How to undo or resume a Zendesk ticket import
By Jake Marsh · Updated
To undo a ticket import made with Ferrywell, open Ferrywell in Zendesk, go to History, find the import and click Undo. Ferrywell deletes every ticket that import created, found by the ids in its history and by the import's ferrywell_<import id> tag. To pick up an import that stopped, click Resume and choose the same files; Ferrywell skips rows that already have a ticket.
The three History actions
| Action | Use it when | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Resume | The import stopped, or the tab closed mid-run | Ferrywell checks the files match, keeps your mapping, first checks any batch it never got an answer for, then sends only rows without a ticket |
| Retry failed | Some rows failed and you fixed the cause | Only the failed rows are sent again |
| Undo | You want the import gone | Every ticket the import created is deleted |
Resume an import that stopped
- Open Ferrywell and choose History. A stopped import shows a "stopped" badge with how many rows weren't sent; one whose tab closed shows "interrupted".
- Click Resume.
- Pick the same files you imported from. Ferrywell checks they match and shows "This import is being resumed with the mapping it started with."
- Preview and import as before. Rows that already have a ticket are skipped, so nothing is created twice.
Retry the rows that failed
- Read the Why it failed column in the results at the end of the import; History shows how many rows failed on each import. Common causes: an agent missing from Zendesk, or an assignee who isn't in the ticket's group.
- Fix the cause in Zendesk, for example by creating the agent or adding them to the group.
- Click Retry failed and pick the same files.
Undo an import
- In History, click Undo on the import.
- Leave Also delete permanently now (cannot be restored) unticked if you might want the tickets back.
- Confirm. Ferrywell reports how many tickets were deleted, how many were found by tag and how many were already gone. If some couldn't be deleted, run Undo again.
Deleted tickets move to Zendesk's Deleted tickets view, where an admin can restore them for 30 days, after which Zendesk deletes them permanently. See Zendesk's article on viewing and recovering deleted tickets. Zendesk notes that a deleted archived ticket doesn't go to that view, so if you imported with Send closed tickets straight to the archive, treat Undo of those tickets as permanent.
What Undo does and doesn't remove
| Item | After Undo |
|---|---|
| Tickets the import created | Deleted (restorable for 30 days unless deleted permanently or archived) |
| End users Ferrywell created | Stay |
| Your plan allowance | Undone tickets give their allowance back |
| The import's row in History | Stays, marked Undone with the date and who did it |
What it costs
Ferrywell is a one-time payment per Zendesk account: Standard $299 once for up to 5,000 tickets, Plus $599 once for up to 25,000, Unlimited $999 once with no limit, with no trial. Because undone tickets give their allowance back, a test import you undo doesn't use up your plan. See the Ferrywell documentation.
Ferrywell
Historical ticket importer: past tickets keep their comments, authors and dates. Preview, then undo. From $299 once per Zendesk account.
Questions
Can I test an import and then remove it?
Yes. Import a small set, check it in Zendesk, then Undo it. The tickets are deleted and their allowance comes back.
The browser closed in the middle of an import. Did it create duplicates?
No. Resume first checks any batch Ferrywell never got an answer for, then skips rows that already have a ticket.
Does Undo delete the customers it created?
No. Users Ferrywell created stay in Zendesk. Remove them yourself if you don't want them.
Can I undo an import someone else ran?
History lives in Ferrywell's app setting in your Zendesk, so any admin who opens Ferrywell sees every import and can undo it.