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Transitioning to becomes simple if you have a file containing your store's inventory information. This article will show you the steps and information you need to easily import your digital inventory using spreadsheet files. We'll go over:

• Prerequisites for Product Importing
• Standard Template
• Advanced Template
• File Setup Tips
• Excel Shortcuts

Please Note: Before you start your data import, we recommend reading the other two articles in the Import series: Import Products 2: Easy Import and Import Products 3: Mass Import. These will help you better understand your inventory migration options and choose the one best for you. Both articles are linked in the Related Articles section at the bottom of this page.  

Prerequisite Steps

Before you import your products, you have to first add the following information in the Back End:

• Departments — In the Back End go to Administration > Departments.
• Taxes — In the Back End go to Taxes > Taxes.

Sections (Administration > Sections) and Vendors (Inventory > Vendors) are optional columns, but if you want to include them in your file, make sure to first create all Sections and Vendors in the Back End. 

These file columns need to match the information in the Back End you’ve added. For example, if you have a Department ID of 55 for a product in your file, make sure you have a department with an ID of 55 in your Back End.

We also recommend spending time to make your file thorough and well-organized, as it will make the transition to much easier.

Data Fields for Product Importing

Before you can get started on inventory importing, you'll have to first set up a file in the correct format and with the right fields. First, make sure that your file is saved in the CSV format. Your file also must have, at minimum, these columns: 

• UPC — This is either the UPC number of the item or its PLU. does not accept alpha characters in the UPC or codes longer than 13 digits. You do not need to add the leading zeroes.
• Description — This is the name of the product. Any items without Descriptions will not be imported, and you need to make sure there are no commas in the Description.
• Price — Enter the Price customers will pay for the item. Do not enter the dollar sign ($). 
• Department — Before you make your import file, make sure to first create Departments in the Back End, as the system will automatically generate IDs for each Department. Then in your import product file, you have to add these Department IDs to each item.
• Tax — Before you make your import file, make sure to first create Taxes in the Back End, as the system will automatically generate IDs for each Tax. Then in your import product file, you have to add these Tax IDs to each item.  

Other recommended, but not required, fields are:

• Cost — Add how much this item costs you per unit. Add it as a decimal value with data to the hundredths place. Do not enter the dollar sign ($).
• Weighted — This indicates if the product is sold by weight or by unit. Enter TRUE or FALSE here.
• Foodstampable — This indicates if the item is eligible to be covered by EBT (SNAP). Enter TRUE or FALSE for this field.
• QuantityOnHand — Enter how many units you currently have in stock for this item. If you want to update the quantity of an existing product, entering a number here will add that to any current Quantity On Hand.  
• SectionID — Enter the numerical value that corresponds to the Section. If there is no section, leave it blank; do not enter a 0. 
• VendorID — Enter the numerical value that corresponds to the Vendor. If there is no section, leave it blank; do not put a 0.
• ValidAge — Enter the minimum age required to buy this item, such as 21 for alcoholic products.
• PLU — Enter the Price Lookup Code.
• Active — Enter TRUE or FALSE to note that the product is currently being sold.
• Deleted — Enter TRUE or FALSE to mass delete or mass re-activate products.

You can also add more columns as you see fit to simplify operations for the future.

Please note: Make sure that Department, SectionID, VendorID, and Tax all have a reference in your Back End. For example, if you have a Department ID of 55 for a product in your file, make sure you have a department with an ID of 55 in your Back End. We also recommend spending time to make your file thorough and well-organized, as it will make the transition to much easier.

Standard Template

You can download a standard template we've made here. This template has every field, both required and recommended, listed out in the section above.

Later on, if you would like to make an update to a file via import, you must include the UPC field. All other fields will be ignored unless they have a value in them. For example, if you do not have anything in the cost field of an item, updating it will leave the cost as it was, rather than replacing it with 0.

Advanced Template

If you want a more advanced template for the import process, you can download one we've made here. This includes Special Pricing Methods for temporary price reduction. For a description of each pricing method, refer to our article on Special Product Pricing.

In the “SpecialPricingMethod” field, put the numeric value that corresponds with the following pricing methods. 

