How to import inventory and third parties from Excel

How to import inventory and third parties from Excel

If your product catalog or your list of customers, suppliers and employees lives in a spreadsheet, the Import section of Kardex Tauro saves you from typing every record one by one. This tool, the first of the three tabs that make up the Data area (Ficha Datos) inside the Settings window, loads large volumes of information quickly and safely: what would take hours or days of manual entry is done in minutes, even when you are dealing with thousands of rows. Best of all, it demands no rigid templates and no special file formats, as this article explains in detail.

What you can import and with which button

The Import section has two main buttons, each with a clearly defined purpose. Before copying your data, it is worth knowing what each button expects, because the fields available for mapping are different in each case.

Understand from the start that in Kardex Tauro the concept of third party is unified: there are no separate modules for customers, suppliers, employees, carriers or consignees, because they are all third parties. A record imported a single time is available throughout the whole system. The same third party can be used as a customer in a sales invoice, as a supplier in a purchase order or as an employee in a warehouse consumption, without importing it three times or creating duplicate records for each role it may play.

The mechanism: the Windows clipboard

The key difference from other programs is that Kardex Tauro does not require a downloadable template or a fixed format. You do not have to save a CSV file in a special folder or adapt your data to a preset model: the bridge for data is the Windows clipboard. That is why any spreadsheet that can copy information works, including Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and similar applications.

The general workflow is the following:

1. Open your source spreadsheet, where the information is organized in rows and columns.
2. Select with the mouse all the rows and columns you want to import; headers are optional.
3. Copy the selection with Ctrl + C or with a right click and then the Copy option.
4. In the program, go to Settings, open the Data area (Ficha Datos), enter the Import section and click Import Inventory or Import Third Parties.
5. In the pop-up window that opens, click the Paste columns from clipboard button: the system reads the copied information and shows it in the grid below, respecting the original structure of rows and columns.

The mapping assistant: field by field

Once the data is pasted, the import assistant opens: this is the window that gives you full control over how your information is interpreted. The golden rule is freedom of order: it does not matter how the columns are arranged in your spreadsheet. If the Name is in column A and the Code in column Z, or if there are intermediate columns you do not care about (photos, Excel notes, creation dates), the system adapts to you. The importer shows a preview of the data it read and asks you to associate each system field with the corresponding column of your selection, using three simple ideas:

• Destination field: it tells you which data the system needs, for example Code, Name, Purchase Value, Sale Value or Minimum Stock. Each field appears with its descriptive label in the window.
• Source column: it is the column of your spreadsheet that contains that data. To indicate it, you type in the field's text box the number (index) of the corresponding column.
• Omitting columns: if your sheet brings columns you do not want to import, simply do not assign them to any field and the system ignores them completely.

For inventory, the fields that the Import Inventory from Excel window lets you map are the following:

Mapping every field is not mandatory: if your sheet has no brand, notes or description information, leave those fields blank and the system will ignore them. The order of the columns does not matter either, because you decide which number goes into each field. A valuable helper of the assistant is the pasted-data grid: when you click on the header of any column in the grid, the system shows the numeric index of that column, exactly the number you must type in the mapping fields. That way you never have to count columns by hand inside your Excel file.

For third parties, the fields that the import can feed are six: Code, Name, Address, Phone, Email and a sixth complementary field, usually ID document or Notes depending on your database configuration. The golden rule is the same: if the Name is in the first column of your selection (column A), type the number 1 in the Name field; if your sheet has no email column, leave that field blank and the system ignores it.

Real-time validations

While you map the columns, the system runs automatic validations to prevent catastrophic errors before the data touches your database:

• Duplicate codes: if you try to import a product or third party whose code already exists in the database, the system alerts you so that information is not overwritten by accident. If two rows of your own file repeat a code, it also detects the problem and asks you to fix the sheet before continuing.
• Mandatory fields: the system tells you if you forgot to map an essential field. For inventory, the Code is the unique identifier of every product and must be mapped correctly; for third parties, the mandatory fields are Code and Name.
• Data format: the importer tries to recognize automatically the formats of numbers, decimals and text, and applies the General Settings (Ficha General) configuration to interpret monetary values, thousands separators and the decimal separator (period or comma).

