Data Import

You can update or import records in bulk from a CSV or Excel file using ERPNext’s Data Import Tool. This is useful for bulk updating of existing records or for importing Master Data (e.g., customers, suppliers, items).

Where to Access

1. From the sidebar:

2. From a particular kind of document: Open the list view, click Menu, and then choose Import.

Procedure for Importing Data

1. Establish a New Import

• In the Data Import list, select New.
• Select:
  • Document Type: The kind of record you want to import, such as a supplier, item, or customer.
  • Import Type: Select
    • Insert New Records: This option is used to add new records.
    • Update Existing Records: To update current records.
• (Selective) Check If you do not want email notifications to be enabled during import, do not send emails.
• Click Save.

1.1 Download the Template

• Click Download Template after saving.
• Select:
  • File Type:
    • CSV
    • Excel
  • Export Type:
    • All Records
    • Filtered Records
    • 5 Records
    • Blank Template
• Select fields to import or update.
• Click Export.

1.2 Entering Data in the Template

Your downloaded template will look something like this:

• Open the downloaded template and enter your data.
• For updates:
  • Include the Name or ID column so ERPNext can identify which record to update.
  • Leave blank fields empty unless you prefer to overwrite them.

1.3 Import the Data

• Back in ERPNext, attach your completed file in the Import File field.
• Select the template file and click on Upload.
• Click Start Import.
• The system will first check the data, then insert or update the records.

2. Updating Existing Records

If you must update many records at once (i.e., switching customer groups or contact information), ERPNext’s Data Import Tool will enable you to do so in bulk.

2.1 Download the Update Template

1. Go to the list page of the document type that you wish to update (e.g., Customer List).
2. Click Menu → Import.
3. Click New to start a new Data Import record.
4. Select Import Type as Update Existing Records.
5. Click Save.
6. Click Download Template.
7. In download settings:
   • Export Type: Select All Records or Filtered Records (depending on your filters in the list view).
   • Make sure you select the “Name/ID” field — this is necessary to match and update the right records.
   • Choose only the fields you wish to update.
8. Click Export to download the file.

Important: If ERPNext no longer has the Name/ID column, it won’t know which record to update.

2.2 Updating Data in the Template

• Open the downloaded file within Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice.
• Do not change or delete the Name/ID column — leave it as is.
• Modify only the columns you plan to update.
• If you delete a child table row (say, a contact from a Customer record), ERPNext will consider it a deletion.
• Save the updated file as .xlsx or .csv.

2.3 Importing the Updated Template

• Open your Data Import record in ERPNext.
• Upload your revised file in the Attach File field.
• Click Start Import.
• Any errors will be shown by ERPNext along with the row number and field name.
• Correct the errors and keep repeating till successful.

3. Child Records Importing

In ERPNext, data is held in a parent-child table relationship.

• The parent table holds the top-level document fields (e.g., in a Sales Order: Customer, Company, Order Date).
• The child tables hold related rows of data (e.g., Items table, Taxes table).

Example:

• Item may have several Price List entries.
• Sales Invoice may have several Items and several Taxes.

When exporting documents that have child tables:

• Each child row is listed on a new line in your exported file.
• Parent columns will be repeated only for the first child row — all other rows for the same parent will have no parent columns.
• Don’t disrupt this row order when updating or re-importing; otherwise, ERPNext can’t associate the child rows with their proper parent record.

Tip: If you delete a child row from your import file, ERPNext will mark it as deleted and delete it from the parent record after import.

4. Import Options

4.1 Import from Google Sheets

You can directly import data from Google Sheets:

1. Upload or input your data in a Google Sheet using the ERPNext template.
2. Ensure that the Google Sheet is publicly accessible or shared with “Anyone with the link.”.
3. Copy the share link of the sheet and paste it on the Data Import Tool.
4. ERPNext will import the data directly.

Test the sharing options by accessing the link on an incognito browser to ensure it’s available.

4.2 Submit After Import

• ERPNext has two primary document types:
  • Masters (e.g., Customer, Task) → Can be saved but not submitted.
  • Transactions (e.g., Sales Orders, Purchase Invoices) → Can be submitted.
• If importing submittable documents, you can turn on Submit After Import to have them automatically submitted upon import.

4.3 Don’t Send Emails

• If Email Notifications are set up (e.g., send an email when a Lead is created), bulk importing may send out many emails.
• To avoid this, select Don’t Send Emails before initiating your import.

5. Additional Notes

5.1 Upload Limit

• ERPNext does not enforce a record limit, but for optimum performance, import a few thousand records per go.
• Very large imports (e.g., 50,000+ rows) can slow down the system for other users.

5.2 CSV Files and Encoding

• ERPNext accepts both .xlsx and .csv file formats for import.
• For CSV files with non-English characters, save them in UTF-8 encoding to prevent corrupted text.

For Microsoft Excel (latest versions):

• Save as Save As → CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited).

For older Excel versions:

• Save as normal CSV.
• Open file in Notepad.
• Use File → Save As → Encoding: UTF-8.
• Then re-import into ERPNext.

6. Related Topics

• Charts Of Accounts Importer
• Data Export

Follow for more

• Go to Zikpro ERPnext Demo
• www.zikpro.com