Importing purchases via CSV
Learn how to import purchases in bulk using our CSV feature.
If you would like to import a large number of purchases you can do this via uploading a spreadsheet - a step-by-step guide is below:
We'll Cover:
- Step 1: Download Template Spreadsheet
- Step 2: Add purchases to spreadsheet
- Step 3: Export Spreadsheet to CSV
- Step 4: Upload your Spreadsheet
Step 1: Download Template Spreadsheet
We will need your data in a standard format for our importer to be able to read the information properly, so please download and use our example spreadsheet as a starting point:
Craftybase Purchase Import Example Spreadsheet
(Tip: Right-click and save the file to your hard drive)
Step 2: Add your purchases to the spreadsheet
Remove the example rows and add the purchases you wish to import - you'll want to ensure that you add each one on a separate line.
A quick summary of each column is below:
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Purchase Date | This is the date you purchased the item. This date can be in the format dd/mm/yyyy, mm/dd/yyyy or yyyy/mm/dd. It is important that you select the correct date format on the mapping page so that the importer can use the correct format when processing each row. |
| Vendor | This is the name of the business that sold the item. This name will be checked against your current vendor list and if it already exists the purchase will be linked to this vendor. If it doesn't yet exist it will be created for you automatically. |
| Code | This is the unique alphanumeric identifier for the purchase (i.e. a purchase order number). If you import an expense with a code that already exists in your purchases list, this row will be skipped, and no data will be updated. |
| Notes | This will be the default name of the line item, so you'll want to make sure it is both short and recognizable. |
| Line Item Quantity | The quantity of this item purchased. Required. |
| Line Item Category ID | This is the name of the category you'd like the item to be associated with. The importer will check to see if you already have this category in place, if not it will create a new one for you. |
| Line Item Price | This is the unit cost of the item purchased. This will be multiplied by the quantity to calculate your total item price. It should be ex tax, shipping and discounts as these will be applied to this tally. |
| Tax | This is the total amount of tax paid for the entire purchase. This should be a number equal to or greater than 0, without any currency formatting. |
| Shipping | The total amount of shipping paid for the entire purchase. This should be a number equal to or greater than 0, without any currency formatting. |
| Discount | The total amount provided in discounts for the entire purchase. This should be a number equal to or greater than 0, without any currency formatting. |
| Grand Total | The total for the entire purchase after tax, shipping and discounts have been applied. This should be a number equal to or greater than 0, without any currency formatting. |
| Paid | If the purchase has been paid, mark this column as "Y". If the expense has not yet been paid for set this column to "N". |
| SKU | [For material purchases only] The SKU for the material purchase. The SKU for the material needs to exist in the system or will be ignored by the importer. See our Material CSV importer for details on how to bulk upload materials. |
| Material Name | [For material purchases only] The name of the material being purchased. Optional. |
| Lot Number | [For material purchases only] The lot number for the material batch purchased. |
Step 3: Export your spreadsheet to CSV
Once you have your spreadsheet ready, export it as CSV. The process to do this differs between spreadsheet programs, instructions for some popular programs can be found here:
How do I export a spreadsheet file as CSV?
Step 4: Upload your spreadsheet
To upload your spreadsheet:
1. Go to your Purchases List
2. Select the Bulk Import Purchases button
3. On the form that appears, click the Choose File button and select your spreadsheet from your file system.
4. Click the Upload File button. This will upload the file to Craftybase, but will not yet import the data - this will be done in the next step.
5. On your Mappings page, you'll need to confirm which Craftybase field is represented by each column in your spreadsheet if you have changed these from the example spreadsheet above. Once you are happy with all field mappings, click the Yes, Import File button at the bottom of the page.
6. Your import will begin and you'll be taken back to the Imports page. You'll see your import status as Importing. Refresh the page to see the updated status - when complete, it will show as Complete. You can also navigate away from this page during the import, and you will be sent a Notification message when it is completed.
7. Click the View Results / Undo button to see which purchases have been imported and details about any skipped rows (if any). Skipped rows will indicate that there was either a validation issue with one or more fields in the row, or if the row was entirely empty and included in the CSV.
8. On the details page, you'll find an option to Undo the import if you aren't happy with the results. Clicking this will remove all purchases linked to the import and then delete the import record.