Items import field reference and situation how-tos

What this covers

This article explains which columns to include in an Items import for common tasks, which fields are required, and what every Items import field does. It applies to both the [Basic Importer] and the [Admin importer].

Field names below are the Zenventory defaults. If your company renamed fields in the Lexicon, your screens and sample file show your names instead.

Required for a basic item

SKU
Description

All other fields are optional. The Situation how-tos above cover the fields needed for other tasks, like stock, serials, and locations.

Mapping reference table

This table lists every field on the Items import mapping screen, in the same order and under the same section headings (Warehouse, Location, and Item). Use it to decide which of your file's columns to map to each field, and to check that your data is in the right format.

For each field, the table shows:

What to map this to for Items: what the field does when you import or update items.
What to map this to for creating locations: what to enter, or leave blank, when you're only creating locations.
When is this field required?: whether the field is always needed, needed only for certain items or tasks (for example, Serial Number for serialized items), or optional.
Format: the type of value the field accepts, such as text, number, date, or Y/N, and its character limit.

Field names are the Zenventory defaults. If your company renamed fields in the Lexicon, your mapping screen shows your names instead.

Mapping Field	What to map this to for Items	What to map this to for creating locations	When is this field required?	Format
Warehouse
Warehouse Name	The warehouse that you want your inventory items to be located in. Blank uses the Active Warehouse. A name that doesn't exist creates a new warehouse. Existing warehouses are never updated. Ignored for client users.	The name of the warehouse that your locations will be in.	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Phone	Phone number of the warehouse. Only used when a new warehouse is created.	Phone number of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text, 12 characters
Timezone	Sets the time zone of the warehouse and affects timestamping of events in your site. Only used when a new warehouse is created. Timezone is not validated.	Sets the time zone of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text (e.g. America/New_York), 32 characters
Address 1	Street address line 1 of the warehouse. Only used when a new warehouse is created.	Street address line 1 of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Address 2	Street address line 2 of the warehouse. Only used when a new warehouse is created.	Street address line 2 of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Address 3	Street address line 3 of the warehouse. Only used when a new warehouse is created.	Street address line 3 of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text, 50 characters
City	City of the warehouse. Only used when a new warehouse is created.	City of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text, 30 characters
State	State or province of the warehouse. Only used when a new warehouse is created.	State or province of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Zip	Postal or ZIP code of the warehouse. Only used when a new warehouse is created.	Postal or ZIP code of the warehouse you are creating.	Optional	Text, 10 characters
Default Location Code	The item's default location in this warehouse, found by location code. A missing location is only created when Default Location Name is also given. We recommend using the same value as Default Location Name. Ignored for client users.	Optional. Sets the item's default location in this warehouse. It isn't the warehouse's default location.	Optional	Text, 32 characters
Default Location Name	The item's default location in this warehouse, found by name. A missing location is only created when this is filled in. Ignored for client users.	Optional. Sets the item's default location in this warehouse. It isn't the warehouse's default location.	Optional	Text, 30 characters

