Importing Data
Supported Formats
- CSV (.csv): Comma-separated values
- Excel (.xlsx, .xls): Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
What You Can Import
| Data Type | Fields |
|---|---|
| Customers | Name, email, phone, billing address, notes |
| Products | Name, SKU, description, price, UPC |
| Customer Locations | Customer, location name, shipping address |
Import Process
1
Prepare Your File
Ensure your file has headers in the first row and consistent data formatting
2
Start Import
Go to Customers or Products and click Import
3
Upload File
Select your CSV or Excel file
4
Map Columns
Match your spreadsheet columns to Buddy fields
5
Preview
Review sample rows to verify mapping is correct
6
Import
Click Import to process all rows
Column Mapping
During import, you’ll map your columns to Buddy fields:| Your Column | Maps To |
|---|---|
| ”Company Name” | Customer Name |
| ”Email Address” | Billing Email |
| ”SKU Number” | Product SKU |
| ”Price” | Unit Price |
Handling Duplicates
When importing, Buddy checks for existing records:- Match found: Updates the existing record with new data
- No match: Creates a new record
- Uncertain match: Creates a review in Data Quality
- Customers: Email address, company name
- Products: SKU, UPC code
Import Tips
Clean Your Data
Remove blank rows and fix obvious errors before importing
Use Consistent Formatting
Keep dates, phone numbers, and addresses in consistent formats
Start Small
Test with a small batch first to verify mapping
Check for Duplicates
Review Data Quality after importing for potential duplicates
Exporting Data
Export Process
1
Navigate to List
Go to Customers, Products, or Sales Orders
2
Apply Filters
Filter the list to show only records you want to export (optional)
3
Select Records
Check the boxes for records to export, or use Select All
4
Export
Click Export in the bulk actions bar
Select All Matching
To export all records matching your filters:- Apply your filters
- Click the checkbox in the header row
- Click Select all X matching that appears
- Click Export
Export Format
Exports are CSV files containing:- All visible columns
- Data formatted for spreadsheet use
- UTF-8 encoding for international characters
What You Can Export
| Data Type | Available Fields |
|---|---|
| Customers | Name, email, phone, address, tier, status, notes |
| Products | Name, SKU, description, price, status, UPC |
| Orders | Order number, customer, date, status, total, items |
| Invoices | Invoice number, customer, amount, status, dates |
Troubleshooting
Import fails to process
Import fails to process
- Check file format is CSV or Excel
- Ensure headers are in row 1
- Remove any blank rows
- Check for special characters that may cause issues
Columns won't map correctly
Columns won't map correctly
- Verify column names match expected fields
- Check for hidden characters in headers
- Try renaming columns to simpler names
Records creating as new instead of updating
Records creating as new instead of updating
- Ensure matching fields (email, SKU) are populated
- Check for typos or extra spaces
- Verify the existing record hasn’t been modified
Export missing records
Export missing records
- Check your filters aren’t excluding records
- Verify you selected the records before exporting
- Try exporting a smaller batch first
Best Practices
Keep Originals
Save a copy of your original file before importing
Document Sources
Note where imported data came from for future reference
Regular Exports
Export data periodically as a backup
Review After Import
Check Data Quality for any issues after large imports