Importing Items can be accomplished but you have to prepare the system in order to have a successful import. This includes building each item’s Supplier ID and item Category beforehand.
Items and Suppliers can be imported into the system:
Download the Import Items CSV template.
Download the Supplier CSV template.
If you haven’t already, in BTCRetailX, click the Office button, then click Items. Select from either Categories or Suppliers and create the necessary entries manually or via import (Suppliers only).
For Categories, you must note the Category Name to be used in the Item Import file (it is the only Required Field as the system will create an item ID automatically if you do not provide one).
| Id | Category Name | Category Description |
| 1 | System | |
| 2 | Food | |
| 3 | Books |
For Suppliers, you must note the Supplier ID to be used in the Item Import file. Note – you can also import Supplier lists into the system. There is a Supplier CSV file to download. Required Fields include Company Name, Category, First Name, and Last Name.
Category is one of two entries:
Goods Provider – this is for resell goods providers
Cost Provider – this is for suppliers of products that are expenses to you and not directly part of the cost of goods sold
| ID | Company Name | Agency Name | Category | Last Name | First Name | Phone Number | |
| 1 | Franke Goods | Goods Provider | Franke | Bill | |||
| 2 | Willy Widgets | Goods Provider | Westerson | Willy | |||
| 3 | Mario n Luigi | Cost Provider | Manzetti | Mario |
Then you can open the Import Items CSV template file.
This file has 21 fields in it. Required Fields for import are Item Name, Category, Cost, Price, Quantity stock, Receiving Quantity, Reorder Level, and location_stock.
- ID – numeric only, must be unique, can be system generated if blank. You cannot use itemID from 1-10 as they are system used, start at 11.
- Barcode – can be any format, system will copy ID to this field if left blank, or you can scan existing barcodes into this field. If this field has leading zeroes (0), the column must be formatted as Text or the it will remove the zeroes.
- Item Name
- Category – use the Category name as listed in the example above (Food, System, Books, etc)
- Supplier ID – use the Supplier ID as listed above in the Supplier Import example (1,2,3,etc)
- Cost Price – this is the cost of the product at wholesale: 1.00, default is 0.00
- Unit Price – this is the retail price of the product: 2.50, default is 0.00
- Tax 1 Name – only used for item specific taxation, ignore if using Destination Based Tax (typical)
- Tax 1 Percent – only used for item specific taxation, ignore if using Destination Based Tax (typical)
- Tax 2 Name – only used for item specific taxation, ignore if using Destination Based Tax (typical)
- Tax 2 Percent – only used for item specific taxation, ignore if using Destination Based Tax (typical)
- Reorder Level – default is 1
- Description
- Allow Alt Description
- Item has Serial Number – yes/no
- Image – image filename (widget.jpg)
- HSN – Harmonized system number – this is the import code of the product
- location_stock – default is 1 – each store is a location# (1,2,3)
- quantity – default is 1
- UPC – unique product lookup code (universal product code)
- Alternative Lookup – unique product lookup code, typically a suppliers ID of the product, used in Receiving vouchers.
Save your file and then go to the Item page and click the CSV Import button.
Click the Select File button and select and import the file by clicking the Submit button.
If it loads the item list quickly, you should have a successful import.
If the screen hangs upon Submit, it is either a large import or has invalid or missing data – you will need to review the data you entered. Frequent support questions about the import process come in when location_stock is left blank.