Location
Code	A unique identifier used to find or create this location in the database. We recommend using the same value as Location Name. Name is what's required to create a location. Code is used to find an existing location.	A unique identifier for the location you are creating. We recommend using the same value as Location Name.	Optional	Text, 32 characters
Parent Code	The Code of the parent location this location should be nested under in a Location Tree structure. Must match the code of an existing location in the same warehouse or it's ignored. Only used for new locations.	The Code of the parent location this location will sit under.	Optional	Text, 32 characters
Name	The display name of the location where you want items to be stored.	The display name for the location you are creating.	Required when creating a location	Text, 30 characters
Description	A description of this location. Only applies when a new location is created. Existing locations are never updated.	A description for the location you are creating.	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Allow Auto Allocation	Whether stock in this location can be allocated to orders automatically. Blank defaults to Y. Only used for new locations.	Whether stock in the location being created can be allocated to orders automatically. Blank defaults to Y.	Optional	Y or N
Quarantine	Has no effect. This field is mapped but never saved. To quarantine a location created by import, turn it on for that location after the import.	Has no effect. This field is mapped but never saved. Turn Quarantine on for the location after the import.	Optional	Y or N
Quantity	The quantity of stock to assign to this item at the specified location. Commas are stripped. Ignored for Non-Inventory items and client users. Forced to 1 for serialized items. 0 or blank without UPDATE as a "Quantity Action" does nothing.	Leave blank when creating locations only.	Depends, required if adding stock to an item. Leave blank if only modifying item details or creating locations.	Number (decimals allowed)
Quantity Action	Specifies whether the Quantity column adds to or replaces existing stock. UPDATE (any case) sets the quantity, anything else adds. UPDATE only works on existing items and runs as a stock correction. It fails if a cycle count is open at that location.	Leave blank when creating locations only.	Optional	UPDATE to replace existing stock, or leave blank to add, Not stored (no limit)
Lot Number	The lot number to assign to the stock being imported for this item. Only applied if the item has lot tracking enabled. Not enforced. Blank saves an empty lot.	Leave blank when creating locations only.	Optional	Text, 25 characters

