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Sheet import

Sheet Import loads your data from one spreadsheet, so you can add many records at once instead of creating them one at a time. Download the sample file for the kind of record you are importing, fill in your own rows, and upload it. Nothing is created until you have seen exactly what the import will do and confirmed it.

Included with every module

Sheet Import comes with the Label module, the Diet analysis module, and the Menu creation module. What you can import depends on which of them you have; see the list below.

Not available on a trial

Sheet Import is disabled for trial accounts.

What you can import​

Choose one of these under What would you like to import?. You only see the kinds of record your subscription and permissions allow, and the module each one belongs to is what decides that.

  • Ingredient, a food with its serving amount, unit, gram weight, and nutrients. Label module.
  • Recipe, with its ingredients, servings, and instructions. Label module.
  • Recipe Book, naming the recipes it collects. Label module.
  • Client. Diet analysis module or Menu creation module.
  • Client Group. Diet analysis module or Menu creation module.
  • Menu Template, with its days, meals, and foods. Menu creation module.
  • Food Costing, which updates the cost of ingredients you already have rather than creating new ones. Diet analysis module.

So a Label module subscription offers Ingredient, Recipe, and Recipe Book, and a Menu creation subscription offers Client, Client Group, and Menu Template. With the all-modules plan you see every kind. The page opens on the first kind you are allowed to import, which is not the same one for everybody.

Each import is limited to 500 records. The page shows the limit for the kind of record you have chosen.

Download the sample file​

  1. Click Tools in the sidebar, then open Sheet Import.
  2. Click Download Sample File.
  3. Choose the kind of record you are importing. There is a sample for each one, and the file is named after the kind you picked.

The sample is a spreadsheet with the exact column headings the import expects, plus example rows showing the kind of value each column takes. Some columns also carry a dropdown of the values that are valid for your account, such as regions and units.

Keep the heading row exactly as it is. The import matches your columns by their headings, so a renamed or missing heading stops the file being read. Replace the example rows with your own data and save the file as .xlsx.

A few columns are worth knowing about before you fill the sheet in:

  • Import Id identifies a record within the sheet. It has to be a number, and it has to be filled in on every row. Use the same Import Id on several rows to give one record more than one entry, for example an ingredient with two serving sizes, or a recipe with several ingredients.
  • Headings ending in an asterisk are required.
  • Anything that refers to another record, such as the ingredients in a recipe or the recipes in a recipe book, has to match a record you already have, by name and exactly. Create those first.

Import your file​

  1. On the Sheet Import page, choose what you are importing.
  2. Open the New Import tab and choose your file. It must be in .xlsx format.
  3. If anything in the sheet cannot be read, the page lists the problems above the Next button. Fix them in your file and choose it again.
  4. Click Next, then accept the disclaimer to continue. The disclaimer confirms that you are authorized to import this data and will handle it in line with your obligations.
  5. The preview screen shows every record that will be created, with anything the import could not match flagged on the row. You can correct values here before importing.
  6. If you change anything, click Check for Errors to check it again.
  7. Click Import to create the records, or Cancel to discard the upload without creating anything.

See what was imported​

The List of Recent Imports tab shows each import for the kind of record currently chosen, with its file name, the number of records, the date, and whether it completed. Change what is selected at the top of the page to see the history for a different kind of record.

Imported records are added to My Data and can then be opened and edited like any other record.

  • Bulk export, to get your data back out as a spreadsheet.