Import and export suppliers
The CSV or Excel import template, exporting the list or a selection, and bulk actions.
The Import and Export buttons of the Suppliers screen work like those for customers. File import, the templates and export to CSV or Excel are available directly in the app.
What you will do
- Download the template, fill it in and import your suppliers.
- Export the full list, a selection or a single supplier.
- Process several suppliers at once.
Import suppliers
- Click Import then Download the CSV template or Download the Excel template. The template contains one example row.
- Fill in the file, one row per supplier, keeping the header row.
- Click Import › Import a file. The Import suppliers window reads: "Import your suppliers from an Excel or CSV file. Download the template to see the expected format." Drop the file into the Drop a file here area or click to select it (accepted formats: .xlsx, .csv, 10 MB maximum).
- A preview shows the recognised columns and, for each row, what will happen: New, Update, Unchanged or Skipped. Leave Update existing records ticked to complete the suppliers already present, then click Import n row(s).
- The result states the number of suppliers imported and updated, with the details of the rows in error; Download the report saves it.
- Click Import on the Suppliers screen.
- The menu offers importing a file and the two templates.
- Download the CSV or Excel template, it contains a sample row.
- Once the file is filled in, Import a file opens the import window.
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
id |
Novadesko identifier, optional. If it exists, the record is updated; otherwise a supplier is created. |
company |
Company name, mandatory. |
vat_number |
VAT number, format BE0404483367. |
contact_person |
Contact person. |
email, phone |
Billing address and phone (+32...). |
iban, bic |
Bank details. |
address, postal_code, city, country |
Address, postcode, city, country code (BE). |
The import does not go through VIES. A supplier already present (same ID, VAT number, email or name) is updated with the values of the file, unless you untick Update existing records. Before importing, normalise the VAT numbers (country prefix followed by the digits, without spaces or dots, without the word "TVA"): this is the number that links invoices received via Peppol and read by Novadesko Intelligence to the right record.
Export suppliers
The Export button offers Export to CSV, Export to Excel and, as soon as a row is ticked, Export selected (n). The row menu contains Export (CSV) for a single supplier.
The CSV file from the apps contains: id, supplier_code, company, vat_number, contact_person, email, phone, website, iban, bic, address, postal_code, city, country, peppol_identity, is_archived, created_at. The web export carries the same information plus the category and the status.
Depending on your plan, the Export button may be locked (padlock icon). See Plans.
Export is the simplest way to spot twin records: sort the file on the vat_number column after removing spaces and dots, and identical numbers follow one another. See Suppliers: VIES and duplicates for how to deal with them.
Multiple selection
The Multiple selection button opens a menu with the Active and Archived checkboxes, then Select all, Deselect all, Duplicate (on the web) and Delete selected. The button's counter shows the number of ticked rows; without a selection, the message "Please select at least one supplier." appears. Bulk deletion asks for confirmation and skips suppliers linked to documents.