Trade knowledge / Updating Products and Contacts in Shipping Solutions Export Software
Date: 2017-12-02
Updating Products and Contacts in Shipping Solutions Export Software
Shipping Solutions users save time and reduce the likelihood of errors on their export paperwork by using the Contacts and Products databases to store their company, customer and product information. Storing information in the Shipping Solutions databases eliminates the need to retype common data every time a new shipment is prepared, and it reduces the likelihood of errors that can delay shipments or require expensive changes by making sure the data is consistent every time.
But, data changes. Prices need updating, customers move, and products become obsolete. While you can always go to the database screens and update data manually, Shipping Solutions gives users an easy way to make mass changes by exporting their data out of Shipping Solutions, manipulating it in Excel, and then importing it back into Shipping Solutions.
Export Your Data from Shipping Solutions
In order to make changes to your data, you first need to get it out of Shipping Solutions. Go to the Tools tab, Export Contact and Product Databases screen. In the Select Data to Exportdrop-down list, choose Contacts or Products. If you choose Contacts, a Select Contacts to Export drop-down list will appear. If you want to make changes to your customer list, chooseUltimate Consignees. You can also export other types of contacts, such as freight forwarders or bill to addresses.
In most cases you will want to click the Export to Excel button. Choose the location for your file and click Save. This will put your data into an Excel spreadsheet that you can easily manipulate to make the changes you need. However, if for some reason you want to export to a text file, choose comma, tab or pipe in the Select Delimiter drop-down list. Then clickExport to Text File. Choose the location for your file and click Save.
Make Changes to Your Data
Once you are in Excel, you can manipulate your data as you would any other spreadsheet. You can sort the data, change the data, and delete rows. Not only can you change data that you already have in the Shipping Solutions databases, but you can add data as well. Because all of the fields available in Shipping Solutions are included when you export your product or contact databases, even if they are blank, you can use those blank columns to add data under the proper column headings.
For example, you may want to add dangerous goods information to your products since those fields are now part of the main products database rather than in a separate database. I also recently helped a customer who had been manually entering his State Department licensing information every time he filed with AESDirect. By filling in the DDTC fields in the Shipping Solutions Products Database, he saved time on every shipment. Some fields do require codes to import properly. If you have any questions about data that you want to enter, don’t hesitate to call our office at (651) 905-1727.
Some companies enter their product descriptions as more than one line of data. In that case, the data includes an invisible carriage return/line feed character at the end of each row. When you export the data, any carriage return/line feed is replaced by the text “/crlf.” As long as you leave that text in place, the data will import correctly with the carriage return/line feeds intact.
Avoid deleting columns even if they are blank, and do not change any of the column headings that were exported with your data from Shipping Solutions.
When you are done manipulating your data, save the Excel file as a text file so that you can import it into Shipping Solutions. You should save it as a tab-delimited text file. When you are in Excel, choose File and then Save As, choose your location and then in the Save as type box choose Text (Tab delimited) (x.txt).
Back Up Your Database
It is always a good idea to back-up your database before doing a mass import of data. If you have the single-user version of Shipping Solutions, you can back up your database by going to the Tools tab and selecting Backup Database. Click Select the Backup Location to tell the software where to save the backup and click Backup Database. If you have the multi-user version of Shipping Solutions, contact your network administrator to backup your database.
Import Your Data Back into Shipping Solutions
Once you have made all the changes needed to your data and have saved it as a tab-delimited text file, you are ready to import it back into Shipping Solutions. Go to the Toolstab, Import Contact and Product Databases screen. The first box asks what you want to import. Choose Contacts or Products. If you choose contacts, another drop-down list will appear. Choose the type of contact you are importing. Click Locate File and navigate to the location of your tab-delimited text file. Check the box saying that your file includes column names.
Check the box that says Data was exported from Shipping Solutions. Then click Preview and Import Data. A grid of the data to be imported will appear. Be sure to check the box that says to delete existing products, or you will duplicate your products. If for some reason you want to append these products to what is already in the products database rather than replacing it, then don’t check the box.
Click Import Products or Import Contacts. Wait for the message saying the import is complete. If you have a lot of data in your text file, this could take a minute or two. Review your changes on the Databases tab.
Importing Data from Another Source
If you are using a spreadsheet that was not exported from Shipping Solutions but came from another source, make sure the first row contains column headings that make it easy to identify what data is in each column. Also, do not include any spaces in your column headings. Save the file in Excel as a tab-delimited text file.
To import the data, go to the Tools tab, Import Contact and Product Databases screen. The first box asks what you want to import. Choose Contacts or Products. If you choose contacts, another drop-down list will appear. Choose the type of contact you are importing. Click Locate File and navigate to the location of your tab-delimited text file. Check the box saying your file includes column headings.
Now click Map Data. In the User Fields column, choose the column in your data file that matches each Shipping Solutions field. By doing this you are mapping the fields in your text file to the Shipping Solutions fields. You do not need to map every field.
It might be a good idea to map just a few fields at a time, try the import and then map a few more fields. This way, if you get an error, you will have it narrowed down to just a few fields when trying to determine which field is causing the error. You will only be able to use this method if you are starting with an empty database or replacing all the data in your database.
Once you have mapped your fields, click Preview and Import Data. A grid of the data to be imported will appear. Check the box that says to delete existing products or contacts if you are replacing all the data currently in the Shipping Solutions database. If you want to append this data to what is already in Shipping Solutions, then do not check the box. Click Import Products or Import Contacts. Wait for the message saying the import is complete. If you have a lot of data in your text file, this could take a minute or two. Review your changes on the Databases tab.
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