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Import and export order-plan spreadsheets

Use a CSV or Excel workbook to prepare purchasing quantities outside Zapstra Inventory Management, then import them into a draft Order plan. Export the current plan when you want to revise existing rows with protection against overwriting newer edits.

Importing changes the plan. It does not create purchase orders or send anything to suppliers. After an import, review its results and then use Review a proposal and create draft purchase orders.

Choose the right file

The Export menu offers different outputs for different purposes:

File Use it for
Download blank template Preparing new purchasing rows without existing plan data.
Export as Excel (.xlsx) or Export as CSV Editing the current plan and importing those changes back into the same draft.
Export resolution preview in the plan's record view Reviewing calculated quantities, suppliers, pricing, and warnings. This is a report and cannot be imported as an order plan.

Excel plan exports include rows, instructions, and reference worksheets. The reference information helps you identify active suppliers and locations. CSV contains the data rows only. Keep an unchanged copy of an export before editing it.

Prepare new rows

  1. Open Order plan, then choose Export → Download blank template.
  2. Open the file in your spreadsheet application. For Excel, enter your rows on the rows worksheet.
  3. Identify each material using a suitable identifier from the table below. You do not need to fill every identifier column.
  4. Enter the destination, order quantity, and any required date or notes.
  5. Save as .xlsx or .csv. Use calculated values rather than formulas whose results have not been saved, and preserve leading zeros in barcodes and SKUs by treating them as text.
Template column What to enter
material_id The existing Zapstra Inventory Management material ID, when known. This is the strongest material match.
sku A SKU for the connected shop's product variant. A shop SKU needs the correct shop context.
supplier_sku The supplier's identifier for the item. Use supplier_id as well when it may be shared by several suppliers.
barcode A barcode associated with the material. A barcode shared by several materials requires review.
location_name The receiving location, such as Main Warehouse. Verify name-based matches after import.
order_quantity The fixed amount to order, in the material's base unit.
required_by A date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
supplier_id The supplier to use, when you want to identify one explicitly.
notes Context for the purchasing row.

For Kraft mailer (MAILER-KR6), use the SKU only if it is the item's actual SKU in the connected shop; otherwise use its material ID or a verified supplier SKU or barcode. An order quantity of 72 means 72 each when each is its base unit, even if Northwind Packaging sells the item in cases of 24 each.

Product titles are helpful context but are not material identifiers. An incorrect explicit material ID is reported for correction; Zapstra Inventory Management does not silently substitute another item because a weaker identifier happens to match.

Revise an exported plan

Open the intended draft and export it again immediately before editing. The main columns include ID, Location, Pool ID, Order Quantity, Required by, Supplier ID, and Notes.

Keep the columns beginning with an underscore intact. Excel hides these tracking columns; CSV shows them. They identify the original plan and row and let Zapstra Inventory Management detect a newer edit made after your export. Do not rename, remove, or edit them.

Change Order Quantity to the total amount you now want planned. Reimporting a matching row sets its quantity rather than adding that amount again. Keep the original material and destination IDs when revising the same purchasing intent. Changing an identity is not a safe way to move an existing row; make that change in Zapstra Inventory Management and export again.

Product (name - var), Type, Status, On hand, Available, and Incoming are context columns. Editing them does not rename materials or change inventory. Removing a line from the file leaves its existing plan row alone; use the app to remove rows intentionally. A blank order quantity is not an instruction to leave or delete a matched row.

Stock targets belong in the material's planning configuration. A target-only row is not a replacement for Order Quantity in this import workflow. See Set stock targets and choose replenishment sources.

Import and check the result

  1. Open the intended draft and choose Import.
  2. Drop a .csv or .xlsx file into the dialog, or browse to select it.
  3. Check the filename, then select Import. Selecting a file alone does not start the import.
  4. Read the result counts, including added, updated, unchanged, resolved, ambiguous, and unmatched rows when shown.
  5. Review every reported line error. The header is line 1, so the first data row is line 2.
  6. Open Review to resolve material or location matches, then inspect the saved rows before previewing the proposal.

Do not put two rows for the same purchasing intent in one file. Combine them into one row with the total quantity you want; Zapstra Inventory Management does not resolve duplicates by taking whichever line appears last.

If the file is stale, re-export the plan and compare the newer values before importing again. If tracking columns are missing or the file came from another plan, the app explains the missing protection. Prefer a fresh export. Import anyway, when offered, accepts the stated overwrite risk and should be used only when you have reviewed that consequence.

An Import partly applied result means some changes may already be saved. Inspect the plan and reported failures, then export the current state before preparing corrections. If a submission times out, check the original draft before repeating it. An unavailable result is not evidence that nothing changed.