Part 5 — Reference · Chapter 5.1

Import / Export Reference

This page lists every import and export type in BigWave. For the order to run them in during a rollout, read chapter 3.8.

Where the centers are

Five screens have an Import / Export Center. Each offers only the types that fit that screen.

Center	How to get there	Types
Company	Actions > Setup > Import / Export Center	Company Contacts, Technicians, Technician Custom Field Values, GeoTab Devices
Materials	Actions > Materials Management > Import / Export Center	Materials, Assemblies
Customer	A customer’s Import / Export Center panel	Sites, Custom Field Definitions, Custom Field Values
Project	A project’s Setup tab, Import / Export Center	Assignments, Schedule, Work Order Fields, Pricing, Supplier Orders, Custom Field Definitions, Custom Field Values
Asset type	An asset type’s Import / Export Center panel	Assets, Generate Assets, Custom Field Definitions, Custom Field Values

Each center has three tabs: History, Import and Export.

Most types work both ways. Export, edit the spreadsheet, and import it back to change many records at once.

People

Company Contacts: your office staff. Upload new ones, or update and delete existing ones.
Technicians: your field staff. Upload new, or update and delete.
Technician Custom Field Values: custom field data on technicians, such as license numbers.

Customers and sites

Sites: the locations under one customer, matched by Site ID. Upload new sites, or update and delete existing ones. This is the first import in any rollout.
Custom Field Definitions and Custom Field Values: on a customer, these are the site custom fields and their data, such as gate codes for every site (chapter 2.6).

Project work

Schedule: the visit date for each work order (chapter 3.8, step 4).
Assignments: who goes to each work order (step 5). Add to the current assignments, or replace them.
Work Order Fields: update general fields on existing work orders.
Pricing: line item pricing. The import replaces the existing pricing.
Supplier Orders: purchase orders on work orders (chapter 3.7). Add and update, or delete the existing ones and load new.
Custom Field Definitions and Custom Field Values: on a project, these are the work order custom fields and their data.

Materials

Materials: the parts catalog (chapter 2.7). Upload new parts, or update and delete existing ones. Use it to load a supplier’s new prices.
Assemblies: bundles of materials, labor and other Assemblies (chapter 2.7). See the column list below.

Assets

Assets: equipment at sites, for one asset type. Upload new, or update and delete.
Generate Assets: create assets in bulk. Use it when every site gets the same set of equipment.
Custom Field Definitions and Custom Field Values: on an asset type, these are its asset custom fields.

Integrations

GeoTab Devices: vehicle tracking devices. Shows only when the GeoTab integration is on.

Any grid

Every grid can export its current view to a spreadsheet (chapter 1.3). That answers most one-off requests for data.

Each row is one part. Rows with the same Assembly Name make one Assembly, and they replace that Assembly’s whole parts list.

Column	What goes in it
Assembly Name	Required. The name the office sees.
Category Path	The category names, separated by `>`, such as `Residential > Receptacles`. BigWave creates any that are missing.
Customer Description	What prints on the quote and the invoice.
Part Type	`Material`, `Labor` or `Assembly`.
Part	A material’s Material ID, a service name, or an Assembly name.
Quantity	The amount for one unit of the Assembly. Hours for labor.

Part Type, Part and Quantity must all be mapped. Exporting needs read access to Inventory → Assembly. Importing needs create access.

Export first, on the Export tab. The export is your backup.
Upload the file on the Import tab. To start from a blank layout, pick the type under Import Template and press Download.
Choose the type and the Action. The Action says whether rows add new records or update existing ones. Updates find records by their IDs, such as the Site ID.
Map the columns. Auto-map Fields matches columns whose names match BigWave’s fields. Map the rest by hand. Column order does not matter.
Do a trial run. Tick Don’t import but show me what will change. Or import five rows first.
Import and read the results. The results count rows processed, imported, not imported and with warnings. View Warnings explains the problem rows. Download Feedback returns your file with a note on each row. Most problems are an ID that does not match, or a value that does not fit the field.

The History tab lists past imports and exports. Look there first when someone asks what changed last Tuesday.