At the bottom of the window there is a warning message that you should always read: before importing, do not forget to create a backup, and remember that imported products are added to the current inventory; in the case of third parties, they are added to the existing ones. The import is additive: it does not erase what you already have. Next to that message you will see the total number of rows detected from the clipboard, which lets you confirm that no row was left out of the selection, and the Import Data button, which stays disabled until you have pasted information and completed the minimum required mapping.

Importing inventory step by step

To load products, the complete flow is the following, from start to finish:

1. Prepare the Excel file: open the sheet where the product information lives and verify that it is organized in clear columns. It is recommended that the first row contains the headers (Code, Name, Price, etc.) to make identification easier, and that there are no blank rows in between or strange characters.
2. Copy the data to the clipboard: select with the mouse all the rows and columns you want to import, headers included if you wish, and copy them with Ctrl + C. If there are columns you do not need, simply do not select them.
3. Open the import window: in the program go to Settings, then to the Data area (Ficha Datos), enter the Import section and click the Import Inventory button. The Import Inventory from Excel pop-up window will open.
4. Paste the data into the system: click Paste columns from clipboard. The system reads the copied information and shows it in the grid below; check that the total number of rows matches the number of products you expect to import.
5. Identify the column indexes: click on the header of each column of the grid so the system shows its numeric index, and note down which one corresponds to Code, Name, Price, etc.
6. Map the fields: type in each field of the central area the index of the corresponding column. For example, if the Code is in column A, type 1 in the Code field; if the Name is in column B, type 2 in the Name field; if the Sale value is in column F, type 6 in the Sale value field. Leave blank the fields that do not apply.
7. Verify before importing: review that the mapping is correct, confirm that the total number of rows is the expected one and make sure you have a recent backup of your database, created in the Backups section of the Data area (Ficha Datos).
8. Run the import: click the Import Data button. The system processes all the rows and creates the products in the inventory; when it finishes, the new products are available in the Inventory window.

Importing third parties step by step

Loading third parties follows the same spirit, with a few shorter steps:

1. Prepare the Excel: organize your list of customers, suppliers or employees in your spreadsheet and make sure the codes are not duplicated with the ones that already exist in the system.
2. Copy: select all the cells you want to import, with or without headers, and copy them to the clipboard with Ctrl + C.
3. Paste: in the import window click Paste columns from clipboard and check in the box below that the total number of rows is correct.
4. Identify the indexes: click on the headers of the grid columns to discover which number the system assigns to each one; for example, Code in column 1 and Name in column 2.
5. Map: type those numbers in the corresponding fields (Code, Name, Address, Phone, Email) and leave blank the ones your sheet does not have.
6. Import: click Import data. The system validates that there are no repeated codes and adds the new third parties to the Third Parties list.

What goes wrong and how to avoid it

Experience shows that most import problems are not in the program but in the source sheet or in the mapping. These are the five most frequent mistakes and the way to avoid them:

