Bulk Data Import
Good news for existing customers
Paying customers can request a free manual import service during promotional periods — send your Excel / historical data to support, and we will organize, clean, align the fields, and import it for you in one go.
Just migrated from Excel / an old ERP / another fabric system? Jenny Software offers a comprehensive bulk import:
- ✅ Samples (with images)
- ✅ Customers / suppliers / processors
- ✅ Opening inventory / opening receivables / opening payables
- ✅ Historical documents (sales / purchase / shipment code lists, etc.)
Don't want to wrestle with Excel? Just send the raw file to support — our import team handles the coordination and format conversion, so you don't need to reformat anything.
1. What can you bring in?
Self-service import (done by the company admin)
| Data type | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Samples (with images) | Sample room → Bulk Import | Code / name / composition / width / weight / spec / labels, etc.; images can be inserted directly into the Excel as floating images |
| Sample colors | Same Excel as samples | The header includes "color number / color name," etc.; multiple rows with the same code are automatically merged into multiple colors of one sample |
| Customers | Contacts → Customers → Bulk Import | Name / phone / address / owner / custom fields |
| Suppliers / processors | Contacts → Suppliers → Bulk Import | Same as above |
| Contact people | Customer detail page → Add Contact | Added one at a time (no bulk entry) |
Support-assisted import (free for existing customers, paid for new customers)
| Data type | Difficulty | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Opening inventory | Medium | Current stock quantity + unit price + warehouse for each product |
| Opening receivables | Medium | Each customer's outstanding balance as of the migration date |
| Opening payables | Medium | Each supplier's payable balance as of the migration date |
| Historical sales notes | High | With detailed codes (piece count + meters + dye-lot number + roll number), prices, and receipt status |
| Historical purchase notes | High | Same as above |
| Historical shipment code lists | High | The detailed codes of each shipment note |
| Outsourcing notes / processing-fee records | High | Dye-house reconciliation data |
Why these need support assistance
Historical documents involve multiple dimensions — detailed codes + linked customers + linked samples + prices + status — and giving customers an Excel template to fill in themselves is error-prone. One-on-one handling and proofreading by support is more reliable.
2. Self-service sample import workflow
1. Download the template
Above the sample list, click "Bulk Import" → in the dialog click "Download Import Template" → you get an Excel template.
The dialog also lists all fields currently supported for import (shown as tags, with image fields highlighted in yellow). You can configure which fields support import under "Settings → Field Management".
2. Adjust the Excel format
Just align your source data's header names with the system field names (whether exported from another system or organized by hand):
- Header names match (the system matches fields by header name)
- Column order doesn't matter (arrange them however you like — the system goes by name)
- The first row must be the header
- Leave fields you don't want to import blank
How codes are matched
- Codes cannot be duplicated within the system (within the same company)
- No code filled in the Excel → the system auto-generates one by rule
- Check "Overwrite on same code" → existing samples with the same code will be overwritten by this import
A few automatic behaviors
- Category field: separate levels with "-" (e.g.,
Functional Fabric-Waterproof Fabric), up to three levels; non-existent categories are created automatically - Supplier: a non-existent supplier is created automatically and the current operator is bound as its owner
3. Upload and run
Drag the Excel into the upload box (or click to upload), and the system imports it directly and returns the result:
- ✅ N succeeded
- ❌ N failed + reason for failure
Per-import limits
- Without images: up to 5,000 rows per import
- With an image column: up to 200 rows per import (images are downloaded over the network, so the limit is lower)
Lots of data? Import in batches.
3. How to import sample images together
Images don't need a separate upload — they come in within the same Excel as the sample data. There are two ways; the first is the easiest and recommended.
Method 1: Insert images directly into the Excel (recommended)
- Add a column in the Excel as the image column, with the header named "Image" (it also recognizes "Cover / Picture / Image / Cover," as well as the Chinese 图片 / 封面 / 图). Putting it in the first column is most convenient.
- In each sample row's image cell, insert the image as a "floating image" (Excel's "Insert → Picture," where the image floats over the cell).
- Just upload this Excel — the system extracts the floating images row by row, attaches them to that row's sample, and uses them as its public cover image.
Key points
- Put the image column in the first column, one image per row, aligned with that row
- The header name must be one of Image / Cover / Picture (or the Chinese 图片 / 封面 / 图) for the system to recognize it as an image column
- The code column ("Code") is required — images match samples by "which row" they are on
Method 2: Fill in image URLs
If your images already have public URLs, you can instead fill in the image URL text in the image column (rather than inserting floating images), and the system will automatically fetch the images from the URLs.
