> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.voyado.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Importing historical contacts
You will likely need to bulk-import contacts into your Engage enviroment, when starting up your Engage account, or migrating, or when updating certain data points.
There are a number of ways this can be done. Each has its own dedicated article.
## Manual import as CSV files
When you have a small customer database of less than 500 000 records, manual import by CSV is the recommended way to import (or update) those contacts.
## Automated import as XML files
For customer databases of 500 000 records or more, it is recommended to use the XML-importer. This is a more automated process where you export your contacts from your own database as XML files that are then placed on the Engage FTP server. From here they are imported by a scheduled job.
This method has better high volume performance and superior error management.
For this to work, the "ContactXmlImporter" module setting needs to be activated by your Engage team.
## Contacts bulk API
Contacts can also be created and updated in bulk through a dedicated API endpoint.