How to Import Items for a Client from an XLSX File [Step-by-Step Guide]

You can import an item table for a specific Client from a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (XLSX) file to immediately use them in techSHIP.

This guide covers the formatting requirements, validation rules, and the step-by-step process to successfully import items for a single client.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Template Formatting and Data Rules
• Import Procedure

	The XLSX file must be in the correct format with the correct columns. You can ensure this by exporting an items table to use it as a template, as detailed in How to Export Items for a Client to an XLSX File [Step-by-Step Guide].

Template Formatting and Data Rules

To ensure a successful import, your data must adhere to the following parsing and validation rules:

• Included Columns: The import template includes all standard item fields,including the Container Type and Dangerous Goods Flag.
• Blank Values: Blank cells are treated as unset (null) values. Fully blank rows are safely ignored by the system.
• Boolean Formatting: Boolean (checkbox) fields accept multiple alphanumeric formats: true/false, yes/no, y/n, 1/0, or x.
• Decimal Formatting: Decimal values must use a period (.) as the decimal separator. Ambiguous comma-formatted text will be rejected.
• Validation & Error Handling: The import process is strictly transactional. If a single row fails validation, the entire file is rejected to prevent partial imports. Error messages will detail the specific row, column, and invalid value (displaying up to 10 errors at a time).
• Specific Field Constraints:
  • The SKU field is required and supports up to 255 characters.
  • Metal composition percentages (Aluminium, Copper, and Steel) must each be between 0 and 100, and their combined total cannot exceed 100.
  • Duplicate SKU values within the same import file are permitted.

	If you are creating or editing your import file using Microsoft Excel, you must ensure the CUSMA Certificate base64 string does not exceed Excel's cell character limit of 32,767. Attempting to save a file with a longer string in Excel will corrupt the data and cause the import to fail. The techSHIP import process itself can successfully handle longer base64 strings generated directly by a Host System.

	If you need to import items for multiple clients simultaneously using a single file, you can use the centralized cross-client page. For detailed conceptual information and advanced configuration, refer to Global Item Maintenance: Managing Items Across Multiple Clients [Guide].

Import Procedure

To import an items table for a specific client from an XLSX file:

Find the desired client by clicking on Clients from the left menu under the Clients section.

Edit the desired client by clicking the Settings button.

Click the Items tab.

Press Import.

Click File to select the file you would like to import.

Set the Replace Existing Items checkbox according to your needs:

• Checked: This removes the client's existing items and replaces them entirely with the file contents. Additionally, during a replacement import, a blank value in the file will actively clear an existing optional value for that field.
• Unchecked: This adds the imported records to the current items table.

	When leaving Replace Existing Items unchecked, the system does not check for any conflicts; ensure the imported records do not overlap with existing ones, as this may lead to unexpected behavior.

Press Import.

A toast notification will confirm the successful import, and the imported items will be immediately available.