variant	Paris_Fashionistas
Content columns	logo, backgroundImage, headline_text, and so on	Assets, text, and style columns
Creative size	size	The size of the creative variant.	300x250

• Variant column: Variant name. Can't be empty.
• Content columns: For each element of the brand awareness schema used in the current creative format. Must use the same names as the schema. All columns must be present, however depending on format some cells can be empty.
• Size column: Creative dimensions. Can't be empty. Size can be an IAB standard size or a custom size.

How to fix it:

1. Download the feed template.
2. Compare the column headers in your feed spreadsheet with the column headers in the template to make sure there's a column for every asset, line of text, or style used in the creative in Ad Canvas.
3. Add any missing columns and fill out the values for each row of the spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet has too many rows

You can upload a spreadsheet with one column header row and up to 2000 content rows. If there are more than 2000 content rows, open your spreadsheet and delete rows until you have 2000 or fewer.

Spreadsheet has invalid values

If there are typos or invalid values in cells in an imported spreadsheet, these invalid values will be reset to the default values. After you import, review your creative variants to make sure all of the colors, copy, and images are correct.