You can find this feature under Tools – Import – Import from Excel

The ABRA Flexi system supports importing data stored in Microsoft Excel (XLS) format for selected forms. This allows you to import data exported from another application or data you have created yourself.

The document (XLS) must be saved in Microsoft Excel 97 or later format. Older versions of this format are not supported. If you need to import from an older XLS format version, you must first open it in Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.org Calc and save it in a newer version.

Resolving unsupported format issues

The data in the document you are importing must be stored on the first sheet of the spreadsheet, where each column corresponds to a column in the application's table. The first row of the table must not contain column headings.

After logging in to the application, go to the "Tools" menu, select "Import", and click "Import from Excel". Confirming this option will open the "Import from Excel" dialog.

Here you use the button to select from a drop-down list the item you want to import (company addresses, price list, stock cards, chart of accounts, assets, other receivables, and other payables). After clicking "OK", a column selection dialog will appear, allowing you to specify which columns the data will be imported into. The example shown uses the column selection dialog for company addresses.

In the right-hand "Selected fields" table, the items that are required for import are pre-selected by default.

Use the buttons (or double-click) to move the items you want to import from the Microsoft Excel file from the left-hand "Available fields" list to the right-hand "Selected fields" list. Arrange the list using the buttons in the order that matches the column order in your Microsoft Excel document.

Example: You have a Microsoft Excel (XLS) document containing company addresses that you want to import. The document has columns in the following order: "Code, Name, Company ID, VAT ID, Street, Postal Code, City, Phone". To import everything correctly, remove any column headings from the Microsoft Excel file, then in this column selection dialog select the same columns in the "Selected fields" section on the right and arrange them in the same order as they appear in the document.

After selecting the columns to import and confirming the dialog, you will be informed of the required properties that the imported columns must meet.

For example, a maximum string length may be defined, and certain columns may have specific required values to ensure the import completes successfully. After confirming the dialog, you will be prompted to select the file from which the data will be imported. The data is then imported, and you will be notified of the import result in a final dialog.

If the data is in an unsupported format that cannot be imported, a dialog will appear stating that the file could not be loaded, with an option to display help for the issue. Confirming this will provide guidance on what needs to be changed.

If any column does not meet the required properties, the import will fail and you will be informed of which row and column caused the problem and what the issue was.

After logging in to the application, go to "Accounting – Other Receivables" and select "Import from Excel". The "Select columns for import" window will appear. The column order must correspond to the order in the Excel file.

Example of a possible column selection:

The imported files will be displayed in the application as follows:

You can also find more information about importing from Excel in our tutorials.