Import in this order
Each import refers to things the one before set up. All three systems import products before stock quantities, and each data type is its own file.
- 1Suppliers and units of measure. Unleashed only links a product to a supplier that already exists, and needs a product's units of measure set up first.
- 2Products. Codes, names, descriptions, prices, barcodes and reorder settings: everything except quantities.
- 3A stocktake. Count what's actually on the shelves on the day you switch, with what each item cost you.
- 4Opening stock. Quantities by warehouse, imported once, after the products exist.
Opening stock is a one-time import
Product details can be imported again and again to update them. Opening stock can't: each system treats it as the stock you start with, and handles a second import differently. Get the quantities right the first time, from a fresh count.
Unleashed
Opening stock can be imported only once per product and warehouse, and only for products that have never had stock in Unleashed. On products with history the import changes nothing. Unleashed recommends a full stocktake and a real landed cost, since zero costs distort your margins.
Cin7 Core
Import the inventory list first, then stock on hand, as part of your opening balances. Do it only once: importing stock on hand again creates new stock rather than updating the quantities. After that, change stock with a stock adjustment or a stocktake. The stock's value should match the inventory balance in your opening balances.
inFlow
Stock levels are their own import, after the product details. You choose whether to set stock to the quantities in the file, add them or subtract them, and inFlow recommends setting them. Product names must match exactly, or inFlow creates a new product.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Barcodes turn into 9.31E+12
Excel shows long numbers in scientific notation, and Unleashed warns that only that value is then imported. Keep barcodes and other long codes as text.
Codes lose their leading zeros
Excel turns 0012345 into 12345, so the code no longer matches anything. Keep product codes and SKUs as text. Excel leading zeros guide.
Rows break on commas and symbols
Unleashed doesn't allow commas, line breaks, percentage signs or ampersands in its import data, and no commas in product groups. Simplify descriptions before you import.
The same product appears twice
Unleashed requires a unique product code and description, and inFlow matches on the product name, so a repeated or slightly different name creates a duplicate or updates the wrong product. CSV duplicate rows guide.
Yes, no and percentages are written the wrong way
Each system has its own spelling. Unleashed wants TRUE or FALSE in some columns and YES or NO in others, and tax rates as 0.05 rather than 5%. inFlow wants TRUE or FALSE and two-letter country codes such as AU.
Accents come out garbled
Save the file as CSV UTF-8 before importing. Both Unleashed and inFlow ask for it when your data has special characters. Excel to CSV guide.
How each system takes your data
The biggest difference is what happens to an existing product when a cell is blank: Unleashed clears the field, while inFlow leaves it alone. Know which before you update anything.
Unleashed
Inventory, then Products, then Import/Export. Download the template for each data type and keep its headers unchanged. Imports can't be undone, and a blank cell clears that field on an existing product, so when updating, export your products first, keep only the rows you're changing, and keep the original as a backup.
Cin7 Core
An Import button on each screen, such as Inventory, Products, Import, Inventory List. Download the current template and keep its column names and order. Lines with errors are skipped, and you can download them with the reasons, fix them and upload them again.
inFlow
Settings, then Import, one file per data type. Headings without spaces, such as ProductName, are matched automatically. Leaving out a column or a cell leaves that data as it is, so you can import only what's changing. The results are emailed to you. inFlow product template.
Before you import
Get the product list right before you import
Import your current product list into a form with the new system's columns. Repeated names and codes, prices with symbols, mangled barcodes and wrongly written values are flagged as you go. Data is checked in the browser and never stored by us.