Item
SKU	The unique identifier for your item. Every row must have a SKU, this is how the system identifies which item to create or update.	Required. Every row needs a SKU, even when you're only creating locations. Use a SKU that already exists, because a new SKU creates a new item.	Required	Text, 100 characters
Barcode	The UPC or EAN barcode associated with this item.	N/A	Optional	Text, 30 characters
Description	The name or description of the item.	N/A	Optional	Text, 150 characters
Manufacturer Website	The URL of the manufacturer's website for this item.	N/A	Optional	URL, 100 characters
Recommended Retail Price	The recommended retail price (MSRP) for this item.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Category	The category to assign this item to. A category that doesn't exist yet is created.	N/A	Optional	Text, 30 characters
Unit of Measurement	The unit of measure for this item (e.g. Each, Box, Case). Blank defaults to Each on new items.	N/A	Optional	Text, 24 characters
Sales Price	The base selling price for this item.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Unit Cost	The cost per unit for this item.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Weight	The physical weight of this item in lbs.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (up to 6 decimal places)
Default Econ Order	The default quantity used when this item is added to a purchase order, if the supplier has no minimum order quantity set for it.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Default Lead Time (Days)	The number of days it typically takes to receive this item from your supplier.	N/A	Optional	Whole number
Par Level	The target level reordering fills up to. Reorder amount = par minus current stock. Stored per warehouse.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Re-Order	The stock quantity level at which a reorder should be triggered. Stored per warehouse.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Safety Stock	A buffer quantity held as a safety margin against unexpected demand.	N/A	Optional	Whole number
Serial Number	The serial number for an individual unit of this item. Only used when the item has serializable enabled. Required on every row for a serialized item.	N/A	Required if the item is serializable	Text, 200 characters
Serialfield1	Extra detail saved with the serial number. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Serialfield2	Extra detail saved with the serial number. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Serialfield3	Extra detail saved with the serial number. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Serialfield4	Extra detail saved with the serial number. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Expiration Date	The expiration or best-before date for this item. Only used when the item has perishable enabled. Slash dates read as month/day.	N/A	Required only when the row adds or updates quantity on a perishable item	Date (e.g. 01/15/2024)
Kit	Marks this item as a Kit, a product built to order from component parts. Turns off Non-Inventory.	N/A	Optional	Y or N (Y, Yes, 1, True or T count as yes)
Assembly	Marks this item as an Assembly, a product pre-built from component parts. Turns off Kit and Non-Inventory.	N/A	Optional	Y or N (Y, Yes, 1, True or T count as yes)
Non-Inventory	Marks this item as a non-inventory/drop-ship item that is not physically stocked in your warehouse. Turns off Serializable, Perishable and Track Lot.	N/A	Optional	Y or N (Y, Yes, 1, True or T count as yes)
Serializable	Enables serial number tracking for individual units of this item. Turns off Perishable and Track Lot.	N/A	Optional	Y or N (Y, Yes, 1, True or T count as yes)
Perishable	Marks this item as perishable. If set to Y, an Expiration Date is required on every row that adds or sets stock.	N/A	Optional	Y or N (Y, Yes, 1, True or T count as yes)
Track Lot	Enables lot number tracking for this item.	N/A	Optional	Y or N (Y, Yes, 1, True or T count as yes)
Storage Length	The length dimension of this item for storage purposes.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Storage Width	The width dimension of this item for storage purposes.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Storage Height	The height dimension of this item for storage purposes.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Active	Whether this item is active in the system. Inactive items will not appear in normal workflows. New items are always created active. N, No or 0 deactivates an existing item and removes its integration links.	N/A	Optional	Y or N
Image URL	A URL pointing to an image of this item. The system will download the image from this URL and store it against the item, the URL itself is not saved. Supported formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP. Extension check is case-sensitive, so .JPG or a URL with a query string is skipped. Each import adds another image and makes it the default.	N/A	Optional	URL (any length), URL not saved (no limit)
Userfield1	Custom text field for the item. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Userfield2	Custom text field for the item. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Userfield3	Custom text field for the item. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Userfield4	Custom text field for the item. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Userfield5	Custom text field for the item. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Userfield6	Custom date field for the item. Only shown when turned on in the Lexicon. Can be renamed.	N/A	Optional	Date
Shipping Weight	The weight of this item (in lbs) used for shipping rate calculations. Only saved if the warehouse's shipping system supports item shipping defaults.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (up to 6 decimal places)
Shipping Length	The length of the shipping package for this item.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (up to 2 decimal places)
Shipping Width	The width of the shipping package for this item.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (up to 2 decimal places)
Shipping Height	The height of the shipping package for this item.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (up to 2 decimal places)
Shipping Service Code	The carrier service code used for domestic shipping. An invalid service code clears the service, package and confirmation codes.	N/A	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Shipping Package Code	The package type code used for domestic shipping.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Shipping Int. Service Code	The carrier service code used for international shipping.	N/A	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Shipping Int. Package Code	The package type code used for international shipping.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Shipping Confirmation Code	The confirmation type code for domestic shipments.	N/A	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Shipping Int. Confirmation Code	Has no effect. This field is mapped but never saved.	N/A	Optional	Text, 50 characters
Shipping Origin Country	The country of origin for this item, used for customs documentation.	N/A	Optional	Country code or country name
Shipping Harmonization Code	The HS tariff code for customs classification of this item.	N/A	Optional	Text, 100 characters
Shipping Customs Declared Value	The declared monetary value of this item for customs purposes.	N/A	Optional	Decimal number (decimals not required, e.g. 10 or 10.99)
Shipping Customs Description	The description of this item used on customs documentation.	N/A	Optional	Text, 150 characters

