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.

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.

Manage BCSS Records: Export data from BCSS to a spreadsheet. Make changes. Add new records. Import back to BCSS. Any changes in the spreadsheet will overwrite existing BCSS records and new BCSS records will be created for the new spreadsheet 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:\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 Buyer.

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

• For Consignor ID's use part or all of the last name (and part/all of the first name, if needed - no spaces). (example: SmithJohn)
• Use this date format: mm/dd/yyyy. (example: 10/01/2009)
• Use this phone format: 555-555-5555
• Percentages are entered in decimal format: Enter 45% as .45, NOT 45% or 45.
• NEVER use commas or carriage returns (line breaks) in any cell.
• 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 (set in Program Setup) if a cell is blank. (examples: Consignor % is 40% by default. Unsold Item Disposition is 'Return to Consignor'.)
• 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.

BCSS Consignor IDs

BCSS assigns an 'Internal ID' to each Consignor. The ID must be entered in the inventory.csv spreadsheet (in column R) for each item to let BCSS know to whom the item belongs.

The Internal ID can only be viewed by exporting Consignor Records, therefore:

1. Consignors must be entered in BCSS before their inventory can be entered
2. Export Consignor Records to view Consignor's 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 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 when adding items to the inventory spreadsheet.

Preparing the Source Files

1. Open your computer's spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excel or something similar - Free spreadsheet programs are available from openoffice.org and Google Docs.)
2. Click on File, Open and navigate to C:\Program Files\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 after the 2nd row before importing records into BCSS.
6. When preparing and importing a Source File for the first time, test by entering only 2-3 entries, save the file and import.

When entering several items for one consignor, enter the next Item Number ID (like lastname-1) in column A then use Excel's 'Fill Handle' to drag/fill a series of Item Numbers in subsequent cells. (See Excel help.)

Importing Data into BCSS from the Source File

1. 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. 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 if there has been no activity in the account.

If several incorrect records are imported, much time will be wasted correcting all of them. BCSS can be uninstalled and reinstalled to remove all entries.

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

If you are using 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.

Update BCSS Records Using a Spreadsheet

When data is imported into BCSS, BCSS records are overwritten with the spreadsheet information, so consignor, inventory and buyer information in BCSS may be updated by editing spreadsheet data and importing into BCSS.

Please note that any changes made to consignor, inventory or buyer records using BCSS Edit Screens will be lost if spreadsheet information is imported. To avoid this, export all consignor, inventory or buyer information to a new spreadsheet. Amend information in the spreadsheet then import into BCSS again.

Steps to Avoid Losing Changes Made in BCSS

A potential problem with allowing changes via the spreadsheet or within BCSS is that changes made in BCSS will be lost when spreadsheet data is imported.

Follow this procedure to avoid losing changes made in BCSS:

1. In BCSS, under Utilities, click on 'Export CSV Consignors' (to export consignor records) or 'Export Inventory' (to export or 'Export CSV Buyer List' (to export buyer records). Any changes that were made in BCSS using add and Edit Screens will be exported to a .csv spreadsheet file.
2. When saving the export .csv file, include the date in its name for identification.
3. Make changes in the spreadsheet information (which can include new records).
4. Extremely Important: The last column in the spreadsheet is an internal identifier used by BCSS. No entries or changes can be made in that column.
5. In BCSS, under Utilities, click on 'Import Consignors' or 'Import Inventory' or 'Import Buyers' to update BCSS records.

What Is a .CSV File?

Data is entered in a spreadsheet in table form. Cell C2 (column C, row 2), for example, contains the value 'Milton' in this example:

Each row in the table is a record. In the above example, the record is 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 'name field'.

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'.

If you did not purchase telephone support, please email support for help. (Add 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)