In this article you will learn about uploading data that can be used in reporting
Loupe is the jewelry industry standard when it comes to data. However, while Loupe holds data about all types of jewelry--designs, samples, products, orders, and more--there are some data that is not in Loupe that you may want to use when looking at reports. To help you combine your data with Loupe's data, you can upload inventory and retail sales data right into Loupe. In this article we will show you how it works.
What types of data can I import to Loupe?
There are two types of data that you can import to Loupe; inventory data and retail sales data. When you import this type of data we will combine it with the data in Loupe, and use it in various reports available to you.
Configurating Data Imports
Before you start loading data to Loupe you need to configure a couple settings. First, you need to setup your sales calendar. This will help us when generating reports so they make sense to how you think about your sales cycles.
To configure your sales calendar go to Sales & Inventory under Integrations in the left navigation. Then click Calendar Configuration at the top of the page. Here you will see an option to choose a Calendar Type; either 4-4-5 or Gregorian. We know there are other options, and if you use another calendar type please request it using the link on the page.
4-4-5 Calendar
When you choose the 4-4-5 calendar type, you will see that preview of the calendar adjust to show you how each month will be calculated, as well as the weeks will be represented.
Gregorian
If you choose Gregorian, then you will see two more options appear; Year Starts In and Week Starts On. This will give you control over the starting period of your reporting year should it be slightly different then the typical calendar year. As you make adjustments to these options you will see the preview of the calendar change as well. Use this visualization to ensure that Loupe is correctly configuring the calendar as you would expect.
Note: When you change your calendar configuration only reports run after the change will be affected. Any report created prior to the change will not be affected.
Uploading Data
The first thing you need to do is download the CSV template files to see what data is necessary for uploading to Loupe. To do this click Download CSV Templates. You can learn more about the sales file here, and the inventory file here.
Once you have prepared your data you can click Upload Data to import it to Loupe. When you upload the data you'll be asked a couple questions to help Loupe classify the data to prepare it for reporting.
Sales File Start & End Dates
These dates help Loupe understand the time period for which your data belongs, and ensure you have proper data coverage inside Loupe. The primary reason for this is in the event that you do not have sales for a specific date, or only upload partial data for a date. In these fields you should enter dates only for what correspond to the data you are importing.
Once you choose the Sales File End Date you will see your coverage calendar. This will give you an idea of what data Loupe already has for a give date range, and if the data you are uploading will be uploaded as new data or will replace data that is currently uploaded to Loupe.
Warning: When you see the calendar indicate Replace Data is going to happen, know that this does mean that Loupe will replace existing data with the new data you are about to upload. So, ensure that your new upload includes all data for the given dates and not just data in addition to what is already in Loupe.
Inventory Close Date
The inventory close date is used by the system to understand on which date you gathered the inventory you are about to load. This is important for Loupe to understand because inventory levels change every day. Having this information will when we make certain types of calculations; like turnover.
Once you have submitted your data for upload, you can monitor the import process under Upload History. This section of the page shows you how each upload process is tracking, and whether the process was successful or not.
If you find that an import process has failed you can click Failed in that row to see what errors occurred. To fix the errors go back to your original files, correct the errors, and then re-upload the files again.
