Batch Create and Batch Update functions streamline large-scale creation and updating of information in Manager. They can be used in all functional tabs except:
- Cash and Bank Accounts
- Billable Expenses
- Withholding Tax Receipts
- Projects
- Investments
- Depreciation Entries
- Amortization Entries
- Folders
- Attachments
- Emails
- Reports
- Settings
These batch operations can be used for some Settings, too:
- Divisions
- Exchange Rates
- Foreign Currencies
- Inventory Kits
- Non-inventory Items
- Payment Rules
- Receipt Rules
- Tax Codes
These batch operations are available whenever you see these buttons in the bottom-right corner of the Manager window:
Batch Create
To add new items to a tab, regardless of whether others already exist, click Batch Create. Follow the instructions sequentially. First, copy the blank template by clicking Copy to clipboard:
Paste the template into your spreadsheet program:
The template contains only column titles. It tells you what information is required for the batch operation.
Note
Illustrations in this Guide are for batch operations on inventory items, but procedures are the same wherever batch operations work. The blank template changes automatically.
Fill data into the empty spreadsheet template:
Example
Brilliant Industries enters information for some of its lighting products:
Notes
To understand each column, it may be helpful to first complete one entry of the type you are creating, filling all fields. Copy the resulting listing from the Batch Update window (see instructions below) and paste into a spreadsheet as an example. If columns are not understood, leave them blank. You can always edit them later.
In some cases, columns may contain 32-character hexadecimal strings known as UUIDs (universally unique identifiers) or GUIDs (globally unique identifiers) rather than plain-language text. These are used to identify bank accounts, custom fields, and other information, depending on the transaction type. Before batch operations can be used successfully, you will need to build a list associating UUIDs with specific accounts or ledgers. Without the correct UUIDs, Manager will ignore entries in batch operations.
When pasting into a spreadsheet for batch operations, date and number formatting in Manager and your spreadsheet program must be compatible to achieve common data interpretation. Typically, if number or date formats are not compatible, pasted content will be interpreted as text by the spreadsheet application. Text format may be acceptable if no calculations are required. But if number or date formats are needed, text to number or date format conversions are often available in the spreadsheet application. In some spreadsheet applications, regional settings must be modified to achieve compatibility. Pay particular attention to ambiguous date formats and decimal separators. Consult your spreadsheet documentation for further information.
Finally, copy and paste data for the newly created entries from the spreadsheet back into Manager. Be sure to copy and paste the column headings in addition to the data.
Click Next to review the information being added. If satisfactory, click Batch Create to enter the new items into Manager:
If not satisfactory click the Back button, modify the spreadsheet, and repeat the pasting process.
Example
Brilliant Industries’ batch-created inventory items now appear in the Inventory Items tab:
Batch Update
Batch updates are used to modify already existing items in a tab. They are somewhat simpler than batch creation, because the structure of the database is more obvious. Click on Batch Update. Again, follow the sequential instructions:
Example
Brilliant Industries decides to raise prices on its LED products using the Batch Update function. It copies and pastes inventory item data into a blank spreadsheet:
Note that each line in the spreadsheet now has a unique hexadecimal Key.
Use the spreadsheet program to update data:
For convenience, you can reorder rows or remove any you don’t need to update from the spreadsheet. You can also leave them in place, however. Do not remove or modify any content in the Key column for rows you keep.
Caution
Do not, under any circumstances, remove columns in the spreadsheet while updating. This will result in deletion of all content in those columns for included transactions.
Example
Brilliant Industries deletes the incandescent light bulb product, leaving only LED inventory items. It doubles their prices, using spreadsheet tools:
Copy and paste the updated data from the spreadsheet back into Manager. Be sure to copy and paste column headings in addition to the data. Click Next to review changes being made. If satisfactory, click Batch Update.
Example
Brilliant Industries’ pastes in the modified spreadsheet data and reviews it:
After acceptance, the updated Inventory Items list shows increased sale prices on LED products. The 100W incandescent bulb’s listing has not changed:
Note
You cannot add elements when using Batch Update, because a key is required for every row in the database. These keys are generated when new elements are added. To add elements in groups, use Batch Create.