Purchase Order Upload

1. Introduction

1.1 What is the Purchase Order Upload feature?

The Purchase Order Upload feature lets you create a Purchase Order (PO) by uploading a single spreadsheet file, instead of typing every item in by hand.

A Purchase Order is the record of goods you are bringing into your warehouse. Normally you would add each product line one at a time. With this feature you prepare a simple list of products in a CSV file (a plain spreadsheet), upload it, and WHIMS creates the whole Purchase Order for you in one step — with every item already filled in.

1.2 Why it is used

• Suppliers and internal teams often already have their product lists in a spreadsheet.
• Typing dozens or hundreds of parts one by one is slow and easy to get wrong.
• Uploading the list once is faster, more accurate, and repeatable.

1.3 Benefits of using the feature

2. Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following ready.

2.1 Required access and permissions

• A valid WHIMS login (username and password).
• Access to the WHIMS admin panel and the Purchase Orders menu under the Operations group. Any signed-in user who can see this menu can create and upload a Purchase Order.

2.2 Required file format

• The file must be a CSV file (file name ending in .csv).
• Excel workbooks (.xlsx / .xls) are not accepted. If your data is in Excel, use File → Save As → CSV (Comma delimited) first.
• The file must be 50 MB or smaller.

2.3 Information to have ready before you begin

• Which warehouse the goods are going into.
• The order date (defaults to today, but you can change it).
• Your product list saved as a CSV with the columns in the correct order (see Section 3.2 and the Field Descriptions in Section 4).

3. Step-by-Step User Guide

This section walks you through the whole process from logging in to confirming a finished upload.

3.1 Prepare your CSV file

Your file must have ten columns in this exact order. The first row is a heading row and is ignored by WHIMS — but keep it, because the order of the columns is what matters, not the heading text.

3.2 Log in and open the upload page

1. Open WHIMS in your web browser and sign in with your username and password.
2. Find the menu. On the left-hand side, look for the Operations group and click Purchase Orders.
3. Open the create page. On the Purchase Orders list, click the New Purchase Order button in the top-right corner. This opens the Create Purchase Order page, where you upload your file.
   (The page address ends in /admin/purchase-orders/create.)

3.3 Understanding the Create Purchase Order screen

The page has one section called Purchase Order Details with a small set of fields:

• PO Number — filled in automatically; you cannot type here.
• Warehouse — choose where the goods are going. Required.
• Order Date — the date of the order (today by default). Required.
• Import CSV File — where you upload your file. Required.
• Notes — free text for any comments (optional).

3.4 Fill in the fields

1. Leave PO Number as-is. WHIMS generates it for you in the form PO-2026-00001. It is greyed out on purpose.
2. Select the Warehouse. Click the Warehouse box and choose the correct warehouse from the list. You can type to search. This choice decides which shelf/bin locations your sublocation column will be matched to, so pick carefully.
3. Check the Order Date. It defaults to today. Click it to change if needed.
4. (Optional) Add Notes. Type any comment you want stored with this Purchase Order.

3.5 Select / upload the file

1. Click the Import CSV File box (or drag your file onto it).
2. Choose your .csv file from your computer and confirm.
3. Wait for the file name to appear under the upload box. This confirms the file is attached.

3.6 Start the upload

1. Review your entries — Warehouse, Order Date, and the attached file.
2. Click the Create button at the bottom of the form. This starts the upload and creates the Purchase Order.

3.7 Monitoring progress

The file is processed immediately (there is no separate progress bar). For a large file it may take a few seconds while WHIMS reads every row. Wait until the page finishes loading — do not click Create twice.

3.8 Reviewing the result

When the upload succeeds you will see a green confirmation message and be taken to the new Purchase Order's View page:

• Message: "Purchase Order Created" — "PO PO-2026-00001 created as draft. You can now review and edit items."
• The Purchase Order opens in Draft status with every item from your file listed.
• All prices show as 0 at this stage — this is normal.

3.9 Confirming a successful upload & what to do next

After the draft is created, finish the Purchase Order using the buttons at the top of the View page:

1. Check the item list matches your file (row count and product codes).
2. Click Get Prices and Dimensions to fill in buy prices and sizes automatically. Confirm the pop-up.
3. (Optional) Click Save Draft if you edited any items by hand.
4. Click Commit Purchase Order when everything looks correct. Read and confirm the pop-up. This is the step that updates your stock levels and finalises the PO (status becomes Committed).

4. Field Descriptions

4.1 Fields on the upload screen

4.2 Columns inside the CSV file

* SUPPLIER is not required to upload, but a valid supplier is required later before you can Commit the Purchase Order.

