Buildxact supports the loading of price/item catalogs into the system via Excel. This article covers the steps to load this successfully. Most commonly, users will load pricing from their suppliers and contractors/trades, but ultimately any pricing in Excel format can be loaded.
Why load your prices in Buildxact?
When you are producing an estimate, variation/change order or purchase order you have the option to search for price items to use (#1 below). The items that show up when you search are coming from the Catalogs area of Buildxact (#2 below), so ultimately the more pricing you have loaded the more items you'll have at your fingertips.
What format does my catalog have to be in when I load it?
We support .csv, .tsv, .xls, .xlsx, .xml spreadsheets. Generally speaking, standard Excel spreadsheets are either .xls or .xlsx.
Note: we do not support PDFs being loaded. If your only option is a PDF, we'd suggest a free convertor such as the one below.
What does the layout of the Excel file have to look like?
Incorrect layout is the single most common reason that a price upload will fail. Buildxact requires a simple format where we have one column per type of information with no formulas or images. Below is an example of a standard catalog in the correct format.
To make this easier we've created a template which covers everything you can load and further information about the types of information. We do occasionally get users sending this to their suppliers as a guide for them on the format of catalog they need.
General tips on formatting
Make sure row 1 is the designated headings, supplier code etc. (see the image and template above)
Remove all formulas
Remove all photos
Remove all merged cells
The max length for:
Descriptions is 250 characters
Categories or Sub-Categories is 100 characters
The supplier code column can't contain duplicates. We have an article on removing duplicates if you need (see below).
Unit costs should be TAX exclusive. Your TAX will be added at the time of using these items in Buildxact
How do I import/upload my price/item catalog file from excel?
Th following steps outline the process involved in uploading a price or item catalog file from Excel to Buildxact.
Navigate to Catalogs (Catalogues in ANZ)
Click on Item Catalogs
Click Create New
4. On the pop-up screen that appears, name the catalog that you want to import items to.
5. Give it a description.
6. Assign a contact.
7. Tick the box that indicates you are importing items from an Excel file.
8. Click Create.
Buildxact will ask you if you are confident that your Excel is formatted correctly to align with Buildxact. If you're not sure, click on Download Importing Template and transfer your information into the correct layout. If you are confident your file is formatted correctly, click Create & Import.
Click on Start Import.
The following screen will ask you to drag and drop or upload your Excel file.
Once you have uploaded your file, check that the category mapping is correct and click Import. Once imported your catalog will be available for use within the system.
The Buildxact price Catalog
If you need an example of a price/item catalog or want to grab our standard Buildxact sample catalog and change it to make it your own, you can download the appropriate file below.
Catalog Updates
Down the track when it comes time to update your catalog, this article will help.