To avoid disappointment follow these steps when importing parts into AyaNova from a CSV format file
1. Review the required format of the CSV file for use with the Part import utility
2. Review the recommendations before importing
3. Then follow the steps to import parts into AyaNova
1. Required format of .csv (Comma Separated Values) text file for use with ImportPartCSV:
| • | File must be comma delimited format |
| • | Each field must be Quoted (surrounded by quotation characters) if the field contains a comma, a return, empty space or a quotation mark character - it is recommended to quote every field to prevent errors |
| • | Every line must contain 15 fields, any non used or empty fields must be present |
| • | Number field is required and must have data even if the rest are empty - i.e. "","ABC1234","","","","","","","","","","","","","" |
| • | All the normal AyaNova rules for part objects apply; duplicate Parts (same number) will not be imported, records with no Part number will not be imported, fields that exceed the length allowed in AyaNova will be truncated. |
| • | The csv file must not contain field names in the first row or any header or footer, data only. |
| • | The csv file must contain the following 15 fields in following order: |
Name, Number, UnitOfMeasure, Cost, Retail, Category, UPC, TrackSerialNumber, WholeSaler, WholeSalerNumber, AlternativeWholeSaler, AlternativeWholeSalerNumber, Manufacturer, ManufacturerNumber, Notes
2. Review these recommendations before importing:
| • | Backup your current AyaNova database before importing, there is no undo feature and it's easy to accidentally have a field in the wrong position as the import utility has no way of confirming if the Category (for example) is in the Notes column. |
| • | Use the export feature to export your current parts in AyaNova to a comma separate values file which you can then open up using NotePad and see the correct format even before creating your own for import. |
| • | Comma Separated Values files (.csv files) can be created and opened directly using Microsoft Access, this is handy if you wish to "massage" the data before importing or examine or work with an exported Clients.csv file |
| • | When you open the csv file before importing, carefully examine the grid of records displayed to ensure each field is in the correct column before importing. |
| • | For better performance when importing a large number of parts, import from the fastest connection to the database possible, i.e. don't import parts via a dataportal unless performance is not a concern. |
| • | NOTE: In some cases, when you use MS Excel to edit or create a CSV file, the resultant file will not have quotes around the fields. |
| • | You can easily check by opening the file using Notepad. |
| • | If you get errors trying to import a file you edited in Excel, it is suggested to import it into a table in Microsoft Access. |
| • | Right click on the table in MS Access, select Export…, select CSV from the drop down list and the CSV file will be created correctly with quotes and commas. |
| • | If you do not have MS Access, send the existing CSV file zipped using WinZip to AyaNova Support, along with the full text of the error you received and what you checked so far and we can see if we can import into MS Access for you and create the formatted CSV file. |
| • | Duplicate parts will not be imported, the Part number is examined before each part is imported and if the part number is found to be in AyaNova already then that record is not imported. This means you can re-import the same data safely without getting duplicate records. |
| • | After importing, examine the imported records and ensure fields were imported to the correct area of the part record. |
3. Steps to import:
1. Create the csv file that contains the parts information that you wish to import into AyaNova
2. Create a backup of the AyaNova database file before continuing.
| • | Refer to the Backup & Recovery section in this Help file for information on backing up the database for your configuration. |
3. Ensure all others have exited out of AyaNova during import so that in the event you encounter an issue you can restore from backup without having to re-enter data entered by other users.
4. If you are importing a lot of records, perform the import on the same computer where the database resides, and where the csv file is for best performance.
5. From the main menu select Plugins -> ImportExport.csv -> Parts to open the part import/export program
6. Select the menu option Open CSV File
7. Move to the location of the csv file, select the file, select Open
8. The part import utility will read the file and display a message identifying the number of records it finds, and a reminder to confirm the fields and check data before continuing
| • | Note – data can not be edited in the ImportPartCSV utility. It is for viewing only before importing. |
9. The data will now display with a header for each column so that you can confirm data is in the correct field
10. Once you have confirmed the data, select the menu option Import Data
11. Data will be imported into AyaNova
| • | The time it will take will depend on the number of records to import |
12. When the import is finished, a message will display identifying the number of part records imported. Select OK to close.
13. Exit out of the ImportPartCSV utility by selecting the X in the upper right-hand corner
14. View the parts imported via the Parts grid