There are lots of reasons to import data into Acumatica. Master files, historical, data from external systems, etc. Acumatica lets you import data into any screen where a user can enter data.
There are two components needed to import data. The Data Provider tells the system where to find the data to import. The Import Scenario tells Acumatica where and how to put the data.
Acumatica provides a number of Data Provider types. Some are for specialty integrations. The more popular types are Excel, SQL, and CSV.
Import Scenarios can be thought of as the system doing data entry into the screen. It is highly recommended that you manually enter data into the screen you are building an import for so that you become familiar with the data entry flow. When we build an Import Scenario, we first identify the screen we are importing the data into, assigning a Data Provider, Mapping columns, and don’t forget to “click” the save button.
You can build your own Import Scenario by:
First, we take a look at the Data Provider. We give it a name and select the type. We will use Excel. We identify the Excel file, select which workbook to use, and select which columns from the worksheet will be used.
In the Import Scenario, we give it a name, select what screen we will be importing data into, identify the Data Provider, then we map the columns from the Excel spreadsheet to the fields on the screen where we want the data imported.
To create a new Simple Scenario, we click the plus button on the Import by Scenario screen. Then we select and upload the Excel file to import. We select the screen that we will import into from the site map tree. Next, we map the columns from the spreadsheet to the fields on the screen.
Once we are finished mapping, we are ready to import. First, we prepare the data. That takes the data from the file into the grid at the bottom of the Import by Scenario screen. Next, we click the Import button. Prepare & Import can be run as one step. A successful import is indicated by a check mark in the Processed column.
Using the Simple Scenario, the system creates both the Data Provider and the Import Scenario including the command lines needed to control the process and the SAVE action as the last step.
Import Scenarios don’t work for every instance, but are a good starting place for many imports. More complicated imports involve multi-tab screens, parent-child screens (i.e., an Invoice with header and multiple detail lines). Import Scenarios can also be used on screens that have pop-up messages that need a response.
There are even more Acumatica instructional videos at CS3Technology.com/videos.