Notes when including images
WARNING
- When an image column is included, the limit is 200 rows per import (5,000 without images)
- Max size per image: 10MB
- Images go into the sample's public image library and are set as the cover
Lots of scattered images and don't feel like dealing with it?
For a large volume of data and many images, just send the raw file to support and the import team will handle it.
4. Customer / supplier import
The workflow is the same as the sample import; just change the entry point:
- Customers: left menu → Contacts → Customers → Bulk Import
- Suppliers: left menu → Contacts → Suppliers → Bulk Import
The fields include:
- Name (required)
- Phone / email / address
- Owner (required, chosen from employees → affects data permissions; see Contacts & Data Permissions)
- Department
- Custom fields (can be added in "Field Management")
5. Opening-data initialization (strongly recommend support assistance)
When you first start using the software, three things on the data side need to be "aligned":
Opening inventory
The problem: How much stock does the warehouse actually hold right now? The system's initial inventory needs to match.
The fix: Organize an Excel:
- Column 1: sample code (as in the system)
- Column 2: warehouse name
- Column 3: current stock quantity (meters / kg / pieces)
- Column 4: average unit price (optional, used for inventory valuation)
Send it to support → support verifies → one-click import → your system inventory is set.
Opening customer receivables
The problem: Before migrating, customer A owed us 50,000 and customer B 120,000 — these need to be recorded in the system.
The fix: Organize an Excel:
- Column 1: customer name
- Column 2: amount owed
- Column 3: date the debt arose (optional)
- Column 4: notes (optional)
Send it to support → support verifies → import → the first record on the statement is this opening receivable → subsequent new sales / receipt notes accumulate on top of the opening balance.
Opening supplier payables
The same as opening customer receivables, but in reverse — how much we currently owe each supplier.
The key to opening data
Statements accumulate in chronological order — opening data must come before all historical documents, otherwise the running totals will be wrong. That's why we recommend support assistance rather than entering it by hand.
6. Migrating from other fabric software
If you previously used other fabric-management software (e.g., one of the well-known brands, or your own homegrown Excel system), Jenny Software supports a complete migration:
Workflow
- Contact support → tell them which software you used
- Export the source data → export the old system's data as Excel / CSV / a database backup
- Send it to support → support assesses the difficulty of the format conversion
- Support converts + imports → fully migrated, with field mapping + data cleaning + document-status alignment
- Verify and accept → the customer verifies in a guest company / test company → once confirmed, go live officially
Usually done in 1–3 days
Depending on data volume and complexity. Free for paying customers during promotional periods.
7. FAQ
Q: The import fails saying "field mismatch" — what do I do?
A: Re-download the latest template and compare headers, then change your header names to exactly match the system field names (column order doesn't matter — the system goes by name).
Q: I imported halfway and found a mistake — what do I do?
A:
- Samples / customers / suppliers: bulk-delete the imported entries (recoverable from the recycle bin) → fix the Excel → re-import
- Historical documents: contact support; self-service deletion of documents is subject to data-permission limits
Q: Image import failed / images don't show — what do I do?
A:
- The image-column header must be one of Image / Cover / Picture (or the Chinese 图片 / 封面 / 图) for the system to recognize it
- Floating images must be inserted into the cell of the corresponding row, one per row, aligned with that row
- When including an image column, don't exceed 200 rows per import, and 10MB per image
- For the URL method, the URLs must be publicly accessible (not local file paths)
Q: Will re-importing create duplicates or overwrite?
A: It depends on whether you check "Overwrite on same code":
- Checked = existing samples with the same code are overwritten by this import
- Unchecked = only new codes are imported; existing ones are left untouched
Q: Is there a limit on import quantity?
A: Yes —
- Without images: up to 5,000 rows per import
- With an image column: up to 200 rows per import
Lots of data? Import in batches.
Q: How do I request the free manual import service?
A: Paying customers contact support; it's free during promotional periods (ask support for details). New customers can also enjoy it during their trial period.
Related articles
- 5-Minute Quick-Start Guide for Beginners — migrating your data is the first thing to do after registering
- Sample Management — self-service sample management
- Contacts & Data Permissions — customer / supplier management
- Field Management — custom fields
- Image Categories Explained — the three-library image rules
- Data Security — how data is protected after import
- FAQ
Still can't sort it out?
Just send the raw Excel to support — use the support button in the bottom-right corner of the software, drop the file there, and we'll do the rest.