Overview

This article will walk you through how to prepare and import a file into a Cloud Retailer Inventory Count.

Procedure

Creating the File

1. The file can be in either a comma or tab-delimited format (CSV or TSV)
2. The file must contain the following columns (other columns will be ignored)
   • ProductCode - The barcode or UPC on the product
   • Quantity - The quantity of product counted
   • EntryDate - This should be the date the count was finalized (same for all records in the file)

Importing the File

1. Open your Cloud Retailer Back Office software.
2. Navigate to Tools -> Inventory Counting from the left-hand menu.
3. Select the Quick Adjust Inventory Count for which you wish to update count values.
4. Press the Edit Selected Inventory Count button.  This will open the Inventory Count Properties window.
5. Scroll to the Inventory Count Import section towards the bottom of the page.
6. Click the section that says Drop file here to upload.
7. Use the Open dialog to browse for the file you wish to upload, then press the Open button.
8. When the Import button becomes visible, click it.

NOTE: Import files are processed 500 lines at a time, if there are any errors within that batch a notification will be displayed.

Key Notes & Differences

Though many aspects are the same, there are some key notes and differences to observe when importing values into an Inventory Count

• The counting process should be performed outside of normal operations.  Due to the count being performed outside of Cloud Retailer, the system no longer can track the movement of each Product in relation to the counted values.
  • The file can be processed at any time, but the physical counting needs to be done when there is no  external movement
• Building an import file and importing is far more error-prone than using the built-in tools
• You may wish to build your import file by exporting a report like the Products Grid, filtered to what you wish to count
• Be careful when editing files with an application like Excel, if opened the wrong way, Excel may assume the leading 0's in barcodes are there by mistake and remove them!

Next Steps

When you've imported the count values, see Walkthrough - Reviewing and reconciling an Inventory Count to validate that nothing slipped through the cracks!

References

• Overview of Inventory Counting in Cloud Retailer
• Back Office - Inventory Count Properties
• Walkthrough - Reviewing and reconciling an Inventory Count
• Overview of Inventory Counting in Cloud Retailer (pre v4.6)
• Understanding the Inventory Count Page (pre v4.6)