Importing data into Heartland Retail is easy. All data imports in Heartland Retail (items, customers, POS, etc.) are very similar. This article will explain, in general, how to import data into Heartland Retail using item imports as an example.
However, more information about the specific differences between each type of import can be seen below.
Creating and Uploading Your File
To import a spreadsheet of items, start off by navigating to Inventory in the menu bar and then selecting Items. From there, click the Import button and it will bring you to the item import spreadsheet upload page.
From here, you have a few options.
First, if you have not yet created your spreadsheet, you can download a template in either XLSX or CSV format. The template will contain all item fields you might need to import, including any custom fields you have created for that type of import.
If you already have your own spreadsheet, you can use that as well. There are just a few tips you need to keep in mind:
- You must import either an .xlsx file or a .csv file. Other file types will not be accepted by the import program.
- The first row of your import spreadsheet must have column headings. The import tool assumes that the first row of your spreadsheet is a header row.
- If you're going to use an .xlsx file, we recommend that you generate that file using Microsoft Excel. Certain other programs (Numbers for Mac, for example) do not generate valid .xlsx files. You can safely use other programs to generate .csv files.
Once you have prepared your import file, click the Browse button and navigate to your file on your computer. Then, click the Upload button.
Mapping Fields
Upon successfully uploading your file, you will land on the field mappings page.
The top row of this page is where you will select which fields in Heartland Retail that each spreadsheet column should be imported into. The second row of this page contains column headings pulled directly from the top row of your import spreadsheet. Below those top two rows, you will see a preview of your import data to further assist you with the column mapping.
Heartland Retail will attempt to automatically map your columns for you. If we were unable to automatically map our field to your header, the column will show up as Ignored.
If a column is ignored, no data from that column will be imported into Heartland Retail. Additionally, if you are overwriting the data of existing items, ignoring a column leaves whatever data currently exists in those fields untouched, giving you a nice and easy way to update isolated fields if you need to. See below for more information about overwriting items.
Once all fields are mapped properly, click the Complete button to begin your import.
Once the import begins, you will now be presented with a page that shows you the progress of the import. Upon completion of your import, you will be shown the below page where you can either start a new import or click a link to view your imported items.
Resolving Errors
If an import has any issues, it will prompt you and give you the ability to resolve any errors before proceeding. This allows you to correct information such as a improperly spelled vendor, or missing information.
Each error will let you know the field that had the issue, in this case it is Test 2, and what the issue was. In this case my custom field Test 2 was a picklist without the options Red or Off White. This import will stay active until it is completed or canceled, so in this case I navigated to my custom fields settings and added the options Red and Off White. After navigating back to the item import, it will still be on this screen to resolve the errors. From here, I would select Resolve and select to replace the value and just type in what you added to your picklist. Once you have resolved all errors, the import will continue and let you know when they have all be successfully imported.
Imports also allow for your custom fields to be mapped, but this also means you must adhere to the options you set. For instance if you set for a field to require a unique value, when importing that field it must still be unique. If you have set a custom required field set, when creating new items, you must map that column for the import to complete successfully.
Specific import differences
Item Imports
- Requirements: The required fields on the Item import are Description, Default Cost, Current Price, Active?.
- Item #: If the items you are importing do not have an item number or UPC, you can leave that column blank on the import file and mappings page and Heartland Retail will automatically assign an item # for you upon import.
- Overwriting items: If you re-import a spreadsheet of items that already exist in Heartland Retail, as long as you specify an item # (or alternatively a custom field that requires unique values, like UPC), Heartland Retail will automatically overwrite the existing items with the updated data that you import.
Purchase Order Imports
- Requirements: The required fields on a PO import are vendor, received at location, line item #, line qty and line item cost.
- Pending vs. Open POs: By default, POs will be imported into the "Pending" status and a user will have to open them once they are imported. However, you can only import POs into the "Open" status if you add a column to your spreadsheet that includes the status with the word "Open" in that column.
- Re-importing a pending PO: Re-importing a PO is an additive process. So, if you import a file with 10 items on it and then re-import that same file, you will end up with 20 items on PO under that same PO #. You can only re-import pending POs; open POs are not editable and cannot be re-imported.
Our PO import process allows you to import both items and POs simultaneously. Refer to Importing items and POs simultaneously.
Customer Imports
- Requirements: The only required fields on the customer import are the First Name and Last Name of the customer. Customer address information is not required. However, if any part of an address is imported, the zip code field is required.
- Overwriting customers: If you re-import a spreadsheet of customers that already exist in Heartland Retail, as long as you specify a customer #, Heartland Retail will automatically overwrite the existing items with the updated data that you import. The fields that are required on the spreadsheet you are re-importing, include: customer #, First Name and Last Name.
Counts Imports
- Requirements: Inventory counts can be imported within a batch. The only fields required for the import are the Heartland Retail item number and the item quantity.
- Importing the same item more than once: Like re-importing POs, re-importing count batch files (or entering the same item # more than once on the spreadsheet) results in the quantities being added together in the batch. For example, if on one spreadsheet row the item qty is listed as 2 and on another row in that same spreadsheet (or even in another file) the qty is listed as 3, the qty for that item will be imported as 5.
Gift Card Imports
- Requirements: Gift Card #, Adjustment Reason and Balance are required for a gift card import.
- Overwriting gift cards: If you re-import a spreadsheet of gift cards that already exist in Heartland Retail, as long as you specify a gift card #, Heartland Retail will automatically overwrite the existing vendors with the updated balance that you import. For example, if gift card #12345 has a balance of $20 in Heartland Retail and you import a spreadsheet that includes #12345 with a balance of $50 on it, a gift card adjustment will be performed to change the balance to $50.
Vendor Imports
- Requirements: Vendor # and Vendor Name are the only required fields on the vendor import. Vendor address information is not required. However, if any part of an address is imported, the zip code field is required.
- Overwriting vendors: If you re-import a spreadsheet of vendors that already exist in Heartland Retail, as long as you specify a vendor #, Heartland Retail will automatically overwrite the existing vendors with the updated data that you import.