Inventory Import

Task/Problem Overview

The Inventory Import is a powerful tool within Savance Enterprise. It can be used to import new inventory, as well as update existing inventory, using a spreadsheet.

Initial Setup

• A user with the proper security rights will be able to find the Inventory Import option under the Admin >> Import menus.

• The Inventory/Pricing Import screen will then be displayed.

• There is an option named First Row Is Header. You will first want to see if your import file’s first row contains column header names, and if so, leave this option checked. If the first row contains data, then you would uncheck this. Generally, you will want to have the first row in your spreadsheet to contain header names and leave this checked.

• Next, hit the button with the three dots to the right of Source File to display the Open file window. From here, you can select which file format you are using for the import, generally determined by the extension of the file. Your choices are the following:

• Excel Files (*.xls)

• Excel Files 2007 (*.xlsx)

• TAB Delimited Text Files (*.txt, *.tab)

• CSV Files (*.csv)

• Fixed Field Text Files (*.dat)

• Separated Field Files (*.txt)

• After choosing which file format you are using, you can then navigate to the location of your file in Windows. Once selected, you can hit the Open button. Your source file path will now be displayed in the inventory import window.

• Sometimes, you will have a spreadsheet that will contain multiple sheets within it. The first sheet is selected by default, but you do have the option to select a different sheet to use instead. Use the dropdown box to choose a different sheet, if necessary.

• Savance Enterprise offers a number of built-in import templates available for you to use. You can select one from the Template dropdown. They provide predefined field and column mappings, along with formulas. If you happen to choose one, you will want to audit everything to make sure the import is doing exactly what you would expect it to do. You can make further modifications to these templates and save your changes using the Save button. If you would like to create your own import template from scratch, you can do so by selecting <Create New Template>, but you will have to input all the field mappings and formulas yourself. You are able to give this template your own name and save it for later use.

• You can optionally add an Import Name and Comment to the import that you are about to perform. This is for your reference, and will be shown on the import history screen.

Columns

• The Columns tab will show you Field Names on the left and Value Expressions on the right. The Field Names are the components of each part number that can be imported from the spreadsheet into Savance Enterprise. The Value Expressions are the formulas that can modify the data from the spreadsheet into the correct format for the software to use. You can also import the data from the spreadsheet without any modifications if the format is already compatible. The prebuilt templates that come with the software already include a number of Value Expressions that can be used.

Formula Editor

• To edit a Value Expression, hit the icon with the three dots, which are to the right of each one. The Import Formula Editor will be displayed. You can drag Import Input from the left column into the formula box. These are the fields that are available to you in the spreadsheet, and the Output will equal what data will be committed into the database. For more information on formulas, please refer to our Import Engine Formula Use Cases documentation.

Settings

• There are a number of settings on the Settings tab that you should review before starting the import. These settings can drastically affect how the import is performed. Here is what each of them do.

• Master Inventory - Import items into master inventory.

• Local Inventory - Import items into local inventory.

• Skip new Master items - Do not import new items into master inventory.

• Skip new Inventory items - Do not import new items into local inventory.

• Item Key - What field in the spreadsheet should be used for part matching. Choices are UPC, Manufacturer and Part Number, & Manufacturer UCC and Part Number.

• Only Match With Selected Key - Only use your selection in the Item Key setting for part matching. Otherwise, additional keys will be used if a match is not found.

• Update Part Number - Update the part number in your inventory with the part number on the spreadsheet.

• Update UPC - Update the UPC in your inventory with the UPC on the spreadsheet.

• Generate UPC if not present for new items - Create a generic UPC code for new items if one is not specified in the spreadsheet.

Additional Actions

• The Additional Actions tab has some advanced fields. The use of these are only recommended if you have advanced knowledge of the Savance Enterprise database structure.

• Delete All Volume Rows - If an item has volume pricing, you can delete it before importing.

• Run SQL Before Each Row - You can run a SQL update statement before processing an inventory item row of data.

• Run SQL After Each Row - You can run a SQL update statement after processing an inventory item row of data.

Process

• When you are ready to start the import, hit the Process button. You will be notified that the import has been queued. You are free to continue working while the import is processing. Since the import is being handled on the server side, there is no need to keep your computer turned on while it is running, in case you need to reboot or leave for the day.

Import History

• You can check on the status of your import under Admin > Import > Import History.

Action Required

• The Imports History screen will be displayed. Here, you can track the progress of the current import. A finish time estimate is also displayed. Once the import is completed, an Action Required link will be displayed. Click on this to display the comparison wizard.

Comparison Screen

• On the comparison screen, all the items from the spreadsheet will be displayed, along with the fields you chose to update on the Columns tab earlier. The import changes have not been made to your inventory yet. You will be able to see the old data and the new data side by side so you know exactly what will be changing before you commit the import. Review everything. If there is a particular part number that you would not like to update, you can uncheck it in the Process column on the far left. If there is a field that you would not like to update for any of the part numbers, you can uncheck the entire column across the top. Once everything looks good to you, you can hit the Commit button to complete the process.