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Importing Products

Workbooks Support Posted: 2011-05-16 11:21

Workbooks can export data in a format compatible with Microsoft® Excel™. Note that it is not compatible with most other spreadsheet software such as Google Spreadsheet and the Open Office spreadsheet ('Calc') - for these applications please use the Export to CSV function instead.

The format which Workbooks generates is known as 'XML Spreadsheet'. Microsoft introduced this format in Excel 2002 and all modern versions of Excel can read it.  

This spreadsheet format has a particular benefit for large exports in that Workbooks can start to send data to your web browser before it has completed reading all the requested data.  For large exports this means your download starts much more quickly.

Excel does however present a warning message when you open this format (click to enlarge): 

MS Excel format warning

Microsoft knowledge base article 948615 describes the warning message and how you can prevent it.

Workbooks Support Posted: Tue, 17.05.2011 - 15:36

Hi, exporting your product data is a good way to populate your new database quickly but there are a few things that you need to bear in mind for this approach to be successful.  As you've obviously worked out, the first thing you need to do is to activate all the columns you want to include in your export (and, if appropriate, apply a filter to limit the export to specific rows).

Your exported CSV file will look a little like this (click to enlarge):

Before importing this data into Workbooks take some time to review the following:

Reference

The Reference column in the CSV file is the Product Code so we'd recommend that you rename the column and double-check it maps to the correct field.

Product Category

Remember that the picklist for Product Category in your new database needs to include all the categories that are in the equivalent picklist in your original database.

Default Price/Default Cost

Notice that the Default Price and Default Cost columns show figures in currencies (in this example, the figures are in Pounds Sterling).  However, when importing currency values into Workbooks, the figures should not include a currency symbol, nor should they include a comma separator for the thousands.

For example, the third row of the above CSV file is for product with the reference DS PRO2, with a Default Price of £3,230.00.  In order for this to be imported into Workbooks, you should format the currency columns so that they are numbers rather than currency fields and do not use a comma separator.

If different rows use different currencies, you'll also need to insert a column to show the appropriate currency code, eg GBP for Pounds Sterling, USD for American Dollars, EUR for Euros and so on.  (If you're unsure which code to use, check the list of System Currencies within Configuration.)

NOTE:  This applies whether you're importing product information or other currency data.

Default Tax Code

When the Tax Code is exported, the value shown is really the description of the code, rather than the code itself.  In the example, above, Standard VAT Rate UK should be replace with S-GB, which is the appropriate code for this description.  (To see the codes,  open the relevant Sales Tax Regime within Configuration and check the grid there.)

So, before importing the above CSV it should be changed to look like the one below (click to enlarge):

If you follow these steps, you should find importing product information straightforward, whether the data originated from Workbooks or not.