5. Validation Rules

5.1 Accepted file types

• CSV files only (.csv — comma-separated plain text).
• Excel files (.xlsx, .xls) are not accepted — save as CSV first.

5.2 File size limit

• Maximum file size: 50 MB. Larger files are rejected.

5.3 Required columns and order

• The file is read by column position, not by heading name. Keep the ten columns in the order shown in Section 3.1 / 4.2.
• The first row is treated as a heading and ignored — always keep one heading row.
• Column 1 (PRODUCT ID) must have a value on every data row. Rows with an empty PRODUCT ID are silently skipped.

5.4 Mandatory fields (on screen)

• Warehouse, Order Date, and Import CSV File must all be filled in before the Create button will work.

5.5 Checks that happen later (before Commit)

Some checks only run when you press Commit Purchase Order on the review page:

• Valid supplier codes. Every item must map to a recognised supplier code. If any do not, WHIMS shows an "Invalid Supplier Codes" message listing the products, and blocks the commit.
• Prices present. Every non-return item must have a price greater than 0. If any are still 0, WHIMS shows a "Missing Prices" message listing the products, and blocks the commit. Use Get Prices and Dimensions to fill these in.

5.6 Common validation messages

5.7 How to correct validation errors

• Wrong file type / too big: re-save as CSV and/or split into smaller files.
• Missing warehouse or date: fill them in, then press Create again.
• Invalid supplier: correct the SUPPLIER value for the listed products (in the file, or by editing the draft), then commit again.
• Missing prices: click Get Prices and Dimensions, or type prices in manually and Save Draft, then commit again.

6. Common Errors and Solutions

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

No. Uploading only creates a draft. Stock changes only when you press Commit Purchase Order on the review page.

No. Only CSV files are accepted. In Excel choose File → Save As → CSV (Comma delimited) and upload the resulting .csv.

No — WHIMS reads columns by their position, not their names. What matters is that the ten columns are in the correct order. Keep one heading row at the top.

Prices are not imported from the file. WHIMS fills them in afterwards from its own data when you click Get Prices and Dimensions, so your file stays simple.

50 MB. If your list is larger, split it into several smaller CSV files.

That row is skipped. Every item you want imported must have a value in column 1.

If two rows have the same PRODUCT ID and the same location, WHIMS combines them and adds the quantities together.

No. WHIMS will create that location automatically inside the warehouse you selected. Just make sure you chose the right warehouse.

Before committing: just delete or re-create the draft. After committing: use Rollback Purchase Order and enter a reason, which reverses the stock changes.

Your account may not have access. Contact your WHIMS administrator.

8. Best Practices

• Start from the sample file. Copy sample_purchase_order.csv and replace the rows — the columns are already in the correct order.
• Always keep the heading row and never reorder the columns.
• Fill in every PRODUCT ID. Blank ones are dropped silently.
• Double-check the warehouse before pressing Create — it decides where items are stored.
• Do not add a price column. Prices are added later automatically.
• Clean your data first: remove stray blank rows and check quantities are real numbers.
• Keep files reasonably sized. Split very large lists to stay well under 50 MB.
• Review before committing. Check the item count and prices — committing changes live stock.
• Press Create only once and wait, to avoid duplicate Purchase Orders.
• Keep a copy of your CSV until the Purchase Order is committed, in case you need to re-upload.

9. Summary & Quick Checklist

9.1 The process at a glance

1. Prepare your CSV (10 columns, correct order, PRODUCT ID filled in).
2. Open Operations → Purchase Orders → Create.
3. Select the Warehouse and check the Order Date.
4. Attach your CSV file and wait for the file name to show.
5. Click Create — WHIMS builds a draft Purchase Order.
6. Review the draft; click Get Prices and Dimensions.
7. Commit the Purchase Order to finalise it and update stock.

9.2 Pre-upload checklist

• File is saved as .csv and is under 50 MB.
• Ten columns are in the correct order, with one heading row.
• Every data row has a PRODUCT ID in column 1.
• Quantities are correct (blank/0 will become 1).
• No price column is included.
• I know which warehouse the goods belong to.

9.3 After-upload checklist

• I saw the green "Purchase Order Created" message.
• The item count matches my file.
• Prices were fetched (no items left at 0).
• Suppliers are valid for every item.
• I reviewed everything, then pressed Commit Purchase Order.

End of document · Purchase Order Upload — User Training Guide · Version 1.0 · 24 July 2026 · [Company Name]