If you have a significant number of parts and they already exist in another program... and if you are able to export information from that program, it may be easier to import the data into MasterQ rather than creating each record manually.

The file format required is called CSV which stands for comma separated values. Sometimes this format is called ASCII. It is a very common format that many programs are able to handle. (Microsoft Excel is able to easily export information in this format also. If your current software can export to Excel, you can copy it from Excel to a CSV file.)

The file should contain the unique part number followed by a comma, and then the description. As the file is processed, MasterQ will check to see if that file exists in your parts database. If it already exists, the entry will be ignored. If it does not exist, a new record will be created.

Always back up your files before importing files. Mistakes happen. Better safe than sorry.

You can back up your files using the Windows explorer program or use MasterQ's built in back up procedure. More information is available here.

TIP:

Not sure if your other program can export in this format? Can it export this information into an Excel spreadsheet? If so, Excel can export the data in the proper CSV format. NOTE: Depending upon the version of Excel you are using, the Excel window shown below may appear differently on your system. All versions of Excel are able to export using the CSV format.

The specific steps for creating the CSV export file will depend upon the software you are exporting from. Consult the documentation for that program. The export file for the part data file should contain 2 fields: the part number and the description.

A typical export file might look like this:

001-111,"Widget, Blue"

001-112,"Widget, Green"

001-113,"Widget, Purple"

Next: Importing Part Data

After you have created your CSV file with the part information to import, Select TOOLS-IMPORT-OCCASIONALLY-PART DATA from the main menu.

Next, you will need to tell MasterQ which file contains your data.

Use the look up button to browse files and click on the file you wish to import from. Or...
Type in the path and filename of your import file. Then...
Press the OK button to continue.

MasterQ will remember the file you choose. If you import this information again in the future, the file you used will be filled in automatically. If you want to use the same file, all you will need to do is press the OK button.

There are several options to consider before you import the part information.

The file you have selected to import from is displayed here. This is helpful if the file does not seem to contain what you expected.

Import data list shows the contents of the file. You should examine the displayed information to confirm that the part numbers look correct and that they appear in the first column. The description should appear in the second column if you have exported the file correctly.

Check Convert To Proper Case if your imported information is in all capitals and you wish to automatically change it to a mix of upper and lower case characters. For example, WHEEL would become Wheel.

Some programs automatically include a first line in the export file they create that lists the column heading. This might appear as "Part Number" or something similar. Check Skip First Line and MasterQ will ignore the first line.

Certain Agenda Development programs may automatically create part records for you under certain conditions. For example, BucketManager will automatically create a part number if you import a customer order for that part number. Part records may also be created automatically if you import inventories from another system, but the part with inventory does not exist in MasterQ. In these cases, the description will be set as "Description needs maintenance". Check this option to only update part records with a current description of "Description needs maintenance".

When the import process finds a part that already exists in your parts database a choice must be made. Check "Ignore, do not import" to skip existing parts. This is helpful if you have modified the description from it's original content. For example, many accounting systems may use names that are fine for internal use, but not marketing optimized. You don't want to lose improvements you have made. Check "Replace existing information with import" if you wish to use the descriptions from your import file even if you have made changes to them in MasterQ. Checking "Ask me each time" will show you changes and ask you to select which you wish to use. Parts with descriptions that match the import file will be ignored to save you time.

Once you have made the required decisions, the OK button will be enabled and you may proceed.

After the import process, a confirmation window will show the number of new parts added, modified, skipped and any errors encountered.