Updating business affiliates through an import

Updating business affiliate records in SmartTurn is very similar to creating business affiliate records, but with some subtle differences. You can make note of these points to successfully use the SmartTurn Business Affiliates Template to update business affiliate records that already exist in SmartTurn.

Please read these instructions prior to updating so that you can gain an understanding of what is required during the update process, and how it's different from uploading the data for the first time. The key concepts to remember for updating are:

• You must already have business affiliate records in SmartTurn in order to make updates using this spreadsheet. More info...

  When you update records in SmartTurn, you will be modifying data that already exists in SmartTurn. For instance, if you upload an update for a vendor that doesn't currently exist in SmartTurn, the update will fail.

• Be careful about leaving blank cells in updates. More info...

  When you leave cells blank in updates, you run the risk of erasing existing data. For instance, if one of your business affiliates changes their fax number, you can tab over to the Fax number cell and enter the new data. But if, in the process of tabbing, you accidentally erase the Zip code, SmartTurn will read that as having changed the zip code to blank. On non-required fields, SmartTurn doesn't prevent you from blanking out a field where there was data before. The system assumes it was intentional.

  If you start from a SmartTurn export, the cells will be populated with current data, and you will leave that data there to upload again.

• If you use the Addresses worksheet, the Data worksheet also needs data. More info...

  If you are only updating any of the Ship From, Bill To, Ship To, or Pay To addresses, the upload still requires data in both worksheets When you make updates to any of the business affiliate addresses found in the Business Affiliate Addresses worksheet, the Business Affiliates Data worksheet must contain a row for each Company Name to which you are making address updates using the Business Affiliate Addresses worksheet. Even if you are updating multiple addresses for a company, the Business Affiliates Data worksheet only needs to list the corresponding Company Name row once.

  If you are not updating the Main Address, or any of the other company data on the Business Affiliates Data worksheet, the Action field on the Business Affiliates Data worksheet still contains "UPDATE". But before you update, make sure that your data in the Business Affiliates Data worksheet is in synch with what is in SmartTurn, because SmartTurn writes the information in both worksheets based on the value in the Action field of every row. Alternatively, type "IGNORE" into every cell to the right of the Action and Company Name fields in the Business Affiliates Data worksheet. This way, SmartTurn will leave existing information as is, without overwriting it with what is in the update rows in the Business Affiliates Data worksheet.

• The Action column contains "UPDATE" for all records you are updating. More info...

  When you are making updates to a business affiliate record on either worksheet in the Business Affiliates Template, the field you will be starting with is the Action field. Action is the first column on the left, and is important because it tells SmartTurn what you want to do with the entire row of data. When you are making an update, you begin your changes to a record by keying in "UPDATE" in the Action column. Then you can work your way through the row to the right, leaving existing data as is, or overwriting it with new data as appropriate.

  If you are only updating any of the Ship From, Bill To, Ship To, or Pay To addresses (using the Business Affiliate Addresses worksheet), SmartTurn requires you to have a corresponding Company Name in the Business Affiliate Data tab (see above). In this situation, enter "UPDATE" in the Action columns of both the corresponding Company Name row in the Business Affiliate Data tab, and in the rows you are updating in the Business Affiliate Addresses tab.

  If you enter "CREATE" in the Action column for a record with a unique identifier that already exists in SmartTurn, the upload will fail.

• Updating records created initially by a spreadsheet is different than updating records created in the application. More info..

  For business affiliates that you initially created by importing data into SmartTurn with a spreadsheet, the specific addresses (Ship From, Bill To, Ship To, or Pay To) all default to the Main Address. So if you are updating those business affiliate records with new specific addresses, you enter "UPDATE" to the Action column in the Business Affiliate Addresses tab, because in doing so, you overwrite the Main Address data that SmartTurn used as a default. However, if you initially created the business affiliate within the application, the special addresses do not default to the Main Address. If you then updated the record as part of a spreadsheet import, you would enter "CREATE" to the Action column in the Business Affiliate Addresses tab, and "UPDATE" to the corresponding company name in the Business Affiliate Data tab.

• Updating business affiliate Contacts requires a different template. If your goal is to update business affiliate Contacts, the main Business Affiliate import template imports only the Main Contact. If you want to create or update several business affiliate Contacts at a time, use the SmartTurn Business Affiliate Contacts Template.

For step-by-step instructions on how to import business affiliates, see the instructions within the template Setting up business affiliates through an import.

Download the SmartTurn Business Affiliates Template.

© 2010 RedPrairie Corporation www.smartturn.com