Import data via Excel

Import product data into ProductIP using an Excel template to efficiently create or update technical files. This reduces manual entry errors, saves time, and allows merging multiple articles into a single technical file. Importing product data is free as it creates pre-draft technical files. 

Feature access

This feature is available for Advanced, Professional, and Enterprise customers.

Before you begin

• Accepted formats: XLSX or XLS

• Download the latest template before importing 

• Check your data before importing, updating existing files is irreversible!

• Product name and Article number are mandatory fields

• Do not change column names or add extra columns; reordering, removing or leaving columns empty is allowed

Video instructions
A short step-by-step guide will follow soon!

Steps

1. Go to the Technical files section and click the Import button in the left top corner.

2. Click Download the Excel template in case it is your first time using this functionality. (See "Preparing the Excel template" below) 

3. Open the downloaded Excel template and fill your information.

4. Click Choose File and select your prepared Excel file.

5. Click Import.

Preparing the Excel template

• Product name and article number are mandatory fields. 
• Do not add columns.
• Do not change column names.
• The following columns can identify if there are technical files already available in your account, do not leave them empty if information is available: Market release date, Purchase order number, EAN code, Project, Supplier name, Supplier code, Customer name, Customer code, Factory name, Factory code.
• Create a pre-draft packaging file via the import function by indicating "Y" in the column Create packaging file (Y/N). The following data is copied to the packaging file if filled out: Market release date, Regions, Tags, Supplier code and name, Customer code and name, Project, File group, Assigned CS, Purchase order number, Brand name. ProductIP automatically adds the suffix -PACK to the product's article number. For example, if the product's article number is 123456, the packaging reference will be 123456-PACK.
• Do leave other columns empty when you don't have the data. 
• Do change the order of columns to fit your preference or leave columns out to improve readability.

Using the merge functionality

It is possible to import product data into already merged pre-drafts. This helps streamline documentation and reduces duplicate work for products that share the same supplier, material, documents, and requirements. Also the Market release date should be the same.

1. Go to the column names Main article number
2. Add one main article number, which is display in the column Article number for all product articles that should be merged into one technical file.
3. After the import the pre-draft technical file will show a red asterisk. This indicated that multiple product articles are present in the technical file.
4. When opening the technical file, all 3 products are present.

   
   

Update existing technical files

The following fields can be updated by using the import function:

• Risk level
• Brand name
• Supplier article number
• Shipment number
• File group
• Batch code
• Technical file deadline (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Supplier fields (except supplier code and name)
• Customer fields (except customer code and name)

Leaving an updateable field blank in the import file will not remove the value in the technical file. Instead, you must use ### as value in the import file to remove a value from the technical file. This is to prevent unintended deletion of data.

When multiple technical files match with the import data, only the most recently created technical file is updated.

The system will match with the following identifying fields to determine if a technical file already exists in your account:

• Article number (mandatory field)
• Market release date (mandatory field)
• Supplier number or name (if provided)
• Customer number or name (if provided)
• Factory number or name (if provided)
• Project name (if provided)
• Purchase order number (if provided)
• EAN code (if provided)

Tips and best practices

• Use the latest template to avoid errors.

• Leave optional fields empty or delete them if information is not available.

• Make sure no columns are hidden, which can cause incorrect uploads.

• Validate data before activating pre-drafts to avoid extra charges.

Explanation of fields

• Market release date (MRD) (YYYY-MM-DD) > Date your product is brought to market. Before activation of the technical file you can change it free of charge. Once the technical file is activated and you set a new MRD your account will be charged.
• Main article number > Use this when you need to merge multiple product articles in one technical file.
• Technical file deadline (YYYY-MM-DD) > The date when you expect the technical file to be complete. If left empty our platform will add 6 weeks when activating the technical file.
• Brandname owner indication > Indicate your own brand by filling in “0” (No) or “1” (Yes)
• Country of origin > Use ISO 3166-1, Alpha-2 or 3 code
• External article url > the hyperlink to your own website or internal system
• Region “XX” > To add the country to Regions add “Yes” in the cell in the related country column.

Troubleshooting

• Import fails? 

Verify file format and template headers.

• Merging errors? 

Ensure main article number is correctly assigned.

Still having issues? Contact helpdesk@productip.com

FAQ

• Why are my supplier contact details not appearing correctly? 

If a supplier code is included in an import template and the Use supplier information from Address Book checkbox is selected under Account Settings in Company Account, the default contact person in the Address book will overwrite the supplier contact details entered in the template. As a result, the default Address book contact will appear in the technical file.

• Will importing data via Excel update the Address book?

No. Importing data via Excel only adds new data to the Address book and does not update existing Address Book entries. This is intended to protect the Address book from unwanted changes.

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Create a packaging technical file