How to Set Up Import Dropdown Values From CSV File For Hundreds Of Items

What This Does

When migrating data or doing bulk updates, Monday.com doesn't support CSV import for dropdown columns — only text and numbers.

Zorpa's bulk operations feature supports CSV import specifically for dropdown columns, matching values to existing dropdown options.

Complexity: intermediate | Feature: Bulk Operations

Prerequisites

• A Monday.com account (any plan)
• At least one board with dropdown columns
• Zorpa installed from the Monday Marketplace

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Prepare CSV with columns matching your board

Navigate to the Monday.com Marketplace, search for "Zorpa", and click Install. Add it to the board where you want dropdown automation.

Step 2: Open Zorpa Bulk Operations

Once installed, open your board and switch to the Zorpa Board View. You'll see the Rules tab where all your automations are configured.

Step 3: Upload CSV file

Click "Add Rule" and select the dropdown column that should trigger the automation.

Step 4: Map CSV columns to board dropdown columns

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete this configuration step.

Step 5: Preview mappings and resolve mismatches

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete this configuration step.

Step 6: Execute import

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete this configuration step.

Real-World Examples

Ecommerce Brands

Dropdown: Product Category + Status (Active, Discontinued, Seasonal, Pre-Order) Trigger: When value changes to "CSV with 500 products" Action: Import all product categories and statuses from inventory system export Impact: Manual entry of 500 products = 2 full days of work

An e-commerce brand migrating from Shopify to Monday.com for catalog management has 500 products with categories and statuses. Manual entry? Two days. CSV import via Zorpa? 5 minutes.

Healthcare Admin

Dropdown: Provider Specialty + Status (Active, On Leave, Credentialing, Terminated) Trigger: When value changes to "CSV with 200 providers" Action: Bulk update provider specialties and statuses from credentialing database Impact: Annual re-credentialing requires bulk status updates

Annual re-credentialing means updating 200 provider records. Export from credentialing system, import to Monday via Zorpa. What took a full day now takes 10 minutes.

Manufacturing

Dropdown: Part Status + Vendor (Approved, Pending, Rejected, Under Review) Trigger: When value changes to "CSV with 1000 parts" Action: Update all part statuses and vendor assignments from ERP export Impact: Monthly vendor quality review requires bulk part updates

A manufacturer tracks 1000+ parts across vendors. Monthly quality review requires updating part statuses from ERP data. Without bulk import, it's 3 days of copy-paste.

Troubleshooting

• Rule not firing? Check that the dropdown column is correctly selected and the trigger value matches exactly (case-sensitive).
• Form submissions not triggering? Ensure you're using Zorpa's form-safe trigger mode, not a standard column change trigger.
• Actions not executing? Verify that the target person/column exists and that Zorpa has the necessary board permissions.

Next Steps

Once your first rule is working, consider adding:

• Cascading dropdowns to validate data entry
• Cross-board sync to keep multiple boards aligned
• Additional trigger rules for other dropdown columns

Install Zorpa to get started.