Consignor and inventory information may be imported into Deluxe, Diamond and Virtual databases from spreadsheets. (Buyer information may be imported into Diamond and Virtual databases. Deluxe does not have Buyer Records.)

Please note: MSWorks does not export data in correct format. Please use MSOffice Excel or use free Google Docs online or free Open Office (which is very similar to Microsoft Office).

Why Import?

Save time: Hours of data-entry time may be saved if data for consignors and/or inventory and/or buyers already exists in spreadsheet format. If data does not exist in a spreadsheet, entering data in a spreadsheet (for many items) and importing that information into BCSS may save time.

Also, data may be entered by multiple people each using a different computer and spreadsheet. Data from each spreadsheet can be imported into one BCSS database. Selective price labels may be printed by making settings on the Labels Screen.

Manage BCSS Records: Export data from BCSS to a spreadsheet. Make changes. Add new records. Import back to BCSS. Existing records will be updated and new BCSS records will be created for new entries.

The Spreadsheet Source Files

The 'Source Files' consignors.csv and inventory.csv (and buyers.csv for BCSS Diamond and Virtual) are used for entering information about consignors, inventory (and buyers).

The files are located in the BCSS folder (C:\BCSS or C:\Program Files(x86)\BCSS or C:\Program Files\BCSS). If these files are not in the BCSS folder, please email support to obtain them.

Entering Data in the Source Files

The first row in the spreadsheet contains 'headers'. It is imperative that no changes be made to any cell in the first row or to the order of the columns.

The second row in the spreadsheet will be the first record in BCSS for a Consignor, Inventory Item or a Buyer.

Here are some data-entry rules that must be followed:

• REMOVE ALL LINES OF INSTRUCTION (row 2 and all rows below row 2) before importing.
• Use the date format selected in Program Setup. The default is mm/dd/yyyy. (example: 10/31/2010)
• Use this phone format: 555-555-5555
• Percentages are entered in decimal format: Enter 45% as .45, NOT 45% or 45. Enter 1 for 100%.
• NEVER use commas or carriage returns (line breaks) or quotation marks in any cell. Use Excel's Find and Replace feature to find commas and quotation marks and replace them with 'nothing' (by leaving the 'Replace with' field blank).
• Periods and apostrophes may be used.
• Enter 'T' (without quotes) for Mailings or Reports or Online Access, or leave blank. T = True; F = False
• For Disposition (of unsold inventory), enter 1 for Destroy, 2 for Donate, 3 for Return, 4 for Transfer to House. If this field is left blank, the setting in Program Setup will apply. The default setting is Return.
• Any cell may be left blank. BCSS will use defaults (in Program Setup) if a cell is blank. (examples: Consignor % is 40% by default. Unsold Item Disposition is 'Return to Consignor'.)
• For Buy Outright enter the Selling Price and Consignor %. BCSS will compute the Price Paid when buy-outright items are imported.
• Extremely Important: The last column in the spreadsheet (named Internal ID) is an internal identifier used by BCSS. No entries or changes can be made in that column. Entries made by the program should be left unedited.

BCSS Internal IDs

BCSS assigns a unique 'Internal ID' to each buyer, consignor and inventory item and uses that ID to identify each record.

• Internal IDs may be viewed by exporting consignor, inventory or buyer records using the (CSV) export functions under Utilities. Consignor Internal IDs are also displayed on individual consignor records.
• The Consignor ID must be entered on the inventory.csv spreadsheet (in column B) for each item to let BCSS know to whom the item belongs.
• The Consignor ID can be entered in the last column (Internal ID) to update an existing consignor record.
• The Internal ID must NOT be entered in the last column (Internal ID) on the inventory.csv spreadsheet when importing new inventory.
• The Internal ID can be entered in column R to update an existing Inventory record.
• The Buyer ID can be entered in the last column (Internal ID) to update an existing buyer record.
• Duplicate records will be created if the same (buyer, consignor, inventory) data is imported again without the Internal ID.

Create Consignor Records Before Entering Inventory:

1. Create a Consignor Record for every consignor for whom inventory will be imported. (Create records by importing consignor information from a spreadsheet (see how below) and/or by adding Consignor Records using the New-Consignor Screen.)
2. Export Consignor Records using 'Export CSV Consignors' under Utilities in BCSS:

   

3. Save the file to the Desktop and set it aside for reference (to Consignor Internal IDs) when adding items to the inventory spreadsheet.

