Getting Your Data Ready
CatalogueLINK Upload's primary function is to connect to your accounting system and import product data from it before uploading it to your website.
For CatalogueLINK Upload to do this, the accounting system product data needs to be "linked" up against fields on the website.
CatalogueLINK Upload facilitates the connection of accounting system fields to website fields.
Selecting Accounting System Fields for the website
Your mappings will be setup in Setup – Catalogue Fields during the configuration session:
- FieldName: The website field that data from the accounting system will be matched against
- Item Code is the field name for Item codes on the site and the data needs to come from somewhere in the accounting system for items
- DataSourceField: This is the field in your accounting system where CatalogueLINK Upload will retrieve data from for the FieldName field
- Item Code will map against the accounting system field Item Number
- Select a FieldName row
- Click the Available Fields dropdown in the top right hand corner to display all the fields available
- Select the desired mapping and press Save
Note: There may be times where you want to enter your own data for a field manually.
This is where you can use ‘Enter my own’ for the field mapping selection.
For more information: see Editing Products in CatalogueLINK
Turning Fields On or Off
To turn fields on or off:
- Select a FieldName row that you wish to enable or disable
- Check or uncheck the UseField checkbox in the top left hand corner and press Save
Some fields have values that must be entered into CatalogueLINK itself. These include:
- Priority: The lower the priority value, the earlier the item will appear within a category level on your website.
- An item starting with ’Z’ but with a priority of 1 will appear before items beginning with ’A’.
- All items within a category level need to be given a priority value (e.g. 50) and the default view on the website set to Website Default for priority sorting to be enabled.
- Use Stock Quantities: Enter Yes or No to ensure that stock levels are used for items uploaded.
- Allow Negative Stock Quantities: Enter Yes or No to allow customers to order more than the current available stock for an item.
- IsHidden: If the value is set to Yes the item will not appear to customers on the website.
The table below shows the Required, Recommended and Optional fields in CatalogueLINK Upload:
| Field Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
Required | Product Code | |
| Product Name | ||
| Category Level 1 | ||
| Unit of Measure | ||
| Standard Price | ||
Recommended | Item Description | |
| Manufacturer Name | ||
| Category Level 2 | ||
| Category Level 3 | ||
| Size | ||
| Freight Size | ||
| GST Tax Rate | ||
| Stock Quantity | ||
| Use Stock Quantity | ||
| Allow Negative Stock Quantity | ||
Optional | Manufacturer Code | |
| UNSPSC | ||
| Special Instruction | ||
| Weight | ||
| Lead time | ||
| Minimum Order | ||
| IsHidden | ||
| Priority |
Importing Products
Once these fields are mapped and saved, click Import and perform our initial import of products:
- Click Import and select Catalogue Items
- When this process has completed you will see a listing of what CatalogueLINK Upload has imported
- Your products should then appear in the Items listing with a status of New (when the product is new to CatalogueLINK Upload) or Modifying (when a product's data has changed since the last import).
There may be a requirement for custom fields to be set up in the accounting system for use by the website.
This can also be covered during the configuration session.
Importing Customers and Customer Special Pricing
CatalogueLINK Upload's other core function is to connect to your accounting system, import customer records and upload them to the CMS attached to your website.
Website accounts can then be created for customers so they can login and purchase from your website.
- The setup of customer accounts will be covered in the next configuration session:
Unlike the import of products, there is no configuration for the import of customers.
However if you have customer special pricing, so for example Price Group A is assigned to one customer, Price Group B to another and you want this reflected on the website an option of Upload Financials must be enabled for each customer.
- This can be configured for all Customers in Setup – Customer Settings, individually in View / Edit or for groups of customers via Apply Data.
- Let's begin the Import of Customers and Customer Special Pricing
- Select Customer Information and Customer Special Pricing Information
- When this process has completed you will see a listing of what CatalogueLINK Upload has imported.
- Your customers should then appear in the Customer listing with a status of New (when the customer is new to CatalogueLINK Upload) or Modifying (when a product's data has changed since the last import)
Importing Invoices
The final data type we can import is Invoices.
Customers can then view and pay their invoices when they have a website account.
Note not all accounting system integrations offer invoice import.
See the Straightsell website for more information on what your accounting system can integrate with.
- For Invoices to be imported, Upload Financials must be enabled for a customer.
- This can be configured for all Customers in Setup – Customer Settings, individually in View / Edit or for groups of customers via Apply Data
- Click Import and select Invoice Information.
- When this process has completed you will see a listing of what CatalogueLINK Upload has imported.