Importing items

https://help.myob.com/wiki/x/mrBqAg

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You can import items into MYOB instead of entering them one item at a time. This is handy if you have a list of items you've exported from another program or if they're saved in a spreadsheet.

For the easiest import, we recommend using a sample file. It works like a template and ensures the required information is entered in a format that's accepted by MYOB.

We've provided a sample file below which contains all available fields needed for importing items. All you need to do is download the file, open it in a spreadsheet program like Excel, add your item information, then import it into MYOB.

Already prepared an import file? Jump straight to task 2 to learn how to import it.

Let's step you through it.

You can only import inventoried items if you are using Premium Inventory. Find out how to add Premium Inventory.

1. Download and modify the sample file

Right-click the sample file, choose Save link as and save it to your Desktop: SampleItemsFile.txt. If you're warned about the file you're downloading, choose the option in the warning message to Keep the file and it'll download successfully.
Open a blank workbook in Excel.
Click and drag the downloaded sample file onto the the workbook. The file will open in Excel and the contents of the template will be displayed.

If you're on a Mac, right-click the downloaded sample file and choose Open with... and Excel.

When looking at the file in Excel, note the following:
- the first cell (A1) contains parentheses (brackets) - these need to remain, as they indicate that the import file is for MYOB.
- the second row (beneath the row with the brackets) is labeled so you can work out what type of information is displayed in each column.
Enter your data in each applicable column. See the FAQs below for details about how the columns in the sample file correspond to the fields in MYOB.
Remember:
- each column in the import file represents a field in MYOB
- each row in the import file represents a different item
- leave the brackets on the first row, and the headings on the second row.
When you're done, save the template as a text (.TXT) file. If you like, you can give the file a meaningful name, such as "Item Import" or similar.

If you're using Google Sheets, save the file as a Tab Separated Values (.TSV) file.

2. Import the file into MYOB

If you're not importing a prepared sample file, make sure your import file:

is a TXT file
is in tab-separated format
contains a header row for all mandatory fields (see the FAQs below)
contains brackets {} in cell A1
is under 25MB

To import items

Click your business name and choose Import and export data.
On the Import tab, for the Data type choose Items.
Click Browse and locate the import file.
Click the import file then click Open.
Choose the method for handling duplicate data (data which is already in MYOB Business) – Update existing data or Reject duplicates.
Click Import.

What happens next

After importing, you'll receive an email detailing what item records have been imported. This email will also detail if any item records were skipped – see 'How do I resolve import warnings and errors' below for information about how to fix these. You can also view the imported items on the Items page and update any of their details.

3. (Optional) Make an inventory adjustment

When you import an inventoried item – and you already have stock of it on hand – you will need to make an inventory adjustment to update its on-hand quantity.

See Making inventory adjustments.

How the import fields work

The fields in the import file correspond to fields and options in items in MYOB Business. Some of these fields are mandatory – they must be included in the import file and be in the correct format or the item import won't work. Refer to the following for detailed information on import item fields.

Mandatory item import fields

Mandatory import item fields

This field is mandatory for all items:

Item Number

These fields are mandatory for items you sell:

Selling Price
Sell Unit Measure
Account for tracking sales
Tax Code When Sold
Standard Cost

These fields are mandatory for items you buy:

Buy Unit Measure
Account for tracking purchases
Tax Code When Bought

These fields are mandatory for inventoried items:

Account for tacking inventory
Expense/COS Acct
(If the item is sold) No. Items/Sell Unit must have a value
(If the item is bought) No. Items/Buy Unit must have a value

This field is not mandatory, but is recommended for all items:

Item Name

How the columns in the sample file correspond to the fields in MYOB

All of the column headings in the sample file correspond to the fields in an MYOB Business item:

Refer to the following table to see what format they need to be in:

