Importing orders from a file is one of the key ways (besides API and manual order creation) of inputting data into MaxOptra. A file import is an easy way of managing and updating your order information.

In this guide you will find information about how to generate an import file; a detailed description about import file parameters and requirements;; and standard examples of import file types, categorised by use cases.

A step-by-step guide of how to import a prepared file into Maxoptra is available here: Order Import Process.

A list of all column names with detailed description is available here: Order Import File. Column Names and Requirements .

Also, see our video tutorial about file import:

Standard Import File

Standard Import File (Minimal)

Standard Import File for Order Items

Standard Import File for Pre-allocated Orders

Standard Import File for Pickup & Delivery

Standard Import File for 5-day Optimisation

Standard Import File for Overnight

Standard Import File for Multi-windows

In this guide, the data provided in the sample import file columns – such as date, time, distribution centres etc. – may be different to the data you have in your system. Make sure you update the data before using these samples.

An import file should contain data about orders that need to be loaded into your MaxOptra system. An import file can be created for both new and existing orders (with required updates).

An import file is a set of data in .csv file format (csv = comma separated values). If your system is properly configured to accept and upload a .csv file, you should be able to make import file edits in standard Excel.

To create and edit your import file you can use MS Excel or OpenOffice/LibreOffice applications.

Note We recommend that you do not upload more than 1,000 orders per file.

An Import file can be generated by exporting data from another system, for example a CRM. When exporting data from another system the file needs to be saved in a format that is compatible with MaxOptra. There are a several ways in which you can do it.

An Import Mask is something your MaxOptra implementation manager, or our support team, can help you configure in your system settings. This will allow you to import data without having to make any changes. The import mask that we will create for you will ensure that the data from the columns in your spreadsheet is automatically moved into the correct fields in MaxOptra. The import mask can also help make small data changes, such as formatting or merging columns.

Alternatively, you can manually change the column names in your export file to those that MaxOptra will recognise and allow you to import the data. For more details on import file columns and column names, see Order Import File. Column Names and Requirements.

If your import file is more complicated, we can create a macro for you that will convert your data into an acceptable format. For example, if you have multiple rows in a spreadsheet that need to be merged into a single order, or there are more complex conversions and queries that you would like to run and need to ensure it looks correct or is utilised in the right way when imported into MaxOptra. If you need such a macro, contact your MaxOptra implementation manager, or our support team, who will be able to assist.

A minimum import file can be used for getting the initial acquaintance with the system.

A minimum import file needs three data columns:

The minimum import file can also include other columns, which are not strictly mandatory, but provide additional information about orders, such as:

Filling in the other columns is optional, the necessary data will be taken from system settings by default.

Here is an example of Standard Import File (Minimal)

Orders may consist of a number of items that should be dealt with separately. For example, a large order may incorporate several sub-items, each of which has its own barcode, cost, external ID etc. For more information, see Order Items.

In import files, to mark an item within an order, a special column should be filled out, called orderItems. The name of the item should be enclosed in square brackets – […], the other order item information should be separated by vertical bars - |, Different items are separated by a semicolon - ;.

The format is as follows: [Name]barcode|externalID|price per unit|planned quantity|description

For example: [Black Box]509361766273097|GD4561321|320|12|It's fragile

If you need to specify only a few parameters, but not all, leave the vertical strokes without the data. For example, if I want to specify only name and quantity, the format will look like this: [Package 1]|||20|

You can omit the vertical bars coming after the last specified value, if nothing else is coming: [Package 1]|||20. Name can also be omitted: [ ]1234678||||fragile.

Here is an example of Standard Import File for Order Items.

Pre-allocated orders are orders arranged in a schedule and allocated to specific vehicles. To import pre-allocated orders from a CSV-file to MaxOoptra, you need to fill out the following columns: allocationDate, vehicleName (or vehicleExternalID), runNumber, and sequenceInRun. Note that allocationDate and vehicleName are mandatory and must be filled out.

For more details on how to set up your schedule import file and how to use it, see Import of Pre-allocated Orders from CSV-file.

Here is an example of Standard Import File for Pre-allocated Orders .

Multi-day optimisation functionality provides the ability to automatically allocate the most efficient delivery date for your orders within a 5-day horizon. For details on Multi-day functionality, see Multi-day Optimisation.

To import your multi-day orders form CSV-file, you need to fill out the oderDateFrom and orderDateTo columns to set the date range, and the oderTimeFrom1 and orderTimeTo1 columns to set the operation hours for these dates.

If you need to set up multi-drop windows within one delivery day, use the orderTimeFrom1, orderTimeFrom2, odrerTimeTo1 and orderTimeTo2 columns to set the time ranges.

Note The date and dropWindowStart and dropWindowEnd columns are not applicable here.

Here is an example of Standard Import File for 5-day Optimisation.

The customer location reference number (also known as customer location global ID) is generated by the customer in their database and imported to MaxtOpra for accurate identification of customer locations imported from external systems. It means that using the global ID, MaxOptra matches the customer location in the imported order with the customer location that already exists in the system.

Usually the customer name and address are enough to identify the customer location, but sometimes during repeated uploads the system may fail to identify the customer location correctly. This can be caused by discrepancies in the name or address spelling used in the .csv import file or API code. Such discrepancies will result in a duplicate file being created.

To avoid duplication it is recommended to indicate the customer location id in the import file column: customerLocationGlobalId column in order import files or id column in customer location import file. (see Customer Location Import File. Column Names and Requirements). This will ensure that customer location information is imported correctly.

If customer reference number is provided, you can later edit the customer location parameters if necessary. The system will always recognize this client by its reference number.

The Pickup & Delivery functionality allows you to link together different collection and delivery orders. To do that you need to create a consignment - a group of two orders (collection and delivery) sharing the same reference number. It may be the order number generated by your CRM. Note that consignment reference number should be unique for the whole account. For more details on this functionality, see Pickup & Delivery.

To import the Pickup & Delivery orders to MaxOptra form a CSV-file, you need to fill out the following columns:

Here is an example of Standard Import File for Pickup & Delivery.