Import Suppliers, Customers, Inventory, or Cost and Prices

You can import several types of data using the Import Data from Other Sources dialog box:

General Instructions for Importing Data
Suppliers
Customers
Products (Inventory)
Cost, Price, Weight and/or Supplier SKUs

You can import data from:

A tab- or comma-delimited text file
A table in a Microsoft Access database
Any other format (e.g. an Excel spreadsheet or FoxPro table) that can link to an Access database. For information on linking data in external tables to Access, please see your Access documentation.

Note: Depending on the type of data you are importing, you see different fields on the Import Data from Other Sources dialog box. Read the information after the Import Data section for help with the various options.

Importing Data

Go to the Main Menu>Maintenance Menu> Import/Export tab> Import Suppliers, Customers, Inventory or Costs & Prices button.
The Import Data from Other Sources dialog box opens:

Click the radio button for the type of data you wish to import.
Click in the Backup Data Before Importing checkbox to configure the program to make a backup copy of the table into which you are importing the data. If you encounter a problem while importing data, you can restore the backup copy of the table by clicking the Restore from Backup button.
Enter the path and file name of the MS Access database or text file from which you wish to import data or click the Browse button to select a file. The file must be a tab- or comma-delimited text file (.txt or .csv) or a Microsoft Access database (.mdb).
1. If you enter an Access database, the Database table to import from drop down list appears below the File to import from field. Select the table in the database that contains the data you wish to import from the drop down list.
2. If you enter a text file, you are prompted for more information about the file. Indicate whether or not the first row of data in the text file contains field names by clicking in the checkbox. If there are any tab characters in the text file, the program will pre-select the Tab option; if not, it will pre-select Comma. If your text file uses a different delimiter between fields, click on the drop-down list in the Other field to select it.
After you enter the path and file name of the file from which you wish to import data, a sample of the data in the file opens at the bottom of the screen.
The field names listed on the tabs (i.e. Standard Product Fields, Custom Text & Integer Fields, etc.) are the field names used in the table into which you are importing the data. Match those fields with the corresponding fields in the external file by clicking on the drop down lists.
Click Test Data to have the program look at your incoming data and tell you if it detects any obvious problems.
Click Begin Import to import your data.

Import Suppliers

The Import Suppliers function can add new suppliers, modify existing suppliers, or both. Click in the appropriate check box(es) to configure the program accordingly. The field names listed on the Standard Supplier Fields tab are the field names used in the Supplier table in the Order Manager, the table into which you are importing data. Match these fields with the corresponding fields in the external file by clicking on the drop down lists.

Import Customers

The Import Customers function by itself only adds new customer records; it does not modify existing customer records. By default, the program will compare incoming customer records with those that already exist in the Order Manager, and based on the values that are set in the system parameters CustomerSearchField1-4, will determine if the customer already exists. If so, the program will skip the incoming record and continue the import with the next record in the file.

However, if the Customer Matching feature is enabled, and the Match on Customer ID box is checked, the program will pause the import when a matching customer record is found and the allow the user the opportunity to determine the action that the program should take. When an action has been specified, the import will continue with the next record in the text file.

Select the Order Manager field(s) from the list at the bottom of the form and select the appropriate field found in the text file from the corresponding drop-down list. Be sure to review all of the tabs (i.e. Standard Customer Fields, Custom Text & Integer Fields, etc.) for any other fields of information that you may want to import, as well.
The Email field is a required field for the customer import process to be executed, and must be mapped to a field in the text file, even if there is no data in that field for every customer record in the text file.
The Phone, Web ID and [Last Name + Zip] fields are optional, however, these fields may be used by the program to compare incoming customer information against existing customer records and identify a match. Therefore, we suggest that you also map at least one of these fields in addition to the Email field, to help prevent the creation of duplicate customer records. See the Customer Search section of the Knowledge Base article Matching New Orders or Customer Records to Existing Customer Records Upon Import, for more information.

Tip: The only ways to update existing customer records are:

manually at View Customers
at the Shopping Cart Functions screen, provided the shopping cart supports that functionality
by using the Customer Matching feature of the Order Manager.

Import Products

If you are importing product data, select one of the following options if appropriate:

Start by deleting all existing Products - If checked, the Inventory table in your data file is emptied before your new data is imported. If not checked, products that do not already exist in your data file are appended to the Inventory table as new product records.
Create new products - If checked, products that do not already exist in your data file are added based on SKU. If not checked, existing product records are modified, but no new product records are added.
Modify existing products - If checked, the program replaces data in existing product records with data from the imported file for items with identical SKUs. If not checked, new product records may be added, but existing products are NOT modified.
Default Supplier - If you select a default supplier from the drop down list, new product records that do not contain a Supplier ID or Supplier Name are assigned to the default supplier you select.

Note: You must match fields for Local SKU and Item Name. You do not have to import data into any of the other fields if you do not wish to. Check all of the tabs (i.e. Standard Product Fields, Custom Text & Integer Fields, etc.) for any other fields you may need to import.

Warning: The Country of Origin field found on the More Products Fields tab, must be a two letter abbreviation for the country where the product was produced. Do not spell out the entire country name in the text file. This field is used for USPS and UPS customs forms.

Import Cost, Price, Weight and/or Supplier SKU

If you are importing cost, price, weight and/or supplier SKU data, select one of the following options if appropriate:

Select a default supplier from the drop down list to configure the program to assign new product records that do not contain a Supplier ID or Supplier Name to the default supplier you select.

Match Items On (select one): - Local SKU is the best choice because SKUs must be unique whereas you may have products that share the same name.
Match Suppliers On (select either or both, or use Default Supplier, above): - The Supplier IDs in the external file must be numeric and they must be the same Supplier IDs you use in the Order Manager.
Fields to Update - The field names listed under Fields to Update are the field names used in the table into which you are importing the data. Match these fields with the corresponding fields in the external file by clicking on the drop down lists.