PLM

Availableapp.erp.io/plm/import

Import

Parts first, structures second. A structure referencing a part that does not exist yet fails, and it fails halfway.

Order
Parts, then structures
Format
Tabular
Validation
Before load
Rollback
None

The order

Settle numbering and classification first

Both are hard to change once thousands of parts reference them. See Parts.

Load parts

Every part that will be referenced by anything, including sub-assembly parents.

Check the part count and spot-check twenty

Chosen by somebody who did not prepare the file.

Load structures

Parent, child, quantity. Every referenced part must already exist.

Load suppliers and approved lists

Last, because they reference parts.

Baseline everything

So the imported state is recorded before anybody edits it.

app.erp.io/plm/import
Import

structures-2026-03.csv · 316 rows · validating

CancelImport
RowParentChildQtyCheck
1NW-12002041181OK
2NW-1200NW-12101OK
3NW-121010024814OK
4NW-12101809991Unknown part
5NW-13003119020Quantity is zero
An import being validated. Errors are shown before anything is written.

Cleaning before loading

The best time to remove duplicates from a part master is before it is a part master. Once structures reference both copies of a duplicated part, merging is a rewrite rather than a deletion.

  • Sort by description and read it. Duplicates are obvious to a person and invisible to a diff.
  • Normalise units and case before loading, not after.
  • Decide what to do with parts that are used in nothing. Usually: do not load them.
  • Load a subset first — one product, end to end — and look at it before loading everything.
There is no rollback

A completed import cannot be undone in one action. A structure import that references parts that do not exist stops partway, leaving some structures loaded and some not — which is recoverable but tedious. This is why validation runs first and why loading one product before loading four thousand is worth the extra hour.

What this does not do

No rollback

Undoing an import means deleting what it created.

No incremental sync

Import is a load, not a connection to another system.

No document import

There is nowhere for documents to go.

No cost or inventory columns

The module holds neither.

Questions

Can you do the import for us?

Yes, as part of an implementation engagement.

What format?

Tabular. The expected columns are shown on the import screen.

Can we re-import to update?

Re-importing creates rather than updates. Ask before attempting it on a live part master.