Sample file column heading	Item field name in MYOB Business	Description, character limit and format	Example
Item Number	Item ID	A mandatory field for all items. A unique identifier for the item, up to 30 characters, alphanumeric. Using an existing item can lead to reject duplicate or replace the an existing item.	500 or SprWtr1L
Item Name	Name	(Recommended but not mandatory) The name of the item, up to 30 characters, alphanumeric	Spring Water Beverage Maker
Buy	I buy this item	Indicates whether you buy the item, 1 character, Y for yes or blank for no	Y
Sell	I sell this item	Indicates whether you sell the item, 1 character, Y for yes or blank for no	Y
Inventory	I inventory this item	Indicates that you inventory the item, 1 character, Y for yes or blank for no	Y
Asset Acct	Asset account for tracking inventory	The linked asset account you use for tracking the value of the stock on hand of this item. Must be a valid, pre-existing account number (you can't add a new account as part of the import), 5 characters, numeric, using the exact account number as it appears on the Accounts page in MYOB Business. Must have a non-numeric separator (dash) between the first-digit and the last 4 digits.	1‑1140
Income Acct	Income account for tracking sales	The linked income account you use for tracking sales of this item. Must be a valid, pre-existing account number (you can't add a new account as part of the import), 5 characters, numeric, using the exact account number as it appears on the Accounts page in MYOB Business. Must have a non-numeric separator (dash) between the first-digit and the last 4 digits.	4‑1600
Expense/COS Acct	Expense account for tracking purchases or Cost of Sales account	The linked expense account that you use for tracking items that are only bought, or the linked cost of sales account for items that are fully inventoried. Must be a valid, pre-existing account number (you can't add a new account as part of the import), 5 characters, numeric, using the exact account number as it appears on the Accounts page in MYOB Business. Must have a non-numeric separator (dash) between the first-digit and the last 4 digits.	5‑1100
Description	Description	The description of your item, up to 255 characters, alphanumeric.	Beverage Maker for use with Spring Water
Use Desc. On Invoice	Use item description on sales and purchases	Display the description of your item on invoices, 1 character, Y for yes, N for no	X
Primary Supplier	Primary supplier for reorders	The name of the primary supplier of the item, alphanumeric. Must match the name of a supplier contact in MYOB Business. (If the supplier is an individual, matches the name in this format: Lastname, Firstname.)	Clear & Bright Filters
Supplier Item Number	Supplier Item Id	The supplier’s number for the item or SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), up to 30 characters, alphanumeric.	SBV05
Tax Code When Bought	Tax code (in the Buying section of an item)	The default tax to use when buying the item, 3 characters, alphanumeric. Must match a pre-existing Tax code in the Tax Code List.	N-T or GST
Buy Unit Measure	Unit of measure (in the Buying section of an item)	The unit of measure you buy the item in, such as box or can, up to 5 characters, alphanumeric	box, can
No. Items/Buy Unit	Items per buying unit	The number of items that comprise a single buying unit, up to 4 characters, numeric, the default figure in this field is 1 If the item is inventoried (the Inventory field is set to 'I'), this field must have a value.	1 or 12
Reorder Quantity	Default reorder quantity	The number of items to purchase when reordering it, numeric, no character limit, but a limit of up to 6 decimal places	100000.011
Minimum Level	Minimum stock level	The minimum quantity you want to keep in stock, numeric, no character limit, but a limit of up to 6 decimal places	600000.011
Selling Price	Selling price ($)	The selling price of 1 unit, up to 11 characters, numeric, including 4 decimal places	$300
Sell Unit Measure	Unit of measure (in the Selling section of an item)	The unit of measure you sell the item, such as box or can, up to 5 characters, alphanumeric. If you are updating an item then this field should match the existing value in this field if the item, or you'll get an error and the item row will be ignored.	box, kit, bag
Tax Code When Sold	Tax code (in the Selling section of an item)	The default tax code when selling the item, 3 characters, alphanumeric. Must match a pre-existing Tax/GST code in the Tax/GST Code List.	N-T or GST
Sell Price Inclusive	Selling price is	Indicates if the selling price includes tax, 1 character alphanumeric, X for yes, leave blank for no	X
No. Items/Sell Unit	Items per selling unit	The number of items to be subtracted from inventory when you sell a single unit, up to 4 characters, numeric. If the item is inventoried (the Inventory field is set to 'I'), this field must have a value.	1
Inactive Item	Inactive item	Indicates if this item is inactive, Y for yes and N for no	N
Standard Cost	Buying price ($)	What it costs you to buy the item (Buying price), 10 characters, numeric including 4 decimal places	$200.2333

FAQs

How do I resolve import warnings and errors?

After you import your items, you'll receive an email that details what item records were imported successfully, imported with warnings and which were skipped due to errors.

Item records with warnings

If any item records have warnings, these items will have been imported but may have missing or altered information.

To check and fix these:

Click on the Warnings.txt email attachment to see which items were affected and why.
For a small number of items, you can view them on the Items page (Inventory menu > Items) and update their details.
For a large number of items:
1. Open your import file in Excel.
2. Complete or edit any information - refer to 'How the columns in the sample file correspond to the fields in MYOB' above for the correct format.
3. Import the file again, making sure 'If duplicate records are found' is set to 'Update existing data'.

Item records skipped due to errors

To check and fix these:

Click on the Errors.txt email attachment to see the errors and which items were skipped.
Open your import file in Excel.
Complete or edit any information - refer to 'How the columns in the sample file correspond to the fields in MYOB' above for the correct format.
Import the file again.

Other import troubleshooting tips

If you're importing a file that has been opened in Excel, check that Excel hasn't changed the format of some data. For example, check it hasn't changed an account number into date format:

To fix the example above, you would change the number format of the cell from Custom to General and retype the Income Acct number as 1-4200.