Prepare data from spreadsheets or another system
Prepare a set of clean, identifiable records before importing them into Zapstra Inventory Management. The current Data Exchange templates support specific record types. They do not provide a complete historical migration of every purchase order, receipt, count or accounting record from another system.
Keep an unchanged copy of your source export. Make your working changes in a separate file, and use a current Zapstra Inventory Management template or editable export as the destination format.
Plan the move
- List the records you need: suppliers, materials, supplier products, units, barcodes, product matches and bins. Separate those from opening inventory and historical documents.
- Identify records already present from Shopify or earlier imports. Reuse those records rather than creating a second material for the same item.
- Choose the identifiers you will keep. Supplier vendor codes, supplier SKUs, material SKUs and barcodes identify different things.
- Confirm base units and supplier units. For the example Kraft mailer, one case contains 24 each. A quantity of 3 cases is 72 each; those numbers are not interchangeable.
- Download the current templates from Suppliers → Import or export or Materials → Spreadsheet templates.
- Prepare related files in dependency order, preview each file, and verify its applied results before moving to the next dependent file.
- Handle opening stock separately through the opening inventory guide. Importing a material record does not establish a stock balance.
For data exported from Stocky or another purchasing system, map supported fields into these templates. The dedicated Stocky migration wizard is not available. Do not assume that an old-system export can be uploaded unchanged or that it will recreate historical orders and stock movements.
Supported data types and identifiers
| Data type | Useful identifiers and fields | Prepare first |
|---|---|---|
| Suppliers | Vendor Code, Supplier Name; Match Vendor Code or Match Supplier Name for existing records | Your supplier list |
| Materials | Match SKU or Match Barcode for existing materials, with Match Store / Channel where needed; SKU, Name, Type and Base UoM for new materials | Existing Shopify/material matching review |
| Material Units | Material identity, unit code and the required conversion fields in the template | Materials |
| Barcodes | Material identity, barcode, symbology, UoM Code and scope | Materials and the relevant units |
| Supplier Catalog | Vendor Code and Supplier SKU; supplier description, unit, MOQ, order multiple and lead time | Suppliers |
| Product Matches | Vendor Code, Supplier SKU, material identity and Operation | Supplier catalog and materials |
| Bins | Warehouse / Location and Bin Code; matching fields for existing bins | Locations and stock pools |
| Unassigned Bin Allocations | Current exported positions and permitted allocation fields | Activated inventory and eligible destination bins |
The available template is the field reference for your selected data type. Keep its sheet names and headings. Do not combine unrelated templates into one workbook or add internal record identifiers copied from another system.
A small Suppliers example
The following columns are supported by the Suppliers template. The row is illustrative. Replace it with a real supplier you intend to create; do not upload it to a live workspace just to test the process.
Vendor Code,Supplier Name,Status,Currency,Lead Time Days
NORTHWIND,Northwind Packaging,active,USD,14
Download this illustrative Suppliers CSV. Replace the example row with your intended records before uploading; use a fresh editable export when changing existing suppliers.
Before applying, check the preview for a create or update of the intended supplier. If Northwind Packaging already exists, start from a fresh editable export or provide the appropriate match fields. Do not assume changing the spelling creates a safe match.
The Suppliers template also supports Legal Name, Contact Name, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State / Province, Postal Code, Country, Tax ID, Payment Terms and Incoterms. Fill only the information you intend to record or change. Treat exported contact and business information as sensitive working data.
For a supplier rename, identify the existing record through Match Vendor Code or Match Supplier Name, then put the intended new value in Supplier Name. Review both the matched record and the proposed name before applying.
A small Materials example
A new packaging material can use the following minimal fields:
SKU,Name,Type,Base UoM
MAILER-KR6,Kraft mailer,VERP,ea
Download this illustrative Materials CSV. This is a new-material example. Do not apply it if the material already exists, and do not use it to record stock quantities.
This describes a material, not its supplier's case size, price or quantity on hand. Before applying a similar row, confirm that the material does not already exist and that ea is the intended base unit.
The new-material types offered by this import are ROH, HALB, HIBE and VERP. Use the current template and materials guide to choose the type that represents the item. Do not use this file as a Shopify product-creation template.
Important rules for existing materials:
- Match fields must identify one material. If SKU and barcode resolve to different records, correct the file rather than choosing one arbitrarily.
- Match Store / Channel is an exact visible label used to disambiguate a match; it is not a place to enter a system ID.
- Type and Base UoM are create-only in this import. Omit them from matched update rows.
- SKU can attach a SKU to a matched material that does not yet have one. It cannot rename or clear an existing SKU through this workbook.
- Product and Variant are informational. Change Name when an allowed material-name change is intended.
- Change Status separately from other material updates.
- A weight replacement needs its value and unit. A dimensions replacement needs length, width, height and unit.
Units, catalog records and product matches
Create the material first, then add its supported units and barcodes. Preserve leading zeros in barcodes by formatting those cells as text before entering or pasting values. A barcode attached to a case must refer to the appropriate unit; a scanner must be able to distinguish a case from one each.
A Supplier Catalog row identifies a supplier-owned item through Vendor Code and Supplier SKU. It can exist before being matched to one of your materials. Catalog fields include Supplier UoM, Minimum Order Quantity, Order Multiple, Lead Time Days, Preferred, Country of Origin and Status. Do not add an invented Price column to this template; manage supported purchasing prices through the supplier's pricing workflow.
The separate Product Matches template connects a supplier item to a material. Its Operation can propose, approve, reject or deactivate a match. Those actions have different effects. Review the current template's instructions and proposed changes rather than filling every row with approve.
Blanks, clears and editable exports
Use a fresh editable export when updating existing records. Preserve its additional identity and revision columns. They allow Zapstra Inventory Management to tell which version you edited.
A blank cell is not a universal delete instruction. Where a field explicitly supports clearing, the templates use __CLEAR__. Use that token only in a field whose template instructions allow it. For material weight or dimensions, clearing the designated value can clear the whole group of values, so inspect the preview carefully.
Avoid formulas in import cells. Save the intended values, with identifiers as text, decimal quantities using a decimal point, and dates in the format requested by the template. Keep the file in the format you select on upload.
Current file limits
| Limit | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Uploaded file | 8 MiB |
| Uncompressed Excel contents | 32 MiB |
| Sheets | 16 |
| Data rows per sheet | 10,000 |
| Total data rows | 25,000 |
| Columns per sheet | 128 |
| Characters in one cell | 32,767 |
These are ceilings, not recommended batch sizes. Smaller coherent batches make review easier. Split large files without separating a record from information required to identify it. Operational report limits are separate from import limits.
Verify the result before continuing
Use Data Exchange to upload and preview the file. Compare the proposed record count with your intended batch, check row-specific warnings, and inspect important values on the resulting records after apply. A successful supplier import does not prove the supplier catalog or units are correct; verify each dependent stage.
If an apply attempt is interrupted, check the original review and completed rows before submitting another upload. Keep a record of which batches completed. For unresolved matching, provide Support with the data type and affected row references without pasting an entire sensitive export into a message.