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  Importing Items & Pricing Changes

Note:  Importing is a two step process.  You will first "Import" the data, second you will "Process and Update" the data. 
Importing brings the data into ISQuote but does not update the actual database files.  
Once you are ready to process the information you will "Process or Update" the file into ISQuote.
This is helpful when you have a pricing update.  You may have obtained the price increase ahead of schedule and have the data ready to go on a particular date.  Then you can return to ISQuote and simply Process/Update the imported file you did in step one and update your database files.
All imports can be viewed in the Imports table.  To view select Imports from the main menu.

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ISQuote can import items, item & pricing changes and new customers & contacts.  In order to process an import, your lists need to be prepared in Microsoft Excel format (.xls).

Many manufacturers can supply you with a spreadsheet that you will be able to import into ISQuote.  The first step to importing into ISQuote is to prepare the spreadsheet so ISQuote can read it properly. 

Understanding the import process
When ISQuote does an import, it reads the very first row of your spreadsheet and looks at the column headings.  The spreadsheet column headings must match the field headings in ISQuote so it knows where to put the data your are importing.  By matching the column headings in your spreadsheet and the field titles within ISQuote, the system can easily place your data in the proper places. 

Correct column headings

Keep in mind that the system needs to match on the column headings in order to properly import.  ISQuote will look for particular words.  If these are not in your sheet the import will fail.  It is important that the spelling is correct for each column heading that you are importing.  Example:  If your spreadsheet has a column that says "Part no." for "Part Number" ISQuote cannot import it because it doesn't know  the word Part No. ISQuote needs to read the word "Part Number". You will have to modify your columns to reflect what ISQuote is capable of reading. (Refer to each individual import instructions for correct column headings.)

How to prepare the .xls sheet for import.
The spreadsheet you have may contain more or less information than you need.  (Refer to each import type to determine the minimum requirements and acceptable column headings.)  Once you have your column headings in place you will also need to make one more modification to the .xls sheet for alpha and numeric data fields.  Microsoft Excel reads the data in the first few rows and takes it upon itself to determine the "kind" of data is in each cell,  numeric or alpha.  As smart as this may be it can cause errors  when importing especially with some item numbers or UPC codes by dropping leading or ending zeros.  Since many items contain alpha and numeric characters this can cause the data to import incorrectly.  To eliminate this potential problem we have determined the following work around to remedy this situation.

The first row of your speadsheet should contain the column headings, i.e. Part Number, Description, Price etc.
The second row will start your data fields you wish to import.  To force Excel to read the data correctly you will need need to insert one row and enter alpha and numeric characters.  See example below:




We inserted the letter "x" multiple times in all fields that we want read as alpha and the number "4" in true numeric fields.  By adding a row and inserting alpha and numeric characters Excel cannot mistake our "description" column as a numeric field.  (As you can see in our example above... our description actually begins with numbers and not alpha characters.)  Note: Since the first row does not contain any valid data ISQuote will ignore the first row when importing.

To determine if a column should be alpha or numeric refer to each individual import procedures below.

ISQuote allows you to import the following:

Click on a above link for more information on importing specific data.

See also