Importing Brewery Orders

Use the orders import feature to bulk-import sales orders from external systems, POS exports, or historical data. This is especially useful when migrating from another system or importing orders from online sales channels.

Before You Start

• Prepare your data in a CSV (comma-separated values) file
• Ensure you have access to Brewery → Orders
• Have your customers set up in BarSight (or include full address info to auto-create them)
• Products and package groups must already exist in your system

Accepted CSV Column Headers

BarSight recognizes the following column headers in your CSV file. You can use either the Primary Header or any of the Alternative Headers - they will be automatically matched.

Order Information

Primary Header	Alternative Headers	Description	Required
Order Number	Reference Number	Unique identifier for the order	Recommended
Date	-	Order date (YYYY-MM-DD format preferred)	Yes
Id	-	Internal ID for updating existing orders	No

Customer Information

Primary Header	Alternative Headers	Description	Required
Customer	Buyer	Customer or business name	Yes
Address	Address1	Street address	No
City	-	City name	No
Province	State	Province or state	No
Country	-	Country name or code	No
Postal Code	Zip, Zip Code, Postal, Zip/postal code	Postal or ZIP code	No

Line Item Information

Primary Header	Alternative Headers	Description	Required
Product Name	-	Name of the beer/product being ordered	Yes
Package Group	Variant Name	Package type (e.g., "6-Pack Cans", "50L Keg")	Yes
SKU	-	Stock-keeping unit code	No
UPC	-	Universal Product Code (barcode)	No
Unit Volume	-	Volume per unit (for excise/reporting)	No
Quantity	-	Number of units ordered	Yes
Unit Price	-	Price per unit	Recommended
Discount	-	Discount amount or percentage	No

Tax and Deposit Information

Primary Header	Alternative Headers	Description	Required
Tax1	GST	First tax amount (e.g., GST/HST)	No
Tax2	BC PST	Second tax amount (e.g., PST)	No
Tax3	-	Third tax amount (if applicable)	No
Deposit	Government Deposit	Container deposit amount	No

CSV File Format

Orders can have multiple line items. Each line item should be a separate row in your CSV, with the order information repeated or left blank (the system will group by Order Number).

Example CSV structure:

Order Number,Date,Customer,Address,City,Province,Postal Code,Product Name,Package Group,Quantity,Unit Price,Tax1,Deposit
ORD-001,2024-01-15,The Thirsty Crow,123 Main St,Vancouver,BC,V6B 1A1,Pale Ale,6-Pack Cans,24,14.99,1.50,0.60
ORD-001,2024-01-15,The Thirsty Crow,123 Main St,Vancouver,BC,V6B 1A1,IPA,6-Pack Cans,12,15.99,1.60,0.60
ORD-002,2024-01-16,Riverside Pub,456 Oak Ave,Victoria,BC,V8W 2C3,Pale Ale,50L Keg,2,195.00,19.50,50.00
ORD-002,2024-01-16,Riverside Pub,456 Oak Ave,Victoria,BC,V8W 2C3,Stout,50L Keg,1,185.00,18.50,50.00

Step-by-Step Import Process

Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File

1. Open your spreadsheet application (Excel, Google Sheets, etc.)
2. Create columns using the headers from the tables above
3. Enter one row per line item (orders with multiple items will have multiple rows)
4. Use the same Order Number for all items in a single order
5. Save or export as a CSV file

Step 2: Upload the File

1. Navigate to Brewery → Orders
2. Click the Import button
3. Select your CSV file
4. Click Upload

[SCREENSHOT: Orders import dialog with file selection]

Step 3: Map Your Columns

1. Review the column mapping screen
2. BarSight will automatically match recognized headers
3. Pay special attention to Customer, Product Name, and Package Group mappings
4. For any unmatched columns, use the dropdown to select the correct mapping or choose -Unused- to skip
5. Click Continue

[SCREENSHOT: Column mapping showing customer and product fields]

Step 4: Review and Confirm

1. Preview the orders that will be created
2. Check for any errors - particularly customers or products that don't match
3. Review the order totals to ensure they look correct
4. Click Import to complete the process

Tips and Best Practices

• Group by Order Number: All rows with the same Order Number will be combined into a single order with multiple line items
• Date format matters: Use YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., 2024-01-15) for best results
• Customers can be auto-created: If a customer name isn't found and you include address details, BarSight can create the customer automatically
• Products must exist: Product names and package groups must match existing items in your system exactly
• Regional considerations: BC breweries can use GST and BC PST as tax headers for automatic mapping

Troubleshooting

Problem: Customer not found

Solution: Either create the customer first in Brewery → Customers, or include full address details in your import so the customer can be auto-created.

Problem: Product not matching

Solution: The Product Name and Package Group must exactly match existing items. Check spelling, capitalization, and spacing. Use the SKU or UPC columns for more reliable matching if available.

Problem: Orders not grouping correctly

Solution: Make sure all line items for the same order have the exact same Order Number. Even small differences (like extra spaces) will create separate orders.

Problem: Tax amounts not importing

Solution: Use Tax1, Tax2, Tax3 as headers, or the regional alternatives (GST, BC PST). Values should be numbers only without currency symbols.

Problem: Dates showing incorrectly

Solution: Use the YYYY-MM-DD date format (e.g., 2024-01-15). Other formats like MM/DD/YYYY may be misinterpreted.