Data Imports: Companies

! Only administrators may import data through the data import feature.

! The company import can only be used to ADD companies to the system and CANNOT be used to EDIT company details.

The companies import can be used to import your existing customer and suppliers lists. Flowlens will provide a template which, if followed, will ensure the information is added to the system.

In Flowlens, our system is set up in such a way that:

• All customers and suppliers are treated as a company on the system, but each of these companies must be assigned a company type. This allows for easier filtering/searching.
• Companies data imports can only be uploaded one type at a time.
• Whether a customer is an individual or a business, they will both be treated as a company in Flowlens. The reason for this is that if there if you have Finance module/ accounts integration (now or at a later date) a B2B or B2C transaction are treated in the same way and a company has the necessary fields to accommodate this.

! We recommend that the configurable settings in Flowlens are completed prior to any import as there will be fields applicable for the import. This will ensure that data does not need to be manually updated per individual company after the initial import.

Completing a Companies data import

! Users must not upload a file containing companies of varying types. Only one type of company should be bulk uploaded at a time. I.E a data import for supplier companies, followed by a separate upload for customer companies.

The link to upload data imports is found within the Settings menu.

Upon selecting the data imports option, users will be shown a pop-up window and asked to select the desired import. Select 'Companies' from the drop-down.

The user will then be given two options:

• Companies Template - This will download a zip file for the user, which contains two files - a CSV for the data import and a .txt file.
• I’ve Used This Template - To be used if the user already has a clean template, perhaps from a previous import.

The instructions document contains informations on the data that needs to be added to specific columns.

Example: Instructions for the ‘GDPR Sources’ field on the data import inform the user that when adding information into this column, the user must select an option from the specified list.

The user should populate the CSV file accurately, adding any relevant companies with exact details to the spreadsheet.

Once the import spreadsheet is completed, save this file as a CSV.

On the Flowlens application, users will see an option to ‘Choose File’. Select this and upload the file to be imported.

Once the file has been uploaded, the user will be given the option to define the ‘Company Type’, which is based on the configured company types defined in the Settings menu.

Before confirming the import, users will be asked to confirm the import, as well as shown the following statement:

"By proceeding with this Data Import, you are confirming that the Data is correct, and you acknowledge that importing this Data will create/update the information already present in Flowlens. Once the Data is imported, the import cannot be rolled back."

Once users select ‘Import Data’, there will be a confirmation message that the import has been scheduled. Shortly thereafter, the system will begin to import the data.

If the import is:

Import Complete - The user will receive an email from Flowlens to confirm the number of companies that have been imported.

Import Failed - The user will receive an email from Flowlens to state the import was cancelled and the file will need to be reviewed.