Excel Export/Import

Synopsis:

• How Can I export my products, customers or vendors to an excel file?
• Once I have updated my data, how can I import my products, customers, and vendors back to AdvancePro?
• How can I update stock levels and prices from excel?

 Webinar transcript

APT University: Excel Import/Export

(Show Title Slide)

Hello and welcome to AdvancePro University.   Today we’re going to discuss an Excel Export and import for Products, Customers, and Vendors.  This is especially applicable for adding new data in AdvancePro, Or for modifying data that is currently in AdvancePro.

This is going to be particularly useful for things like mass price adjustments, changing Company naming conventions, and adding fields as you expand how you use AdvancePro to run your business

(show advanceprotech.com)

The first part of our lesson will focus on schema..  A schema is essentially a layout for your file that advancepro can read and use for  importing.  

(show advanceprotech.com)

For blank schema, you can go to Advanceprotech.com and then visit our knowledge base.  All of our import schema are available under the excel import section there.

(show advancepro)

To create an export,  Navigate to the Admin panel  and click on Utilities on the bottom right.

Now navigate to Excel import/export.

Today we’ll focus on Product exports..

If you are doing a customer or vendor export – make sure that your customers and vendors all have account numbers.

(click on product export)

So the first step is to create a schema for export – which means to build a preset that tells advancepro which fields it should put as columns on the exported excel file.

On the left, check off the columns you want to see,   then give your schema a name, and mark the file extension.

Custom formulas can be used to make custom reports using this feature.

When you finish,  click save.

If you want to edit a pre existing schema,  simply choose it from the drop down.

Now we’re ready to export.

Today we’ll export this file to the desktop,   once you’ve chosen your folder, give the file a name and choose your schema.  Now click export.

Now we have our finished excel file,  which we can edit as we choose.

Once we’re done.  We can come back and import into our system.  It is important that everything is formatted as text and that we remove any special formatting.   Also keep in mind that your header names should use underscores, not spaces.

Be sure before importing data that you have backed up your database.  Remember that you can only back up if you are logged onto your server.

To import.   Navigate to the appropriate import button, and browse for your file.   AdvancePro  will fill the list on the right with the column titles in your headers from the file.   Simply check off each header name with each corresponding  field you would like that column’s data to fill, and click map.    When you are finished,  click Next,  and you can now unmap any columns that were incorrectly mapped.

At the end of this process, you can go ahead and click import, and advancepro will update any records on these items, as well as create any items not currently in AdvancePro.

This concludes our Lesson,   At this time we would like to welcome any questions.   In order to ask a question navigate to the questions tab on the Gotowebinar panel.  In upcoming sessions we will be looking at advanced excel tricks for use with AdvancePro

Question:  Can I import Multiple Categories for my products?

(click the product tab)

Yes – you can have up to three categories columns and each will add the same product to a different category.   You cannot, however,  export current categories.

Question: Can I use formulas in my spreadsheet?

Yes,  but be sure to cut the spreadsheet’s content and paste as values when you are finished, this will allow advancepro to read the final data rather than the formula.