Inventory & Parts: Bulk Import

If you are starting from a spreadsheet, you do not have to key parts in one at a time. The Parts page accepts a CSV or Excel file and creates or updates hundreds of records in a single pass.

Running an import

Go to Inventory, then Parts.
Click Import at the top of the page.
Download the Excel or CSV template from the "Need a template?" line, or drop in a file you already have.
Match each column of your file to a FreeMaint field. Columns you do not need can be skipped.
Review the preview, choose how the file should be applied, and start the import.

Using the template

The Excel template arrives with the right headers already in place. Row 1 holds the column names, row 2 shows the expected type, and row 3 shows an example. Enter your data from row 4 down — rows 2 and 3 are hints and are ignored when you import.

What you can load

Name

The only required column. Everything else is optional.

Part Number

Your reference for the part. It is also how the importer recognises a part you already have, so a corrected sheet updates it instead of creating a duplicate.

Quantity and Min Quantity

On-hand stock, and the level at which a low-stock alert is raised.

Unit Cost and Sale Price

What you pay for the part, and what you charge when parts are billed to a customer.

Location (Name), Category (Name), Vendor (Name)

Matched by name against records you already have.

Storage Location

Free text for the shelf or bin, such as "Aisle A-5". This is not a warehouse.

Create, update, or both

Before the import runs you choose what should happen to rows that match a part you already have: create new records only, update existing ones only, or update the matches and create the rest. Because matching uses the Part Number, you can export your parts, correct them in Excel and re-import the same sheet without creating duplicates.

Stock spread over several warehouses

Filling in both Quantity and Location (Name) records that quantity at that location, and the part's overall on-hand becomes the sum of its locations. That is what lets you load one file per site.

Import your first site, with its quantities and its warehouse in the Location column.
Import each further site the same way, in "Update existing & create the rest" mode. Each file adds its own site's stock instead of replacing the total.
Leave the Location column empty if you keep a single overall figure instead — the Quantity column then updates that figure directly.

Limits

8,000 rows and 25 MB per file.
No limit on the total number of parts — split a larger sheet and upload the pieces one after another.
Each import adds to what is already there.

Tip

Running an import needs the "import parts" permission, which Admin, Manager and Warehouse Manager have by default. If the Import button returns an error, ask an administrator to check your role.

Warning

In update mode, a blank cell leaves the current value unchanged rather than clearing it. To detach a part from its location, type NONE in that column.

Importing Parts in Bulk