• Unit–Pricing = 0
• Split–Package = 1
• Group–Threshold = 2
• Group–Adjusted = 3
• Limited–Pricing = 4

Here is what each Special Pricing Method means:

• Unit-Pricing — Standard item discount pricing.

• Split-Package — Individual items broken out from a combined package, like cans from a 6-pack.

• Group-Threshold — Standard unit price is paid until a set number of items is reached, and then you get an additional item free; for example, if you buy four items at their normal price of $1.25 each, the fifth one is free for that total of $5.

• Group-Adjusted — Standard unit price is paid but if you buy a set quantity or more, the per-unit price is reduced to the Group-Adjusted price. For example, if you buy three or fewer of an item, they are the standard price of $1.25, but if you buy 4 or more, they are each $1.

• Limited Pricing — You set a number of items that will have limited pricing, and any additional items are standard price. For example, the first four items are $1 each, then each additional item would be the standard $1.25. 

For fields indicating dates, like Start Date and End Date, format them in MM/DD/YYYY format.

If you want to add multiple taxes or fees, separate the IDs with an ampersand (&). For example, if you want to add 3, 6, and 7 as Tax IDs to one item, you would populate the field like so: 3&6&7.

File Setup Tips

Delete Fields: If you would like to remove a field during the importing process, add an exclamation mark (!) to the field that you would like to remove. Here's an example:

Note that the Cost field for this item has only an exclamation mark in it.

Selecting columns not in the template: If you would like to import a CSV file that is not aligned with the template below, you can still map every section in your file to a corresponding column. This step will come after your file upload. Note that we do not allow one column to be mapped to two fields, and every field has to be mapped. If you have a column you don’t want to map, please delete the column from your file before importing. 

Excel Shortcuts

Here are some Microsoft Excel shortcuts to help you navigate the program as you create your file.

Find and Replace

Use the Find and Replace feature in Excel to search for something in your workbook, such as a particular number or text string.

On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Find & Select.

To find text or numbers, click on Find. You can also use the keyboard shortcut by pressing Ctrl + F. To find and replace text or numbers, click on Replace.

In the Find What field, type the text or numbers that you want to find. You can use wildcard characters, such as an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?), in your search criteria.

• Use the asterisk to find any string of characters. For example, s*d can find “sad” and “started."
• Use the question mark to find any single character. For example, s?t can find “sat” and “set."
• You can find asterisks, question marks, and tilde characters (~) in worksheet data by preceding them with a tilde character in the Find what box. For example, to find data that contains “?”, you would type ~? as your search criteria.

Click Options to further define your search. You can do any of the following:

• To search for data in a worksheet or in an entire workbook, use Within. Select Sheet or Workbook.
• To search for data in rows or columns, use Search. Select By Rows or By Columns.
• To search for data with specific details, use Look In. Select Formulas, Values, Notes, or Comments.
  Please note: Formulas, Values, Notes, and Comments are only available on the Find tab, whereas only Formulas are available on the Replace tab.
• If you're searching for case-sensitive data, check the box for Match Case.
• If you want your search to only contain the characters you've entered in Find What, click on the checkbox for Match Entire Cell Contents.

Once you've set all of your search filters, click on Find Next or Replace to find or replace individual cells. If you want to find or replace all cells that have your search criteria, click on Find All or Replace All.

Trim Digits From a List of UPCs

• Open the spreadsheet containing the cell that you wish to trim.
• Click inside the cell where you wish to display the number that has had its last digit removed.
• Type the formula =LEFT(A1, LEN(A1)-1) into the cell, but replace each A1 with the location of the cell that contains the number for which you want to remove a digit. You can then press Enter on your keyboard to calculate the formula.
• You can then copy the cell containing the formula and paste it into any other cell that contains a number you wish to shorten by one digit.

Related Articles

Articles in this series:
Import Products 1: Data File (this article)
Import Products 2: Easy Import
Import Products 3: Mass Import

Product Maintenance

Mass Product Editor

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I have a question, but I can't find my answer here. How do I get more assistance?

A: If you need immediate assistance, the team is available 24/7. Feel free to contact our support team at 877-752-0625. You can also email us at support@marktpos.com, and we will respond within 24 hours.