Overview

This article describes how to create and upload new item grids via a single import, allowing you to import multiple new and items grids, as well as update existing grids, in only one step.

Please note:

This functionality is available in Heartland Retail Connect version 7.40 or later.
Merchants must have the Import to Item Grids feature flag enabled. If you are uncertain as to the status of this feature flag, please contact the support team to confirm.

If you have questions regarding the updates described in this document, please contact the Heartland Retail support team.

Creating Items and Grids

Each of the following sections detail the steps required to update your inventory using the import option.

Generating New Items and Grids

To create an import file for new items and grids, create a spreadsheet with the following fields and parameters:

Grid # - You can assign your own numbers if desired. Otherwise, leave this field blank and Heartland Retail will automatically assign numbers for each entry upon import.
Grid Description
Default Cost
Price
Dimension 1 - This is the custom field you are using
Dimension 1 Values- These is the variants of the custom field
Dimension 2 - This is the custom field you are using
Dimension 2 Values- These is the variants of the custom field
Dimension 3 - This is the custom field you are using
Dimension 3 Values- These is the variants of the custom field
Generate Items – This is a TRUE/FALSE field. By setting this to TRUE, you are telling the system to generate these new items upon import.
Active - This is a TRUE/FALSE field. By setting this to TRUE, you are telling the system to include this grid and mark it as active. If you set it to FALSE, the import will still include the grid but will mark it as inactive.
Primary vendor - This field is not required. If you have Required primary vendor on items and grid toggled on under Settings, it will cause an error, even if the vendor exists in the system. For this reason, we suggest turning off this setting.

Updating Existing Items

To create an import file to update existing items and grids when you wish to update prices and/or assign UPC codes, use one of the following two options.

Option One

Create a spreadsheet with the following fields and parameters:
Grid #
Grid Description
Default Cost
Price
Dimension 1
Dimension 1 Values
Dimension 2
Dimension 2 Values
Dimension 3
Dimension 3 Values
Generate Items - TRUE/FALSE
Active - TRUE/FALSE
Import into the system.
Export the grid, removing Default Cost and Price on the grid level.
Update the Default Cost and the Current Price for your items.
Add UPC codes as desired in the Item UPC field.
Import back into the system.

Option Two

Create a spreadsheet with the following fields and parameters and then perform an import:

Grid #
Description
Default Cost - Any values entered here will be applied to the entire grid.
Price - Any values entered here will be applied to the entire grid.
Dimension 1
Dimension 1 Values
Dimension 2
Dimension 2 Values
Dimension 3
Dimension 3 Values
Active - TRUE/FALSE
Item # - Leave blank and Heartland Retail will automatically assign or, if desired, add the item’s UPC
Item Description
Item Default Cost
Item Current price
Item Active
Item Dimension 1 (i.e., custom field you are using for Dimension 1)
Item Dimension 2 (i.e., custom field you are using for Dimension 2)
Item Dimension 3 (i.e., custom field you are using for Dimension 3)
Item UPC

Please note: You can enter values for any other custom field you are using, either at the grid level or item level. If you apply to the grid level, it will apply to ALL items on the grid.

Adding a New Dimension to an Existing Grid

Export the grid you wish to modify and then open the resulting file.
Enter the name of the new dimension in one of the dimension fields (either Dimension 1, Dimension 2, or Dimension 3).
Do not remove or overwrite the current dimensions. Doing so will remove them from the grid.
Update each item that corresponds to the dimension.
If you wish to assign your own item numbers, enter those values in the Item # field. Otherwise, leave this field blank and Heartland Retail will automatically assign numbers for each entry upon import.
Update the description to match the grid description
Set the Generate Items field to true.
Import back into the account.

Please note: If you do not include ALL dimensions in the Dimension Values fields (including those that already exist), those not present in your spreadsheet will be removed from the grid upon import.

Creating New Grids for Existing Items

Use the steps below to grid existing items together.

Export the set of items to which you would like to add grids.
Open the resulting spreadsheet and add the necessary columns to match this list:
Item #
Item Grid # - Assign grid numbers, grouping by item, as in this example:
Description
Item Description
Default Cost
Price
Item Default Cost
Item Current Price
Dimension 1
Dimension 1 Values (include all variants)
Dimension 2
Dimension 2 Values (include all variants)
Dimension 3
Dimension 3 Values (include all variants)
Matching Custom Fields for all dimensions (for example, Color, Size, Width, Fit)
After you have entered values for all desired fields, save your spreadsheet as a CSV file.
Perform a Grid Import from Heartland Retail. Data from mapped columns will automatically import. Unmapped columns will display as Ignored. Tap/Click the dropdown on the Ignored button to select the destination for the unmapped column.
Once you have reviewed all columns, select Complete Import and wait for it to complete.

Please note; If you do not include grouped grid numbers as noted above, the import will generate individual grids containing only one item per grid.

Exporting a Grid File

Before importing new grids, you must first create a file with the desired import schema. To do this, follow these steps:

From the Grids page, enter desired search criteria and select Export. Please note that the Export option will not appear until you have selected at least one grid.
The resulting file (.xlsx or .csv format) will include fields for the selected grid’s attributes which you can then edit and import to update the grids in your POS.
Not only can you change existing grid attributes, but you can also add new grid attributes as well as new items.
Once you have made desired changes to your file, you are ready to import the updated information into your POS.

Performing a Grid Import

During the import process, the POS will automatically import the following grid level attributes along with any others you have selected:

Description
Long Description
Cost
Original Price
Price
Custom Fields
Dimensions
Active

To perform an import of your updated grid data, follow these steps.

From the Inventory page, go to Grids and select Import.
Select Upload and browse to the desired file.
The POS will display a preview of the changes so you can verify that it is correct before completing the operation.
When you are ready to process the import, select Complete Import and wait for a success notification.