Frequently Asked Question
Overview
Counterpoint has a new mass upload routine wherein you can export system information into Excel, modify the information and then submit the modified files back to the system for upload/update.
The exports can be run at any time, but the uploads are run as a batch process after hours, so the upload will not be processed in real time.
Exporting Information
The first step in the process is to export the current information from the system. You can access this export via the menu path:
6. Inventory > 1. Data Maintenance > 5. Utilities > 8. Mass Upload Export
In the export screen, you have 4 fields to fill in:
- 1. Branch - This option selects which branch's information you wish to extract. Leave blank to select all branches
- 2. Starting Category - The program can export a range of categories. Enter the first category you wish to start with here, or blank to start at the beginning
- 5. Ending Category - If you are entering a range of categories, enter the last category here. If you are just running one category, enter the same category as you entered in "Starting Category". If you are running the entire inventory, press enter here.
- 7. Option (U, C, B) - Here you enter the type of export you want to review:
- U - Unique Fields Only - This will export all fields that are unique by branch
- C - Common Fields Only - This will export only those fields which are common amongst all branches
- B - Both Types - This will export two files, one for the unique fields and one for the common fields.
Once you have selected your options, press F1 to run the export. The export is processed in the background and once complete will return you to the menu. At that time, two new files will be available in the Z:\exports folder:
- CommonFieldsExport_USER_DATE.csv - This file will be saved with your current logged-in Counterpoint user in lieu of 'USER' and the current date/time in lieu of 'DATE'. The file contains all of the common (common to all branches) maintainable fields and is saved as a comma-delimited file to be opened in Excel.
- UniqueFieldsExport_USER_DATE.csv - This file will also be saved with your current logged-in Counterpoint user in lieu of 'USER' and the current date/time in lieu of 'DATE'. The file contains all of the unique (by branch) maintainable fields and is saved as a comma-delimited file to be opened in Excel.
With these files, you can modify any of the values in either file which you would like to change in the system with the following exceptions:
- Do NOT modify the Category or Part number. The category/part combination is used to identify the product and this routine is not meant to add/change part numbers
Uploading Information
Once you have completed the work on the CSV file, please save it with the same filename to the Z:\uploads folder.
When saving the file, please save it as .txt TAB-DELIMITED
After that day's End Of Day, the upload routine will read through that folder and process any of the available files.
The file names here are important as they will help the upload routines determine whether or not to go through with the upload portion of the routine.
Upload Reports
Once the upload is complete, all changes are logged and saved to the Z:\uploads\reports folder. The upload has 2 possible output files:
- Log File - This file is saved as MassUploadLog with a date/timestamp. This is a log of the nightly process, any files it finds and the associated audit/error files for each pass of the upload. If there were not files available to upload, the log file is still written to with a note that there were no files available.
- Audit File - The file is saved as your original filename with "_Log.csv" at the end. This file reports on the upload and will list all of the work that was done based on the file, with a line for what the record was and then a line of what the new record looks like
- Error File - The file is saved as your original filename with "_Error.txt" at the end. This file will list any items where an error was encountered, and a description of the error