Importing
To fill or update your Catalog quickly, press the Import products from CSV action in the top right corner of the Materials & Products table. Upload a spreadsheet of your products and prices. This is the fastest way to get started, or to load a new price list from a vendor.
Using the import wizard
Choose a file: drop a CSV onto the window, or press it to browse your computer. If you would rather start from your real data, press Export products as CSV (see below) in the window to get your whole catalog as a template, edit it, and upload it back.
Match the columns: Riffle reads the headers in your file and matches them to Catalog fields for you. Confirm each match or fix any that are off. A file you exported from the Catalog matches on its own with nothing to change.
Review before saving: Riffle shows you what will happen before it writes anything. You will see how many rows will import, how many new companies, manufacturers, and categories it will create, and how many rows have a problem.
Press Import Products: Riffle imports in the background and shows progress as it goes.
See the results: when it finishes, you get a summary of how many products were added, updated, left unchanged, and skipped, along with any rows that could not be imported.
Required columns
Description and Unit are required on every row. If either is missing for a row, that row is skipped.
Unit must be a standard unit the Catalog recognizes, such as each. If your file has no Unit column, you can choose a default unit to apply to rows that are missing one. If you do not choose one, those rows are skipped.
Skipping rows
Rows missing a description or unit type are skipped, not treated as a failure of the whole import. The rows with required data still come in. Riffle lists each problem row by number along with the reason. Row numbers match your spreadsheet: the header is row 1, so your first product is row 2.
Does Importing Add or Update?
Products
Riffle matches each row in your file to a product you already have, so an import updates your existing products instead of making copies of them.
Rows with a Part #: matched by Part # and manufacturer. If a match is found, that product is updated. If not, the product is added.
Rows without a Part #: matched by Description. If a match is found, that product is updated. If not, the product is added.
Blank cells never erase anything: a blank cell in your file leaves the stored value alone. Only the columns you filled in overwrite what is there. This means you can upload a short file, for example just Part #, Description, Unit, and Unit Cost, to update prices without touching everything else.
Unchanged rows stay put: a row that already matches what is stored is left as is, so re-importing the same file does not mark everything as updated.
Vendors, Manufacturers, and Categories
If a Vendor, Manufacturer, or Category in your file does not exist in your Catalog yet, Riffle creates it as part of the import. The review step tells you how many it will create before you commit, so there are no surprises.
Pricing
If a row has both a Vendor and a Unit Cost, Riffle sets that vendor's price for the product and records the change in the product's price history.
A price is recorded only when it actually changes, so uploading the same file again does not clutter your history with repeat entries.
A row with no vendor adds the product without a price.
Exporting
To export your whole Catalog, press Export products as CSV to download the current list as a spreadsheet. An export covers up to 5,000 products at a time, and tells you if your Catalog is larger than that.
To export only selected products from your Catalog, press the checkbox on the left of the selected product rows and then press Apply bulk actions at the top of the table. Press Export selected (#) to create a CSV of the selected products.
What is in the file
Export and import share the same set of columns. These are the columns Riffle writes when you export and recognizes when you import:
Description: what the product is.
Unit: the unit of measure, such as each or linear foot.
Part #: the manufacturer part number for the product.
UPC: the product's barcode number.
Manufacturer: the brand that makes the product.
Category: the group you file the product under.
Detailed Description: the longer, public description that can show on an estimate.
Vendor: the company you buy the product from.
Vendor Part #: that vendor's own number for the product.
Unit Cost: the price the vendor charges for one unit.
Pricing UOM: the unit the price is quoted in.
Purchase UOM: the unit you actually order in.
Units Per Purchase Unit: how many units come in one purchase unit.
Labor Cost: a per unit labor amount stored on the product.
Freight Cost: a per unit freight amount stored on the product.
MAP Price: the manufacturer's minimum advertised price.
Tip
The fastest way to update a lot of products is to export, edit, and re-import.Export your catalog, make your changes in Excel or Google Sheets, and upload the file back.
Because the export uses the same column names the import reads, your file maps on its own, and matching means your edits update the right products instead of creating copies of them.
Related: Understanding the Catalog