Adding operations to manufacture orders is a great way to track the cost of your assemblies accurately. Importing operations will allow you to add them all to inFlow in bulk. 

Please note: This feature is only available on inFlow Cloud for Web

Import file

Creating the CSV

To begin, you’ll need to create a CSV import template. You can do this by exporting a blank template from inFlow, or you can manually add the headings to your spreadsheet. 

How to export an operations CSV 

1. From the inFlow Homepage, click on the Main menu, then Export.
2. In the Data type list, select Operations.
3. Click Export and save the file on your computer. 
4. Open the CSV in the spreadsheet software of your choice. 

Create the CSV manually 

On a spreadsheet, add the following headings:

1. ProductName
2. OperationType
3. OperationPerUnitCost
4. OperationPerHourCost
5. OperationEstimatedDurationSeconds
6. OperationInstructions

Editing the operations CSV

Once you have a CSV with the appropriate headings, fill out the rows and columns starting with ProductName. 

The product name field is a “unique identifier.” This means it must be filled out and can’t be skipped.

Blockquote Note: If you’re using an exported CSV file, you’ll notice an OperationInstructions and OperationInstructions_Plaintext field. You can import HTML with the OperationInstructions field. And if you only have text instructions, you can enter them into the OperationInstructions_Plaintext field. 

Import field breakdown

Blockquote – You might have noticed that the headings don’t have any spaces. Leaving the headings like this will allow inFlow to read the information on the CSV faster. 

Adding multiple operations for a product

To add multiple operations, copy the product name to another row and fill out the remaining columns on that row. 

The order the operations are listed in will be the order of the operations will be listed in the Manufacturing tab of the product record. 

Note: at the moment, there isn’t an option to change the order of operations. You can reimport the CSV file to change the display order.

Import steps

Importing to inFlow

If you have your import file ready to go, read on for how to import your file to inFlow.

If you have your import file ready to go, read on for how to import your file to inFlow.

1. Click on Main Menu > Import.
2. In the Data type drop-down menu, select Operations.
3. Below, select the CSV file from your computer, then click Next.
4. A preview of your import file will appear and will let you know how many line products you have in your file.
5. To edit the mapping of CSV columns to inFlow fields, click on Edit data mapping.
6. Match the inFlow fields on the left to the fields in your CSV file that are in the drop-down menus.
7. Once you’re satisfied that all the fields you need match, click Import.
8. A confirmation message noting that your import is in progress will be displayed. You’ll be emailed the import results when it’s done.