Preparing the Source Files for Import

1. Open your computer's spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excel or something similar - Free spreadsheet programs are available from openoffice.org and Google Docs. Please DO NOT use MSWorks.)
2. Click on File, Open and navigate to C:\BCSS (or the location where BCSS was installed).
3. Select consignors.csv, inventory.csv or buyers.csv and click Open (or something similar).
4. Save the file to the Desktop (where it can be easily located later). This will leave the original .csv files in the BCSS folder for future reference.
5. In (consignors.csv, inventory.csv or buyers.csv) read the instructions and guidelines in Column A and delete all rows that contain instructions.
6. When preparing and importing a Source File for the first time, test the process by importing only 2-3 entries. If errors are encountered, the incorrect entries can be corrected by making corrections on the spreadsheet then importing the same records again.

It is NOT necessary to enter the Item ID in the inventory spreadsheet. It IS necessary to enter the Consignor Internal ID in column B. From that BCSS will determine the correct Item ID (Consignor ID and next Item Number) and will auto-enter the Item ID in the Item Record.

To change information about an item in the database, enter the Item ID in column A. Otherwise, leave column A blank.

Importing Data into BCSS from the Source File

1. After the import sheet has been prepared, in BCSS, under Utilities, select Import Consignors or Import Inventory or Import Buyers.

   

2. Navigate to consignors.csv, inventory.csv or buyers.csv (or whatever filename you assigned). Select the appropriate one. (A message will appear warning of duplicate records, if any. Abort the import, correct the duplication(s) and attempt to import again.)
3. Records will be added to the BCSS database, or records will be updated if Internal IDs were included in the import. View the new records for accuracy.

Reminder: BCSS Deluxe does not have Buyer Records.

Helpful Hint: Once a Consignor Record has been created in BCSS, it cannot be deleted. It may be edited and used for another Consignor only if there has been no activity in the account.

Save the current database before importing. If errors are made during import, just restore the saved database. If several incorrect records are imported, rather than correct them, uninstall BCSS and reinstall to remove all entries, or restore the blank database (in C:\BCSS\Database Blank).

When importing records for the first time, import just 1 or 2 records. View the records in BCSS for accuracy before importing more records. Finding mistakes at the very beginning will save hours of time later on.

With Diamond or Virtual, incorrect Buyer Records can be deleted so when importing records for the first time, it might be better to experiment with importing Buyer Records (rather than Consignor Records which cannot be deleted).

Update BCSS Records Using a Spreadsheet

Consignor, inventory and buyer information in BCSS may be updated by importing the same record with the Internal ID entered in the last column (Internal ID).

1. If necessary, export consignor or buyer records to obtain Internal IDs.
2. Save the exported data under another file name, like 'inventory-edit.csv'.
3. Delete all of the items on the spreadsheet which aren't to be amended.
4. Make changes to the records to be amended.
5. In BCSS, under Utilities, select Import Consignors or Import Inventory or Import Buyers.
6. Check the records of the items amended for accuracy.

If there are many records in the exported file, rather than delete hundreds or thousands of entries, create a new spreadsheet with the same first row (headers) and copy/paste the rows (that are to be amended) from the exported file to the new file, then import only those records.

What Is a .CSV File?

Data is entered in a spreadsheet in table format. Cell E2 (column E, row 2) contains the value 'Milton' in this example:

Each row in the table is a record. In the above example, row 1 is the record for Ben Adams.

Each column in the table (A, B, C etc.) is a 'field' and contains information related to the record. In this example, Column A is the 'Consignor ID field'; Column B is the 'Name field' and so on.

A data file can be saved in 'comma separated form' with a .csv extension. When a .csv file is opened in a text editor (like Notepad) the data appears on one line and the data (fields) are separated by commas - hence the name, 'comma separated'.

When a .csv file is opened in a spreadsheet program (like Excel, Google Docs or Open Office), the data appears as it is displayed in rows and columns:

For free support, send us an email. (Add the domain name mm.st to your email program's Approved Senders List or White List to lessen the chance that spam filters will block our emails to you. (Instructions) For phone support please contact Joy Archer, enJoy Consigning Services, 972-898-7921