When you first start using AnyOrder, you may need import inventory data on each of your products.  In other words, you'll want to tell AnyOrder how many of each product currently you have in inventory.  If you have just a few products, you can do that easily when you set-up the product in the Product Information Database.  If it's a lot of products, then it will be easier to import it. Once you have the inventory imported (or entered) in AnyOrder, then AnyOrder will take it from there and keep track of your inventory.

If you need import inventory, follow these steps:

1. Before starting, make sure that you have indicated your fiscal year in Basic Set-up.

2. Also before starting, make sure that you have entered your products in the Product Information Information Database.  Products can also be imported.   For more information: Product Information Database.

3. Create the import file. The file that you import should hold at least a catalog number and the inventory count.  The names of the items are not important since you can use the "update names" feature after the import is done to match the names in the Product Database with the Inventory File.)

If you want AnyOrder to calculate COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) for taxes and balance sheets, you'll want to include the cost of the item.  (This is what you paid for the item, either the manufacturing cost or what you paid to purchase it.)  Addtionally, if you have items on consignment, you'll also want to indicate the consigned inventory.

The easiest way to create the import file is use a spreadsheet program such as Excel.  One of the columns would contain the catalog number.  Another column would contain the inventory counts, etc. The order of the columns on your spreadsheet is not important.  Here's an example how you might construct your spreadsheet:

(a) In the first column of the spreadsheet, list all of the catalog numbers.  The catalog numbers must be the same as the catalog numbers that you are using in AnyOrder.

(b) In the second column, list the inventory counts for each product.

(c) In the third column, list the cost of each product.

(d) If you have products on consignment, create a fourth column.  In this column, enter the consignment inventory or, in other words, the counts of each item that you have placed on consignment.  If you have placed an item in more than one consignment location, the number to use here should be the sum of all consignment locations for that product.

Then save the file.  You can save it either as a comma delimited or tab delimited file, but we recommend that you save it as tab delimited.

2. Next, determine the "current" inventory file.  To determine the current inventory file, start at the Main Invoice Screen and select PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS and click on the "More Options" button.  Then click on the "Inventory File Information" button.  The name of the current file will be indicated.   Remember the file.

3. Select PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS and click on the "Manually Update Inventory" button

4.  If the current inventory file is on the list select. If not, create it.

5. The  Inventory File Screen will appear:

6. Select FILE >> IMPORT.  The following screen appears:

The feature works the same as other import functions in AnyOrder.

At the top of the screen, indicate the name of the file and the directory in which it's found.  Then click the "Create New Profile" button.

At this point you'll need to create a profile which indicates where the fields from your import file should placed in the Inventory File.  Directions on how to create the profile are found here: Inventory Import Profile

After you have created the profile, determine the number of records to import.  If you've created the file in a spreadsheet, then you'll usually select the last one:  "Import ALL Records (EXCEPT the first Record)"  The first record will have the names of the fields and it's not necessary to import it.

The import feature will search through existing catalog numbers in the inventory file. If it finds a catalog number, it will update the "Current Inventory" figure.  (The Starting Inventory figure is set to the same as the "Current" inventory and both Inventory Added and Shrinkage are set to zero.  That assures that the Current inventory is the same as the inventory count in the import file.)

If it doesn't find an existing catalog number in the Inventory File, it will add the catalog number, item name and inventory count to the file.  In other words, it will update any existing records with the inventory counts and it will add records when none exist.

If your import file doesn't contain item names or if the item names are different than those in AnyOrder's product database, you can use the "Update Item Names" process described here to coordinate the names.