Import customers, branches, products and prices

Load many records from a spreadsheet saved as CSV. Slflo checks the whole file first and imports it only if every row is right. Who: administrator · Where in the cycle: Set up.

Before you start

• Add and change customers (CUSTOMER_MANAGE) for the Customers and Branches tabs; Manage products and prices (CATALOG_MANAGE) for Products and Prices. Placing branches on routes also needs Manage people (USER_MANAGE).
• Import in this order: customers before their branches; units before products; products and price lists before prices.
• A route named in the file must already exist (a draft is enough) — create it on Routes first. Import can’t create routes.
• Save the file as CSV UTF-8, comma-separated, with a header row.

The columns

The screen lists each tab’s columns with what to write. Column names ignore case, spaces and underscores.

Tab	Required	Optional
Customers	name	code, namear, creditlimit, currency, pricelist, latitude, longitude, geofenceradius, address, blocked, channel, paymentterms, deliverydays, contact, phone, opendays, area, route, visitdays, visitevery, effectivefrom
Branches	customer, code, name	as customers, for that branch
Products	name, baseuom	code, namear, category
Prices	pricelist, product, uom, unitprice, validfrom	validto

A blank cell keeps what is already stored. A code that exists updates that record, so a file with codes can be imported twice without changing anything; a row without a code always makes a new record, so importing it again makes duplicates. A new customer with a blank creditlimit is cash only (0); write no limit for no limit. Days are written Sat Wed (or in Arabic); visitevery is week, 2 weeks, weeks 1 3 or month.

Steps

1. Open Setup › Import and pick the tab.
2. Choose the CSV file.
3. Press Check file. Nothing is saved yet.
4. Read the result. Ready to import shows the counts (Rows, Would create, Would update, Unchanged), Routes this file touches and What each row does. Not imported lists each problem with its spreadsheet line.
5. Fix the problem rows in your spreadsheet, save, choose the file again and Check file again.
6. When the check is clean, press Import. It says “Done. Devices pick this up on their next sync.”

1

1. What to import

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123

1. Line
2. Problem
3. Detail

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Example

Nile Fresh first saves route CAIRO-03 as a draft, then imports its four customers in one file:

name,creditlimit,pricelist,channel,geofenceradius,route,visitdays,visitevery
Nile Market,5000,RETAIL,Retail,150,CAIRO-03,Sat Wed,week
Delta Kiosk,300,RETAIL,Retail,150,CAIRO-03,Sat Wed,week
Zamalek Corner,3000,RETAIL,Retail,150,CAIRO-03,Sat Wed,week
Garden City Grocer,2000,RETAIL,Retail,150,CAIRO-03,Sat Wed,week

Check file → Ready to import: Rows 4, Would create 4; Routes this file touches: CAIRO-03, Added 4. Import → CUST-00001 to CUST-00004 are created, each with its Main branch on CAIRO-03. (Add latitude and longitude columns to give them pins.)

Note

The columns are listed on the Import screen. Problems are listed on screen with their line numbers; fix those rows and check again. Create routes on Routes first.

What happens next

• Records are created or updated together, in one go; branches placed on routes get day plans from their date.
• Reps get the changes at their next sync.
• One audit row per imported file (“Imported a file”).

If something goes wrong

One bad row stops the whole file: nothing is imported until every row checks clean.

What you see	What to do
There's no route with that code. Create the route under Routes first, then import again.UNKNOWN_ROUTE	Create the route on Customers › Routes first (a draft is enough), then check again.
There's no customer with that code. Import the customers first, then their branches.UNKNOWN_CUSTOMER	Import the customers file before the branches.
This line repeats the code of an earlier line in the file. Keep one of them.DUPLICATE_IN_FILE	Two lines have the same code. Keep one.
A number can't be read. Write digits only, for example 5000.INVALID_NUMBER	Write digits only in number columns.
The visit days can't be read. Write days like Sat Tue, and how often as week, 2 weeks, month or weeks 1 3.IMPORT_VISIT_PATTERN	Write the days like Sat Wed and how often as week, 2 weeks, weeks 1 3 or month.
There's no price list with that code. Check the code under Catalogue, Price lists.UNKNOWN_PRICE_LIST	Use the price list's code, as on Catalogue › Price lists.
Putting branches on routes needs the user-management permission. Ask an administrator, or leave the route columns empty.IMPORT_ROUTE_NOT_ALLOWED	Placing branches on routes needs Manage people. Leave the route columns blank, or ask an administrator.
A required column is empty on this line. Fill it in and check the file again.MISSING	A required column is empty on that line.
This file is split by semicolons…	Save it again as CSV UTF-8, comma delimited.
That file could not be read	Save it as UTF-8 text. Very large files (around 1 MB and more) may be refused: split them.
A removed customer came back	A code that belonged to a removed customer brings it back, with its history. Use a new code for a new shop.

Catalogue-only users (without Add and change customers) don’t see Import in the menu; they open it at /admin/import.

Related

Find customers and close the gaps

Create a route

Make price lists and set prices

Set up your company from nothing