Excel import sheet instructions
This article explains how to fill in the import sheet in general.
Columns in blue in the import sheet are mandatory. Here we will go through what the columns mean:
Department
(Mandatory data field)
Departments in Trail can be used to easily limit which users can see which items. Each item must belong to a department. Departments can be used as an example of a breakdown that helps to outline groups, distinguish between faculties or locations, etc.:
AV equipment
Subject teachers
Subject students
Administration
Logistics
Costumes
Stage management
Lighting
Sound
Northern Fire Station
Southern Fire Station
Item type
(Mandatory data field)
The item type defines which additional type-specific information fields are displayed on the item card. What these other additional data fields are is determined by the item type. The most commonly used item type is a Device. It defines the following data fields to be displayed on the item cards: Serial number, Current user, and Warranty period. Other item types can be, for example, Case, Vehicle, Software license, etc. If it is felt that the item types available in the system are not sufficient, i.e. more data fields are needed either for existing item types or a completely new item type would need to be created, Trail support can be used to plan the addition of new data fields if necessary.
Category
(Mandatory data field)
Categories in Trail distinguish what type of equipment an item is or what it is used for, and a single category can contain multiple types of items with a similar purpose. It is recommended to keep the category names as general and descriptive as possible. If the category name is 'Computers', the system can use this information to search for the different types of computers in use.
Sub category
If necessary, the category name can be refined by a sub-category, i.e. the item will display both the main category as the top level and the sub-category as the bottom level. For example:
Vehicles (Main category)
→ Ambulances (Subcategory)
Manufacturer
(Can be added afterwards)
If you know the name of the manufacturer of the product, you can add it to this column.
Model
(Mandatory data field)
Models are used to group identical items. All items are part of a model and in one model you can have one or multiple items. We recommend using the product name as the name of the model so that managing the models is easier. For example Arkitecture KVT7 or Battery drill ABC123.
Serial number
(Can be added afterwards)
If the item has its own serial number, it can be entered in this column. Each serial number must be unique.
Case row (Located in the item on row X)
This column means if the item is located inside another item. It is sufficient to put here the row number of the item in question.
My Identifier = Barcode
(Can be added afterwards)
If the item has a unique identifier, such as an existing barcode, you can add that identifier to this column. Please note that the unique identifier is different from the unique identifier assigned by Trail.
Amount
The amount tells you how many identical items exist and are entered into the system. If the line is empty, only 1 item is automatically entered into the system. On the other hand, if the column reads 10, 10 identical items will be created in the system during the export phase. NOTE! If an item has a serial number, each item must be placed on its own row.
Vendor
(Can be added afterwards)
If you know the name of the supplier, you can add it to this column.
Purchase price
(Can be added afterwards)
The purchase price of the item can be entered in this column. The price is entered as a number, e.g. 100 without special characters.
Purchase date
(Can be added afterwards)
If you know the date of purchase, you can add it to this column. The date of purchase of the item is entered in the column as 1.1.2022.
Warranty
(Can be added afterwards)
If the item has a warranty period, it can be entered here. The warranty period is put in years, for example 8 (means that the warranty period for the product is 8 years).
Lifespan
Estimated lifetime of the item. The lifespan can be estimated either for an individual item or for a model. If the lifespan is defined for both the model and the item, the lifespan of the item will be displayed on the item card. The lifespan is put in years, for example 5 (means that the lifespan for the item is 5 years). In the system, when a lifespan is defined, Trail will draw a "life cycle" on the item card, where green indicates the beginning of the life cycle, yellow is the middle of the life cycle, and red is the end of the life cycle. It should be noted that the purchase date must also be specified in order to display the "life cycle" because without the purchase date Trail cannot calculate when the equipment was put into service.
Location code
If your company has a location code, you can put it in this column. If there is no such code, it can be left blank.
Location name
(Can be added afterwards)
The name of the location of the item, i.e. where the item is located. For example, Warehouse X or Fire Station X, or Office X.
Reservable
(Can be changed afterwards)
Is the item reservable? YES if yes and NO if no. This determines whether the item can be reserved for reservations.
Description
(Can be added afterwards)
Description of the item. You can add additional information you want to tell us about the item. This description will only be added for the item in this row.
Model description
(Can be added afterwards)
Description of the model. You can add additional information you want to tell about the model. This description will be added for all items under this model.
Model Attachments
(Can be added afterwards)
Here you can add the name of some document or picture that you want shown in the models or items page. The actual documents and pictures have to be sent to us alongside the excel document and they will be added within the system manually. Therefore please be clear and accurate with naming the files that will be added. If the file is to be added to a singular item, please treat it as a unique item and add it to that single items row.