Multidrop - Manifest Issues (Data Import)

I've tried importing an order file but keep getting an error?

If you are uploading our standard (.xlsx) manifest and you're receiving an error, or, you're uploading a standard .csv file in the same layout then please check the following:

  • Filename - this should not contain any symbol other than an underscore ( _ ) and no commas (,) or ampersands (&), please also remove any spaces.
  • Tab Name - in the .xlsx file, the tab name should be called 'Data' and nothing else.
  • Cells - the cells with data in should not contain invalid symbols such as commas (,) which, in a CSV file can split the data incorrectly and cause an error or quotation marks which are sometimes used in product descriptions (") as this can also cause errors when uploading.  If you wish to show inches in a description simply use two apostrophes to replicate this ('').  Telephone Numbers should not contain symbols either, they should only contain numbers
  • Custom Files - If you have a custom import file that has been developed specifically for you, please compare the columns and titles to previously imported files in case the customer supplying the file has changed or removed anything which would not match the custom-developed import process.

XLSX Manifest File

Our standard import file is formatted and set up for our system, there are cell rules and formatting in place to ensure all data entered is valid and specific.  There are pop-up note comments on the file to explain what needs to go where and the type, please see the list of these values and types below.

  • QTY - Number Value, please enter a value between 1 - 50.
  • Parts -  Number Value, please enter a value between 1 - 50.
  • Weight -  Number Value, please enter a value between 1 - 1000.
  • Cube -  Number Value, please enter a value between 1 -1000.
  • Delivery Charge -  Finance Value, please enter a monetary value over 0, this cell is not required to be completed if no set price is agreed etc so leave it as 0. DO NOT enter '£ -' as a value.
  • Delivery Instructions - Text formatted, please ensure any instructions entered into this column are complete text sentences so they can be read clearly, do not just enter a mobile number without text as this causes issues.

Shopify Default Export File

The standard CSV file exported from Shopify is formatted and set up for our system, when viewing 'Orders' on Shopify you can filter them down and search for specifics, select the orders you wish to export from the results via the tick boxes on the left and then click 'export' on the right - select plain CSV file and this will generate a file containing all recipient data and product descriptions and codes that can be imported into the system.

PLEASE NOTE: This file DOES NOT contain any product weights or CBM.  Shopify is aware and has said they have it on their internal reviews to add in eventually so you will need to add this data to our system once the orders are imported.

Tried all of the above and still getting an error?

Please make sure you're uploading a file that is using our default file layout with matching headers by comparing it to other files - you can download a copy of our blank default manifest .xlsx file here to compare your file with.  

If you're copying and pasting data into our file ensure you're pasting the data into the file as 'values' to maintain the file integrity rather than overwriting the cell settings, if you need to learn more about pasting values instead of formatted data check out this tutorial - 9 Ways to Copy and Paste as Values in Excel | How To Excel

Mixed Data Imports

Mixed data types are a bit of a nightmare to handle, Excel just doesn't like them in the files.

Excel will use the first 8 rows to determine the data type based on the majority, so if 5 are numeric and 3 are alphanumeric it will simply ignore the alphanumeric values... stupid, right?

The only way you can handle this is by sorting the data before you import it. So that the alphanumeric values are at the top because Excel doesn't seem to mind numeric values after alphanumeric ones.  

To do this, open the CSV in Excel, select the headers and in the home tab above select   'sort & filter', you can then add column filters to the sheet along the top.  

Select the drop-down arrow in the column you wish to filter (usually order Numbers or References) to show the filter/sort options and select 'Sort Z-A' to sort large to small and import again.

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