Stockagile lets you create and update contacts in bulk from an Excel file. The importer identifies each contact in the file by the field you choose (legal name, code, VAT or email): if it matches an existing contact, it updates it; if not, it creates a new one.
It is the fastest way to load your customer and company base when you start using Stockagile, or to update data such as addresses, phone numbers or contact persons in bulk.
Requirements to import contacts with Excel
The user must have the OWNER, RETAIL VENDOR, RETAIL MANAGER, WHOLESALE MANAGER or WHOLESALE VENDOR role. You can see the different roles in Create or edit a user.
Recommendations for importing contacts with Excel
Although you can download the template from the import wizard itself, we recommend preparing the file before you start:
Download the contacts template and fill in one contact per row, without changing the column names in the first row.
Decide which field will identify each contact (legal name, code, VAT or email) and check that it is filled in on every row and not repeated.
Format the code, zip code and phone columns as text so that leading zeros are not lost.
Steps to import contacts with Excel
Go to the CONTACTS section from the side menu, inside the CONTACTS module.
Click the IMPORT CONTACTS button at the top right.
Image 1: Contacts list with the IMPORT CONTACTS button.
The “Data importer” screen opens on the “Contacts” tab, with the history of contact imports. Click NEW IMPORT.
Image 2: Data importer with the NEW IMPORT button.
In the “Import contacts” window, click the field that identifies the contacts in your file: LEGAL NAME, CODE, VAT or EMAIL. If you only want to update contacts that already exist, tick the Only update existing contacts box. Click CONTINUE.
Image 3: “Import contacts” window with the EMAIL identifier selected and the CONTINUE button.
In the “Upload file” step, download the template if you do not have it yet and fill it in with one contact per row. The column of the identifier you chose is mandatory; you can also enter up to 10 addresses and 10 contact persons per row using the numbered columns of the template (Address 1, Address 2…, Person first name 1, Person first name 2…).
Click SET FILE, choose your file (.csv, .xls or .xlsx) and click UPLOAD FILE.
Image 4: “Upload file” step with the file already selected and the UPLOAD FILE button.
In the “Select columns” step, check that each column of the file (“Origin header”) matches the right Stockagile field (“Target header”); if you use the template, the mapping is filled in automatically. The identifier column is marked with an asterisk because it is mandatory. At the bottom of the window, click SELECT COLUMNS.
Image 5: “Select columns” step with the mapping between the file columns and the Stockagile fields.
Stockagile validates the file. If everything is correct, you will see the message “Everything seems correct”: click IMPORT. If errors are detected, a table lists the row, the columns and the error of each one; you can import anyway (rows with errors are not imported) or close the wizard, fix the file and repeat the import.
Image 6: Validation without errors with the IMPORT button.
Wait for the “Importation completed” message and click CLOSE.
Image 7: “Importation completed” message with the CLOSE button.
In the history you will see the new import with its type, the imported rows and the “Done” status. Click the row to check the result again.
Image 8: Import history with the new import in “Done” status.
The contacts in the file are now available in the CONTACTS list: those that did not exist have been created and those that already existed have been updated with the data from the file.
Keep in mind:
The importer never deletes data: an empty cell does not clear the contact's field and groups are only added.
Rows with validation errors are not imported; the rest of the file is, and the import is flagged with an error warning in the history.
With the “Only update existing contacts” box ticked, rows whose identifier does not match any contact are marked as errors and are not created.
You can close the wizard while the import is running: it keeps running and you can check the result from the history.