3E Exchange can import material and product data from an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx), comma-separated value file (.csv), or a tab-separated value file (.tsv). It can also import data from SDS documents (PDF). Information about that process can be found in this article. 

You can import one product or material at a time, or bulk import materials. You can also have 3E Exchange extract materials out of a product you import.

An import in 3E Exchange follows two basic steps:

This article walks through an example import, and offers resources for more advanced import options. Together we'll import a Sample Chair.

Once your BOM Column Template is configured, you are ready to perform the import. You will provide basic information about the product, configure source file import options, and choose your file for import.

To begin the import, select "Import Data" at the top of your screen to start the guided importing workflow. Select the type of import you would like to start, or use the "Help me Decide" option if you're not sure!

For a Product or Material import, your import screen will look something like this:

​Basic Information

You must provide a name for your new product. The remaining fields are optional, but useful:

If you choose a supplier which is not already in your 3E Exchange Supplier Library, it will be added to your Supplier Library! To learn more about suppliers and requests for information, see Supplier Surveys.

Selecting an auto-calculation mode instructs 3E Exchange how Weight and Product % by Weight should be calculated. 3E Exchange will default to "3E Exchange Standard Autocalculations", and we highly recommend utilizing them!

Your source file options help 3E Exchange interpret non-data rows in your import spreadsheet. Most import files have a single header row at the top of the file. If you have an extra row of comments in the header of your document, say, you would change the value of My file has header rows ending at row to "2".

Since we have a single header row with field names and no footer rows, we will not make any changes.

If your import file has non-data rows at the bottom of the file, you can use the Footer Row option to skip those rows.

Once you've confirmed all the data meets your preferences, you can select "Create Product" (or material - all depending on the type of import you are doing) to proceed with the import.

The import is going to match columns in your spreadsheet with columns in your BOM Template, and ask you to verify the results. If a column could not be automatically matched, you'll have a chance to correct the issue here.

In our example, all columns are lined up as expected and we can safely proceed, but this is not always the case and you should always validate column mappings.

For example, an obscure column name can lead to unintended results. 3E Exchange would interpret "Chemical" as "Chemical Name", but it's possible you intended "Chemical Registry Number":

In this case, you would select the correct mapping from the Mapping drop down options, or choose to Skip this Column if the column should not be included.
​
We took care to map our custom column, Our Chemical Hazard Score. If we did not, import mapping would fail and 3E Exchange will automatically skip this column:

But fear not! If you forget to add a custom column, select "Add as New Custom Column in Template" and you'll be all set. 

Click Save and View to view your new product!

Imports are great at moving data quickly, and there are a lot of options in 3E Exchange to help you create an importing strategy that is right for you.

The Importing Data and Maintaining your Library section will help you to:

and much more!

The BOM Column Template defines which columns you will see and use in your BOMs when you view and edit them in 3E Exchange. You can enable or disable the standard Exchange columns, or add custom columns. You can also reorder columns.

For more information about the BOM Column Template and editing column views, see Setting up your BOM Fields.

3E Exchange will automatically skip columns that it finds in import files that aren't in your BOM Column Template.

In our example above, we wish to import a column "Our Chemical Hazard Score", an analysis score that we use internally at our organization, so we'll add it to our template.

To edit your BOM Column Template, navigate to "Templates" in your left-hand navigation bar and click BOM Column Template.

To add a custom column, switch to the "edit column properties" tab and type in a column name and click Add Custom Column.

The custom column is added to the bottom of your BOM template, but you can change the order of its appearance by clicking and dragging on the "Configure Views" tab. When you create a new product or material, the order and appearance of columns in 3E Exchange will match your configuration in the BOM Column Template.

If you have questions about using 3E Exchange or the material covered in this help article, reach out in chat in the bottom right-hand corner or email support@3eco.com.