Bulk importing cost rules
If you have supplier quotations or a large set of pricing rules to load, you can create or update cost rules in bulk from a spreadsheet rather than building each one individually in the Cost Rules screen.
Where to find it
Go to Tools → Imports, select the Costs & Finance section, and choose Cost Rules.
How the import works
- One row = one rule. Each row creates a new rule or, if the Name (and Vendor, when shared) matches an existing rule, updates that rule in place.
- Simple rules only. The import supports a single pricing tier with a single effect per row. For multi-tier or complex graduated rules, build them in the Cost Rules screen.
- Rows are validated before any records are written. Errors are reported per row so you can fix and re-upload.
Column reference
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NAME | Yes | Rule name. Also used as the match key when updating an existing rule. |
| DESCRIPTION | No | Optional notes. |
| VENDOR | Varies | Required for UNIT_COST rules. Optional for EXTRA_COST rules — when provided it is stored as a Supplier condition. |
| DOCUMENT_TYPE | Yes | PURCHASE_ORDER, WORK_ORDER, or SHIPMENT. |
| OUTPUT_KIND | No | UNIT_COST (default) or EXTRA_COST. |
| PRIORITY | No | 1–1000. Default is 100. Lower numbers win when multiple rules match. |
| STATUS | No | ACTIVE (default) or INACTIVE. |
| EFFECTIVE_FROM / EFFECTIVE_TO | No | Date range in YYYY-MM-DD format. Leave blank for no date limit. |
| MIN_QUANTITY / MAX_QUANTITY | No | Unit Cost rules only. The quantity band this tier covers. |
| EFFECT_TYPE | No | Unit Cost rules only. BASE_PRICE, PERCENT_DISCOUNT, PERCENT_MARKUP, or FIXED_PER_UNIT. |
| EFFECT_AMOUNT | No | Unit Cost rules only. The numeric amount for the effect. |
| COST_BASIS | No | Extra Cost rules only. PERCENTAGE, FIXED, or FIXED_PER_UNIT. |
| COST_BASIS_AMOUNT | No | Extra Cost rules only. The percentage value or flat amount. |
| EXTRA_COST_ITEM_NAME | No | Extra Cost rules only. Label for the generated charge line. Defaults to the rule name. |
| FILTERS | No | Pipe-separated line filters that scope which products the rule covers. Format: TYPE:VALUE, e.g. TAG:Furniture|PRODUCT:SKU-123. Types: PRODUCT, SUPPLIER_SKU, CATEGORY, SUBCATEGORY, TAG. Blank = all lines. |
| CONDITIONS | No | Extra Cost rules only. Pipe-separated document-level conditions, e.g. DESTINATION_WAREHOUSE:Main Warehouse|SHIPMENT_TYPE:Sea. Types: SOURCE_WAREHOUSE, DESTINATION_WAREHOUSE, SHIPMENT_TYPE. Supplier goes in the VENDOR column. |
| AUTO_APPLY | No | Extra Cost rules only. TRUE fires the rule automatically on save. FALSE / blank = preview only. Accepts TRUE/FALSE/YES/NO/1/0. |
| ADD_AS_ADDITIONAL_FEE | No | Purchase Order + Extra Cost rules only. TRUE counts the generated charge in the PO billable total. |
| MOQ | No | Minimum order quantity for the rule. |
| ORDER_MULTIPLE | No | Order rounding increment. |
| TIER_MODE | No | NON_GRADUATED (default) or GRADUATED. |
| TIER_QUANTITY_BASIS | No | LINE (default) or SCOPE_GROUP (combined quantity across all matching lines). |
| COST_ALLOCATION_TYPE | No | Extra Cost rules only. VALUE_BASED_ALLOCATION (default), UNIT_BASED_ALLOCATION, VOLUME_BASED_ALLOCATION, or WEIGHT_BASED_ALLOCATION. |
| SHIPMENT_TYPE | No | For SHIPMENT document rules: Air, Sea, Road, Rail, or Express. |
Exporting existing rules
You can download your current cost rules as a spreadsheet directly from the Cost Rules list. This is useful for doing a bulk price update: export, edit the amounts in your spreadsheet application, then re-import — any row whose name matches an existing rule will update it in place.
Good to know
- Updating via re-import is safe. A row that matches an existing rule by name patches only the fields you provide; blank cells preserve the current values.
- Multi-tier rules cannot be created via import. Build rules with graduated tiers or multiple effects in the Cost Rules screen, then export if you need a record of them.
- Import progress and any row-level errors are shown in the import job log after upload.