V9 - Introduction to exporting data, importing data, and bulk editing

SOS Inventory's tools for exporting data and importing data allow you to edit your data in bulk instead of one piece of data at a time.

If you need to make only a few additions or edits to your data, the most efficient approach is to do so directly within SOS in the appropriate list. However, if you need many additions or edits to your data, the export and import data tools of SOS Inventory are the way to go. These tools are very powerful. You must use them carefully and understand how they work, so that you don’t accidentally overwrite your data.

The Export data and Import data features are found under the Tools & settings menu. All data functions are performed via Excel or CSV files. 

Data available for export and import

Although the content of exported data is informational only, certain types of exported data can be edited as needed and imported back into SOS Inventory.

The types of data you can export depend upon your SOS Inventory plan. Any data that resides in your account can be exported in its entirety to a spreadsheet.

For bulk editing purposes, however, five types of data can be imported: customers, vendors, items, bills of materials (BOMs), and price tiers. Only new sales orders and new sales receipts can be imported. Existing sales orders and sales receipts cannot be bulk edited and imported.

For more information on the data available for export and import, as well as how to perform data exports and imports, see Export data and Import data.

Basic steps in the bulk editing process

The process for bulk editing data involves three basic steps:

1. Export the data type you need to modify.
2. Edit the data as needed. Before you begin, review Guidelines for editing data, along with specific procedures and/or column descriptions for the type of data you are editing. 
3. Import the edited Excel or CSV file back into SOS Inventory.

Guidelines for editing data

When performing bulk edits, follow the guidelines listed below. They will help to ensure that your updated data are successfully imported into SOS Inventory.

• DO make a backup copy of the exported data file before editing.
• DO leave the ID column (ItemId, CustomerId, or VendorId) blank when inserting a new row. The system will assign a number when your edited file is imported back into SOS Inventory.
• DO make sure that the ID column (ItemId, CustomerId, or VendorId) stays matched to the proper row. For example, if you upload an item file containing both new and existing items, the system will first attempt to match the ItemId to an existing ItemId in the database. If you have sorted the data other than by the ID number, ensure that you sort the ID column in ascending order before import.
• DO NOT renumber the rows. This will cause a mix up in data for customers, vendors, or items, both in SOS and in QuickBooks Online.
• DO delete a row from the spreadsheet if no changes will be made to it.
• DO break long files into multiple sheets. The upload will be faster if you limit the number of rows to under 900 per sheet. For items, limit the number to 200 rows per sheet. The system will prompt you to select which workbook sheet should be imported.
• DON’T change any of the column headings. The format of the template is fixed, and it is very important. If you change or delete column headings, your import will likely fail.
• DON’T leave any special features in the file (filters, formulas, freeze panes, hide/unhide columns or rows, etc.). You may use these while editing the file, but remove or turn them off before saving.
   

Be sure to review the Help Center article(s) specific to the kind of data you are bulk editing. In addition, video tutorials on bulk editing are available as resources.