Basic Workbook Structure
- Workbook_Version sheet -- identifies the version of the workbook - do not change
- Products - contains item attributes - one row per packaging level in the item (e.g. Each level, Case level) - do not change column headings
- Hierarchy - for items with multiple packaging levels (e.g. Case + Each) there is one row to link a child (e.g. each level) to a parent (e.g. case level) and specify the pack quantity.
Some Tips/Rules for using the Sync/PDI Workbook:
- The file needs to be an xlsx (not xls)
- All worksheets need to be present and cannot be renamed (i.e. Workbook_Version, Products, Hierarchy)
- Make sure all cells are formatted as text; otherwise, Excel often changes dates and numbers to an Excel format (e.g. scientific notation)
- Formulas cannot be used (however, color coding/formatting can be used)
- Dates need to have the mm/dd/yyyy format (e.g. 01/01/2009 -- i.e. need the leading zero on days and months)
- for multi-level hierarchies (e.g. case + each), remember to add hierarchy information (i.e. "links") on the Hierarchy tab. This defines the parent/child GTIN relationships with the quantity of the child GTIN.
- The Process column (column A) indicates whether to process that row or not (i.e. yes or no). Note: Hidden rows and columns will still be processed unless the Process column has a "no" in it.
- Completely blank rows are not allowed -- if you want a "blank" row on the Products tab to separate items, you can put a "no" in column A and leave the rest of the row blank. There cannot be blank rows on the Hierarchy tab.
- Be careful when copying numeric values -- if you use the "copy down" feature of Excel it will increment the numeric value. Example: Target Market code. Instead, use copy and then paste for numeric values.
- Columns that are not being used can be hidden, or removed from the workbook; however, be careful to not remove any mandatory or conditional columns
- Code Values - for some attributes, code values need to be used (e.g. Target Market, 840=United States) - To find code list values, you can go into the Sync/PDI web screens and in the Data display for an item, you can click the attribute label to the left of the attribute -- this will list the possible code values.
