V8 VIDEO TUTORIAL

Bulk editing: Introduction

What you’ll learn in Bulk editing: Introduction

• Become familiar with the uses, tools and process required for a successful bulk edit
• Know the types of data on which a bulk edit can be performed

Video transcript: Bulk editing: Introduction

This video will introduce the uses, tools and process required for a successful bulk edit in SOS Inventory.

SOS Inventory’s bulk edit feature allows you to add new and edit existing data in the system by using your own spreadsheet software. If you need to make many data changes, using a spreadsheet is much easier and faster than entering changes one at a time within SOS Inventory.

Bulk edits: available data types and required steps in the process  

You can perform bulk edits on seven different types of data. The most frequently performed bulk edit is made for items. Other available data types include customers, vendors, bills of materials or BOMs, price tiers, sales orders and sales receipts.

The tools needed for implementing a bulk edit are located under the Company Menu, in the Data Tools section. The key tools are Import data and Export data. The Bulk edit tool simply provides basic instructions for performing a bulk edit.

Three main steps are involved in the bulk edit process:
 

1. Export from SOS Inventory an Excel or CSV file of the data type you intend to edit.
2. Make changes to the data in Excel or another spreadsheet program.
3. Import the updated file back into SOS Inventory.

Let’s walk through this process and see how you perform these steps in the system:

1. First, use the Export data tool and select the data type you wish to edit. For this demonstration, I will conduct an Item export.
2. On the Item export page, choose a Date option in the As of dropdown or calendar for your export. The date you select affects only calculated values like quantity and cost basis. The Filters block allows you to filter the data according to location, category, a portion of the item name, and the vendor. Under Options, you can include hiding rows with all zeros, as well as archived and deleted items, if desired. Do not set a header or footer in the export, as it will cause an error when you import the edited file back into the system. In the Columns block, select the gray Add All Columns Required For Import button.
3. Now go to the Actions block and select either an Excel or CSV file format for your export. CSV offers the faster download if you have many data records, and it can be imported into Excel, Google Sheets, and other spreadsheet programs. Lastly, choose how you want to receive the data file. Save as Excel/CSV will download the file to your computer, while Send via email will attach the file to an email and send it to the address you provide. For bulk edits, do not use the Display export option.
4. The next step of the bulk editing process is making changes to the data on a spreadsheet.
5. When finished making changes, import the revised file into SOS Inventory. Go to the Company menu and select Import data. For this example, the Importing field on the Import data page is set to Items to reflect the type of data edits I made, while the Location is set to All to reflect the location to which my edits pertain. Choose the same As of date that you selected for your data export. Then upload the revised bulk edit file and select Preview.
6. SOS Inventory will display up to ten rows of edits, allowing you to ensure that you are importing the correct file. If the preview is as expected, select Import. The system will send you a notification letting you know whether your import has been successfully completed.

This concludes our introduction to bulk editing in SOS Inventory. Be sure to view our other video tutorials on bulk editing, as they address the rules required for successful data changes and explain how to edit specific data types.

Thank you for watching this presentation!