The SIM Item Import tool allows quick, bulk creation of item records in the Cloud POS database.
This can be used in situations such as where you have a list of part codes from a supplier and wish to upload this information to Cloud POS, making use of the item information available in SIM to create the product records in your database.
Prerequisites
We always recommend using the import template generated within Cloud POS, since it contains the correct fields which are required for the import.
Generating an import template
1) From the main menu in Cloud POS backoffice, navigate to Create & Manage Items, then Import Tools.
2) Under the SIM Item Import heading, click on the button to Generate Blank Template, then click on Download File to save the template file on to your computer. The template file format is a Microsoft Excel file (.xlsx).
Understanding the SIM Item Import template
Once you have opened the template file in Excel, you'll notice a second sheet entitled 'Example':
This sheet shows an example of how the item data needs to be added to the template:
For an item to be imported, it needs to have a Supplier Part Code and a Department & Category set. An item will not import if the Supplier Part Code is the same as an existing item from the same supplier, that is already in your Cloud POS database.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You can only import items from one supplier per file. Mixing items from different suppliers will cause the import to fail.
The SIM Item Import templates contain data validation, i.e. maximum character length. You’ll be shown an error message within Excel if the data is not valid for import.
When you have entered all of the necessary data into the template, save the file onto your computer – the file format must be Excel for the import to work.
Importing the SIM Item Import template
Once you have your SIM Item Import template prepared and checked, you can now import the data into the Cloud POS system.
1) From the main menu in Cloud POS backoffice, navigate to Create & Manage Items, then Import Tools.
2) Under the SIM Item Import heading, click on the Import From SIM button:
3) Click Browse to locate select the file from your local machine:
4) Select the file and click Open;
5) Click Upload;
6) The grid will now populate with the data as per your template:
7) Use the dropdown box to select the appropriate supplier for the items in your file:
8) You'll now see the grid update as Cloud POS matches the Supplier Part Codes in your file to item records in the SIM database:
9) Records will be marked as Error if there are any problems with the data, and the Error Message column will give a description of the problem.
If there are records with errors, these will not be imported and these lines will be skipped by the import process. The system checks for any invalid data.
10) If there are errors, you can make changes directly within the grid to rectify any issues. Click on the field you wish to edit and type in the new information.
Alternatively, you can edit the template in Excel and upload it again by following the steps above. This will replace the data you have previously uploaded in Step 5.
11) After you’ve made changes to correct any errors, click the Save Grid Changes and Validate Data button. This will re-validate the information in the grid (i.e., do another check on that data to make sure that it’s okay for import). You can repeat this step as many times as you need to.
Ensure you check any changes thoroughly as, once committed, the changes are final.
12) When you’re completely happy with the new item records you’re going to create, click the Import Items button. This will add the items to your SIM import queue and, once processed, the item will be imported via SIM and into your Cloud POS database.
As with a regular SIM import, if an item in your file is part of a matrix, then all attributes within that matrix will be imported. Using our example above, we have only imported one part code using the SIM Item Import tool, but because this product is part of a matrix that contains six items, all six items will be imported:
