Work with the CSV file template

Download the CSV template for the record type and import operation you selected so that your file uses the exact field identifiers, reference options, required columns, and supported sublist structure expected by QuickStart. Depending on the operation and available account data, the template can include recent records as editable examples or contain only column headers.

When you have downloaded the file, from the file import dialog, open it in a program that enables you to edit it, such as MS Excel.

Important:

To avoid errors when working with the CSV template, make sure that the delimiter set in your editing software, the delimiter used in the CSV template, and the delimiter set in the import preferences in QuickStart match.

For more information about setting your preferences for file import, see Set import preferences.

The template contains all editable record fields, and each column represents a field of the record. The only exception is the Primary Column, which does not correspond to a field in the record. It is an additional column used for identifying the borders of a group of data, and is required only when the imported records contain sublists. The values of the Primary Column are not populated in any field in the record.

If you start file import from the import status page and select Update existing records or Create new or update existing records, the template is generated containing real data from your account as a sample. The same applies if you start file import from the record list page.

The data in the CSV file template consists of the three most recently updated instances of the selected type of record you are importing. If the specific record type contains a sublist, one line with data of the sublist will also be included.

Note:

Your account must contain data and instances of the specific record type for the template to contain sample data. Because the data in the CSV file template is real data from your account, for accounts without data the template contains only the headers.

Also, if you start the file import from the file import status page and you select the Create new records option, the CSV file template does not contain sample data to avoid errors and duplicate entries to your account. When selecting this option, QuickStart does not check whether the data corresponds to existing records.

You can choose to keep or remove the lines with sample data in the CSV file template. If you decide to keep the lines, QuickStart recognizes them as existing records and proceeds with updating them.

• If you haven’t edited the values of the sample data, nothing changes.
• If you have edited the values of the sample data, QuickStart updates the records with the new values.

Here is what you need to know about the CSV file template headers:

• For fields in the body of a record you see only the field’s name in the header. For example, the Order date field of a sales order has the header Order date.
• For fields that are part of a sublist or subrecord, you see the name of the sublist or subrecord, followed by right angled bracket (>) and the field name. For example, the field Address line 1, which is on the billing address sublist of an invoice, has the header Billing address > Address Line 1.
• In case the field name already contains a right angled bracket, the sublist or subrecord name is separated from the field name with an underscore (_) instead.

• In case of more complicated structures, like sublists that are included in subrecords within other sublists, the names are listed from the outermost to the innermost. For example a tax rate field, which is under the tax details of the taxes tab of an items list in a sales order, has the header Items > Taxes > Tax Detail > Tax rate.

  Note:

  QuickStart supports importing data into records with up to three levels of sublists.

  The types of records that currently can have a third level of sublist are:

• Item fulfillment

  • Item receipt

  • Inventory adjustment

  • Inventory transfer

  • Sales order

  • Purchase order

  • Invoice

  • Vendor bill

  An example of such a sublist layering you can see with the list of Serial lines, which is found under the Serials subrecord. Serials can be found in the list of inventory detail lines, which is a sublist of the Inventory detail subrecord. Inventory detail is found in the list of inventory transfer lines, which is a sublist withing an Inventory transfer, which is the main record.

• In case two fields on the same level have the same name, the field’s script ID is shown in brackets after the field name, to avoid identical headers. For example, the fields Reconciled [targetAccountReconciled] and Reconciled [sourceAccountReconciled], which are both on the same level in a bank transfer.

• For fields that include options, the option is in brackets after the field name. For example, when referencing a customer in a sales order, you can do it by name, internal ID, or external ID. The header can be Customer, Customer (id), or Customer (eid).

  Note:

  The CSV file template is generated without an option, and at the import QuickStart uses the default option for each field. If you want to change the field to a different option, you need to edit the header and add the option in parentheses next to the field’s name. For example, when referencing a customer in a sales order with the internal ID instead of name, which is the default option, you need to edit the column’s header from Customer to Customer (id).

  For more details on the available options for the various fields, see Fields with options.

• Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*) before their name.

Note:

In some cases, and based on the setup of your account, you can have a successful import, even with missing values in required fields. It is a best practice, though, to avoid required fields without values.

You can remove columns that correspond to optional record fields and you do not need for your import. If you want to import multiple records and only some of them have a value for an optional field, you can leave the corresponding cells for the other records empty.

Primary Column	Company name	Email	Memo
1	CompanyName 1 Ltd.	[e-mail]	text for memo
2	CompanyName 2 Ltd.	[e-mail]
3	CompanyName 3 Ltd.		text for memo

In a record import without sublists or subrecords, each line of the template represents a record.

The import of this file with the Add operation creates three new customer records that contain values only for the Company Name and Email fields. The Primary column is not required in this example and its values are ignored.

Primary Column	Company name	Email
1	CompanyName 1 Ltd.	[e-mail]
2	CompanyName 2 Ltd.	[e-mail]
3	CompanyName 3 Ltd.	[e-mail]

If the record you want to import has a sublist that needs more lines to be filled for the same record, use the Primary Column to group the data.

With this file, only one Journal Entry is imported that has two Journal Entry Lines, one for the amount credited from one account and one for the amount debited to the second account.

Primary Column	* Journal entry purpose	* Posting period	* Transaction date	Line > Account	Line > Credit (amount)	Line > Debit (amount)
1	Example	Jan 2024	1/1/2024	1100 Accounts receivable	100
1	Example	Jan 2024	1/1/2024	4100 Service revenues		100

If the type of record you want to import contains fields that allow the entry of multiple values, indicate them in the file using a special character like the pipe (

) symbol as a delimiter of the values in the same cell.

If you import a file like this, for example, file import creates three new customer records, and one of them has two email addresses.

Company name	Email
CompanyName 1 Ltd.	[e-mail]
CompanyName 2 Ltd.	[e-mail]|[e-mail]
CompanyName 3 Ltd.	[e-mail]

After you have edited and saved your file, open it again as plain text and make sure that it has been saved with the correct delimiters. This way you can avoid errors with the import.

Tip: Save the file with a unique and descriptive name. This enables you to easily identify it and use it again when you want to import similar data.