Database Management - Item Record Import

Point of Rental offers a very simple way to mass-import data files from Microsoft Excel. When you have more than 20 item records you would like to import, you can now simultaneously add this data to your item records instead of adding each record individually. 

Topics Included in This Article

• Prepping Your Spreadsheet With Data 

• Importing Item Records

Prepping Your Spreadsheet With Data 

Before you begin, you should have a spreadsheet containing the data to be imported. Please be sure to check this data in your spreadsheet to confirm the following:

• The import requires either Part Number or Item Key as the first column.
  
  

• If you are importing items that are rental items, you must have a column in your spreadsheet labeled Type. 
  
  

• To add the quantity, create a column in your spreadsheet called “Add Quantity"
   

• You can use formulas to create the new/updated data. However, you must convert those columns to values.
   

• Remove any unnecessary columns that won’t be used.
   

• Save your finished file as one of the following:

  • Comma-delimited file (CSV) (Preferred method)

  • Delimited file

  • Fixed length
     

• Your file name cannot contain more than 40 characters.

Adding Serialized Items

If you're importing serialized items, your spreadsheet must have a column for the key of the header item, also called the header key. You can locate the header key in File Maintenance. If you're using Elite, you can also find the key in the global search. Once you have located the header key, copy and paste it to your spreadsheet.

The image below shows an item record (File Maintenance). On the left is where you can find the key. On the right, it shows that the item is a rental-header item. For more information on headers, see the article Header Items.

Importing Item Records

1. Open the Data Management Module. Follow the path below for your product.

   1. Expert: Program Menu>Database Management>Item Record Import>Data Management Module

   2. Elite: Select Tools (in the left menu) > Data Management Module
      
            

2. Select Item Record - Import
   
   
   

3. Select the Find button and enter the path of the file to be imported.

    
    

4. Check the First Row contains Header Info.

   • Boxed Checked: It will consider the first line in the data file as having Header items. Below is a spreadsheet with example data and a header row.
     
      

   • Boxed Unchecked: It will not treat the first line of the data file as containing Header items. Below is a spreadsheet with example data WITHOUT a header row.

      

5. Enter any settings needed. Below is the list of settings with their definitions.

    

   
   

   Setting Name	Definition
   File Name	Name of comma-delimited CSV file to be imported into your inventory.
   Type	From the drop-down menu, select the type of record to be imported (Sales, Item, Header, Fractional QTY, Miscellaneous). For Parts Items, set the type as a Sales Item. The spreadsheet will then need to include a column for ‘IsPartItem’ with a value of -1 to denote it as a parts item, and it should be defined as one of the columns in the Import Settings.   To import item types that are not listed in the dropdown, you will need to have a column in your spreadsheet designated as “type." Please refer to the document “Status Codes” for the list of Item Types in Point of Rental.
   Category	Enter the category from the drop-down menu under which the items will be imported. Note: if no category is selected, then all categories will be updated.
   Manufacturer	You can enter the manufacturer name in this field or leave it blank.
   Web Link	Enter the link to the manufacturer's website if importing from the manufacturer.
   Bin Location	If you use bin locations, you can enter the bin location in this field, and it will update the item file record.
   Vendor Number	Enter the number from the vendor from who the items are purchased.
   Mark Up %	Enter the markup amount for the items when they are imported into your database.
   Price A, B, C	Enter any special pricing to be associated with the items being imported.
   Home Loc	Enter the store location where these items are being imported (Home Loc 000, Str 1 001, Str2 002).
   Current Loc	Enter the store locations where the imported items will be added to their inventory.
   Reorder Min	Enter the minimum qty of when an item should be reordered.
   Reorder Max	Enter the maximum qty of inventory to have on hand.
   Finalize Count	When uploading qty count differences, checking this box would automatically update the item record without going through update inventory count.
   User Define	This allows you to update all fields simultaneously instead of selecting each individual field.

   
     

6. In the Import Settings, each drop-down represents a column on the spreadsheet. Below is how it should look once completed. If the first row of your spreadsheet has a row header, as in this example, your spreadsheet column headings are automatically placed next to each drop-down box. 
    

   Select the items from the drop-down that correspond to what you have in your spreadsheet. Each field must match a column in the file to be imported.

    

7. If you're importing serialized items, you must link the Header Key. Select "Header" from the dropdown for the appropriate column, if it did not automatically update. Once you import, the items will be linked to the Header Key. For more info on how to add serialized items to your spreadsheet, press here.
    

8. Once you're done, select Import Records. A box will appear showing the number of records being imported, and it will let you know if any duplicate records were found or if any records were not imported. You can check File Maintenance > Item File to confirm the records have been imported.