Situation how-tos

Situation	Columns to include	What to know
Deactivate items	• SKU • Active = N	Also removes the item's integration links.
Import items for a client (3PL)	• Select the client in the import window (there's no client column)	For client users, warehouse, location, and stock columns are ignored, and items go into the Active Warehouse.
Set up lot tracked items	• SKU • Track Lot = Y • Lot Number (when adding stock)	A blank Lot Number isn't blocked. It saves as an empty lot.
Set up perishable items	• SKU • Perishable = Y • Expiration Date (when adding or setting stock)	A stock row without an Expiration Date fails. Dates with slashes are read as month/day/year.
Set up serialized items	• SKU • Serializable = Y • Serial Number (when adding stock) • Serialfield1 to Serialfield4 (optional)	Each row adds one unit, whatever the Quantity says. Serial numbers aren't case-sensitive. A serial number that's already in stock for that SKU doesn't add stock. The row only updates its serial details (see Update serial details). A serial number that has already shipped can be imported again as new stock.
Update serial details	• SKU • Serial Number (already in stock) • Serialfield1 to Serialfield4	Updates the details saved with that serial number. Include all four Serialfield columns, even the ones that aren't changing, because any Serialfield left out or left blank is cleared.
Set up kits and assemblies	• SKU • Kit = Y or Assembly = Y	Add components with a Bill of Material import. Assembly turns off Kit. Kit and Assembly turn off Non-Inventory.
Add stock	• SKU • Warehouse Name • Name (location) • Quantity	Quantity must be above 0. A blank location uses the default location, and a new location name creates a location. Check the result in Receiving → Search with PO Number IMPORT. Client users can't import stock. This adds the imported quantity to the existing inventory quantities.
Set stock to an exact count	• SKU • Warehouse Name • Name (location) • Quantity • Quantity Action = UPDATE	Needs the Approver role. Existing items only. Fails if a cycle count is open at that location. Include the Lot Number, Expiration Date, or Serial Number of the stock you're setting.
Remove inventory from a location	• SKU • Warehouse Name • Name (location) • Quantity = 0 • Quantity Action = UPDATE • Lot Number (lot tracked items) • Expiration Date (perishable items)	Needs the Approver role. Fails if a cycle count is open at that location. Always include the location Name, because a blank location uses the default location. For lot tracked or perishable items, the Lot Number and Expiration Date must match the stock exactly, or the row is skipped without a message. Use one row per lot or expiration date. The change is recorded as a stock adjustment with the note "CSV Stock Update." For serialized items, see Remove serialized stock.
Remove serialized stock	• SKU • Warehouse Name • Name (the location where the serial is stored) • Serial Number • Quantity = 0 • Quantity Action = UPDATE • Serialfield1 to Serialfield4 (to keep their values)	Removes that serial number from stock. Needs the Approver role. The location must be where the serial is stored, or the row is skipped without a message. Before removing, the import overwrites the serial's Serialfield1 to 4 with the file's values, so include them if you want to keep them. UPDATE can't set any other count for a serialized item.
Create warehouse locations	• SKU (an existing one) • Warehouse Name • Name (location) • Code (optional) • Description (optional) • Parent Code (optional) • Allow Auto Allocation (optional)	Reach out to Support for nested locations. Quantity isn't needed. A new SKU creates an item, and a new Warehouse Name creates a warehouse. Existing locations aren't updated. Quarantine isn't applied.
Set a default putaway location	• SKU • Warehouse Name • Default Location Name	Sets the item's default location in that warehouse. A missing location is only created when Default Location Name is filled in. Client users can't set default locations.
Set reorder or par levels	• SKU • Warehouse Name • Par Level • Re-Order	Par Level and Re-Order are saved for that warehouse, and they accept 0. A blank Warehouse Name uses the Active Warehouse.
Upload item images	• SKU • Image URL	The URL must be public and end in a lowercase .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, or .webp. Each import adds another image and makes it the default. Failed images are skipped without a message.
Set shipping defaults	• SKU • The Shipping fields you need	Only saves if the warehouse's shipping system supports it. An invalid Shipping Service Code clears the service, package, and confirmation.

How the import handles new and existing items

Will my file create new items or change existing ones?

Zenventory checks each row's SKU.

If the SKU isn't in Zenventory yet, the row creates a new item.
If the SKU already exists, the row updates that item with the values in your file.

If you use 3PL features, Zenventory only checks the SKUs for the client you selected. The same SKU under a different client is a separate item.

Can I update just a few fields on existing items?

Yes. Include the SKU and only the columns you want to change. Any column you leave out, or any cell you leave blank, keeps the value already saved on the item.

How do I turn a setting off, or clear a value?

To turn off a Yes/No setting (such as Kit, Perishable, or Track Lot), enter N. Don't use 0 or leave it blank, because the import skips both and the setting stays on.
Numbers can't be cleared to 0 by import, for example Unit Cost or Weight. Change these on the item itself. Par Level and Re-Order are the exception.