1. Blank rows and line breaks inside cells: a completely empty row in the middle of the data can confuse the clipboard reader and make it misinterpret the boundaries of the table; line breaks inside a single cell scramble the content that gets pasted into the grid. Before copying, remove the blank rows in between and clean the cells that contain strange characters.
2. Groups and subgroups that do not exist yet: if your file brings a group or subgroup column, make sure those groups are already created in the Groups window of the system, or type the names exactly as you want them to be created. A name written with different capital letters, extra spaces or different accents can produce duplicated classifications or products without a group.
3. Duplicate codes and the immutability of the code: once a product or third party is created in the system, its code cannot be changed. If your sheet repeats codes or collides with existing records, the system alerts you; review the code column before copying so you do not duplicate records or create wrong codes that will stay forever.
4. Decimals, thousands separators and symbols: values must be in standard numeric format, without currency symbols such as $ or percentage signs (%), and using the decimal separator configured in the General Settings (Ficha General), either a period or a comma. A price copied as $3,500 or as 3.500 when the configuration expects the other separator is misinterpreted and can alter the whole catalog.
5. Crossed mappings and forgotten backups: the classic mistake is assigning the cost column to the sale price field, or the other way around, and discovering it after the load. Importing is a high-impact operation that can alter thousands of records in seconds; that is why the previous backup in the Backups section is mandatory, and a pilot test with the first 5 or 10 rows reveals any mapping error before the mass load.

A worked numeric example, start to finish

Suppose you want to load the first products of your business into the inventory and your spreadsheet is organized like this, with the headers in the first row:

After copying the rows in Excel and clicking Paste columns from clipboard, the grid shows the five product rows (six if you included the headers) and the total rows counter confirms it. The mapping is as follows: Code is column 1, Product name column 2, Purchase value column 3, Sale value column 4, Stock column 5, Group column 6 and Units of measure column 7. The Brand, VAT, Notes and Description fields are left blank because the sheet does not include them. When you click Import Data, the system validates the codes (all five are new and unique), creates the products and shows them in the Inventory window with their purchase values, sale values and stock. If the decimal separator in your country is the comma, write the values with a comma, for example 2500.50 written as 2500,50, and the system will interpret them according to the General Settings (Ficha General) configuration.

Typical use cases

• Starting up the system (initial implementation): on the first day of use you can load the whole product catalog and the customer and supplier database from your spreadsheets, instead of registering them one by one over several days. It is the most frequent use of the tool.
• Migrating from Excel or another program: if you come from other inventory software, export your data to a spreadsheet, organize it and use the import to move it into the new system without rewriting the history of your customers, suppliers and products.
• Updating prices, costs or opening stock: prepare a sheet with the codes and the new values. Depending on the assistant configuration, when a code already exists the system may update the product or ignore it; ask your administrator which behavior your installation uses before running a mass load.
• Unifying the third-party database: import a single list of contacts and every third party will be available as a customer, supplier or employee in all the windows and pickers of the system, without duplicating records per role.

Cleaning tips and good practices

• Clear headers: even though the system lets you map the columns, a first row with the field names (Code, Description, Price) makes the process much easier.
• Data cleaning: remove blank rows in between, line breaks inside cells and strange characters before copying the selection.
• Review the code column: codes must be unique within your file and must not collide with the ones already in the database; remember that they are immutable once created.
• Check numeric formats: no currency or percentage symbols, and use the decimal separator configured in the General Settings (Ficha General).
• Confirm groups, subgroups and units of measure: they must be created beforehand or written exactly as you want them to be created, and they must match the ones configured in the system.
• Pilot test: if it is your first import or you work with thousands of records, validate the process with the first 5 or 10 rows before the complete load.
• Backup before and verification after: create a backup in the Backups section before importing and, when you finish, open the Inventory window or the Third Parties list to confirm that prices, costs and stock landed in the correct columns. If something went wrong, restore the backup and repeat the import with the corrected mapping.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import from Google Sheets or LibreOffice? Yes. The system reads the data from the Windows clipboard, so it works with any spreadsheet application that can copy data, regardless of its brand.

What happens if my file has more columns than I need? Nothing. Map only the columns you care about and leave the fields of the others blank; the system ignores the unmapped columns.

Are groups and subgroups created automatically? It depends on your system configuration. The recommended approach is to create the groups and subgroups first in the corresponding window, or to type their names exactly as you want them to be created.

Can I import product images? No. Images are loaded individually from the image tab of each product, once the product already exists in the system; the import does not process images.