The supplier import lets you create or update many suppliers at once from a CSV file, which is the quickest way to bring your existing supplier list into oboloo. This guide is for users who set up and maintain supplier data.
Before you start
Import your suppliers
Open Import Data
Go to Settings > Import Data. The Type tab shows the record types you can import.
Prepare your file from the template
In the Supplier Records box, click Download Sample Template. Fill it in with your supplier data, one supplier per row. Only Supplier Name is required.
Preferred Status must be exactly Preferred or Not Preferred.
Country must be a country name oboloo recognises, and Managed By must be the name of an active oboloo user.
To import a contact, fill in both Contact Name and Contact Email.
Remove empty rows and columns.
Click Import Suppliers
In the Supplier Records box, click the green Import Suppliers button. The Upload tab opens.
Upload your CSV file
Drag your file onto the page, or click Select CSV File and choose it. Only CSV files up to 25MB are accepted.
A preview of the first five rows appears. Click Continue to Mapping, or Upload Different File to start again.
Map your columns
On the Map Columns tab, check that each column in your file is matched to the right oboloo field in Map to oboloo field. Columns whose header closely matches a field name (90% or more) are mapped automatically, including custom fields. A preview of the mapped data is shown alongside.
Required fields that aren't mapped are listed in red under Required Fields Missing.
Recommended fields that aren't mapped are listed in orange under Optional, But Recommended. Contacts are only imported if both Contact Name and Contact Email are mapped.
Click Validate Data
oboloo checks your data and opens the Validate & Import tab. Review the messages at the top:
Some of your records cannot be imported: rows with errors, such as a missing Supplier Name, text in a number field, a Preferred Status other than Preferred or Not Preferred, or a Country or Managed By value that isn't found. These rows won't be imported unless you fix them.
We can fix these automatically: values that don't exist in your settings yet, such as locations, departments, industries, supplier types or payment terms. oboloo can create them for you.
Record that already exists in oboloo: rows whose Supplier Name matches an existing supplier. These rows will overwrite that supplier.
Check the Field Mapping Summary at the bottom. If you need to change your file, click Upload Different File.
Click Start Import
If oboloo found values it can create, a window opens. Tick Automatically create missing values (e.g. locations, departments, categories) and click Fix & Import Data to create them and import those rows. If you leave it unticked, click Import Only Valid Records and the affected rows are skipped.
A progress bar shows the records processed. Imports usually finish within a few minutes.
Fix any failed rows
When the import finishes, click Download Error Report to see each failed row and why it failed. Correct those rows, remove the rows that imported successfully, and import the file again. Download Imported Report lists the rows that were imported.
What happens next
New and updated suppliers: new names create new suppliers; matching names update the existing supplier. You become a supplier owner of each supplier imported.
Contacts: each row adds one contact if both Contact Name and Contact Email are filled in. On an update, a contact with the same email is updated rather than added again.
Logos: if you include a Website, oboloo fetches the supplier's logo automatically.
Import history: the History tab lists each import with who ran it, the number of records, how many imported and how many had errors, and lets you download the error and import reports. The status is Pending, Processing, Success or Failed.
Fields you can import
Group | Fields |
Supplier details | Supplier Name (required), Description / Notes, Supplier ID, Supplier Type, Website, Preferred Status, Managed By |
Classification | Industry, Sub-Industry, Location, Department |
Contact | Contact Name, Contact Email, Contact Position, Contact Phone Number, Contact Location |
Company and terms | Company Number, Tax Number, Payment Term, Shipping Term, Shipping Method |
Address | Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, County / State, Country, ZIP / Postal Code |
Custom fields | Any supplier summary custom field except dropdown custom fields |
Troubleshooting
My import says Failed, but some suppliers were imported
If any row fails, the whole import is marked Failed, even when most rows were imported. Check the Imported and Errors counts on the History tab and download the error report to fix the remaining rows.
My supplier was imported without a contact
Contacts are only imported when both Contact Name and Contact Email are mapped and filled in. Add the contact on the supplier record, or fix the row and import it again.
An existing supplier was overwritten
A row in your file had the same Supplier Name as an existing supplier. Correct the supplier on its record, and check names against your Supplier list before your next import.
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If you need further assistance, please contact your internal platform administrator for support. Otherwise please reach out to oboloo's support team. If you are unable to view the above area in the oboloo platform, please check your user permissions and access rights.