Overview

Cost Center Import is used to mass import values into a line item level custom field for customers called Cost Centers. Usage of this custom field is optional, so you can utilize it for one customer but not another if you wish.

Cost Center Data Requirements

Before importing cost centers, it is essential that the various fields for Customer (Customer Number, Customer ID, Contact ID, etc.) already exist in ChannelOnline. If the criterion is NOT met, the import will FAIL.

Upload / Import File

To build a new import file, you can use the Sample file provided by ChannelOnline. This can be retrieved by going to Admin -> Import/Export -> Import/Export Wizard and then clicking Sample File under Cost Center Import. Note that this file is in tsv format. If you are using Excel, you can take the file from the location on your computer after downloading it and drag it into an empty Excel window. When saving the file, make sure to save it in the appropriate file format (xls, txt, etc).

To begin importing cost center data:

1. Go to Admin -> Import/Export -> Import/Export Wizard, then click Cost Center Import.
2. Select the appropriate option to specify the import file type.
3. Click on Browse to locate the import file that is stored on a local computer. Note that if the import file has a header line as line 1 of the doc, you will need to check the box for “Header Row included as Row 1”.
4. Click on Next to continue to the next section, Field Mapping / Import.
5. You should be on a page that has two selection boxes, the columns from the import file on the left and the ChannelOnline fields to map to on the right. To map the columns from the import file to the designated ChannelOnline field, select the column from the left and the ChannelOnline field that this column should map to on the right, then click the button called “Map to ChannelOnline”. Do this for all columns you wish to map. Alternatively, to un-map a column, select the ChannelOnline field from the right and click the Remove button.
6. If you wish to save the above mapping so that you do not have to manually map each column again, you can save this mapping by giving it a Profile Name at the bottom of the page. Then in the future, if you are uploading a file that has the same column format and ordering, you can simply select the saved profile in the dropdown at the top of the page.
7. If there is a column that is not part of your import file but you wish to apply the same value to that field for all lines in the file, you can select the field from the ChannelOnline fields section, click the Enter Value button, then enter the value in the resulting box and click OK.
8. Click Start Import. The resulting page will have a progress bar that will update as the import progresses.