Product Import Tool - Columns and Required Fields
The Product Import tool allows you to create a list of all the commodities your company buys and sells, and upload them into the Products module in cieTrade all at once. Below is an explanation of each column's purpose, and which are required vs. optional for upload.
For more information on how to download the template from your database and how to use the import tool, visit our help file here.
Required Fields
The below columns have to be filled in to have a successful import. If they are not, the system will produce an error and you will not be able to proceed until the information is provided.
Product Name - This will contain the name of the grade or product that you are buying and selling in cieTrade. Once uploaded, this name will be tracked throughout the system, allowing you to select it from any Product/Grade drop downs on worksheets or orders. Additionally, cieTrade reports can be sorted and filtered by grade name as needed.
Sales and Purchase Account - The purchase and sales accounts required on the import allows for your transactions to flow through to your accounting system properly, and into the correct accounts on your General Ledger. It permits you to integrate to your accounting system and to sort your transactions into specific accounts to view when doing your month end close. To find your account list, navigate to Settings > Accounting > General Ledger. These accounts will be defined in the Accounting section on the product profile, and can be changed later down the line as needed.
NOTE: Your chart of accounts must be mapped in cieTrade BEFORE uploading your counterparties, so the system can match up the accounts between what's listed in Settings and on your spreadsheet. Reach out to support@cietrade.net to get assistance, or visit our help file here for more information.
Inventory Type - The choice you make for the inventory model of your products/grades will have a significant impact on how they are managed within the system. Each product/grade can have it's own inventory model applied if needed, and cieTrade can accommodate multiple inventory types at once. The four inventory models to choose from on the import are as follows:
- SERIAL
- BULK PERPETUAL
- BULK NONPERPETUAL
- DO NOT TRACK
NOTE: The support team will often advise on which inventory type you should choose, based on previous discussions and your workflow. Contact support@cietrade.net if you need assistance with this process, or visit our help file here for more information.
UOM Type - Here you will define how you'd like to measure and price your grades, whether it be by WEIGHT or EACH.
- WEIGHT allows you to leverage weight-based units of measure like LBS, ST, MT etc. These products would be tracked by weight and the unit cost and pricing will be per/wt rather than per/item.
- EACH allows you to track the grade per piece. For example, many of our clients will use this UOM with pallets: you typically would sell or buy by the pallet (ie. 10 pallets at $10 each) rather than by a total weight sold. Additionally, if leveraging the Inventory module the system will tell you the total number of per EA products you have on hand.
Optional Fields
There are a number of optional fields included on the template to help support different workflows in cieTrade, and record data in the system for our client's unique requirements. If you don't need to leverage these columns, then they can simply be left blank for import.
Product Category and Group - cieTrade allows users to further define their Products based on custom classifications by creating Product Categories and Groups. Product Categories can be defined to represent a general type of commodity, such as paper, newsprint, or plastic. Product Groups can be used to further segment or represent products within each of your product categories. Both of these labels are created in Settings, and when uploaded get applied on the Product level in the Classification section. These classifications are employed solely for reporting purposes, granting clients the ability to organize how data appears on certain reports.
NOTE: Your Categories and Groups must be mapped in cieTrade BEFORE uploading your products, so the system can match up the types between what's listed in Settings and what's on your spreadsheet. Feel free to visit our help file here for more information.
Commodity Description - The Commodity Description column can be used to store general information about the product, or more specific information that you want to show with the product on your documents. These details will be uploaded into the Description field, and moving forward the description can be set up to appear on documents generated from worksheets and orders.
Show Commodity on Documents - In the system you are able to bring the Commodity Description onto documents, under the Product/Grade name, if you check off 'Show on Documents' on the product page. If this is required, entering YES on the import tool in this column will automatically check this box for you, so you don't have to manually go back and update the grade details later. If you do not want to leverage the masking feature, enter NO in this column.
Product Code - If you have a product code in your existing system that you'd like to use in cieTrade as well, you can use this column to import the details into the SKU/Product Code section of the product page. This will allow users to include the code on documents generated within the system.
