Creating Cycle Counts via CSV Upload

How to create SKU- and Location-based cycle counts via CSV upload. 

IN THIS TOPIC

• Before you start
• CSV File Guidelines
• View Sample Data & Requirements
• Creating Cycle Counts via CSV Upload

You can create and manage cycle counts from the Cycle Counts page in Flexe. The Create Counts via CSV tool gives you the option to create counts by uploading SKU and/or location information in a CSV file. 

Before you start

Make sure you've made all necessary preparations for the cycle counting process. Working on fulfillment or inventory tasks at the same time as a cycle count will invalidate the count, and you'll need to start over. 

Here are some things to keep in mind: 

• Plan to perform the count at the end-of-shift, beginning-of-shift or another time when no fulfillment activity is occurring. 
• All inbounds and outbounds for impacted SKUs and/or locations should be temporarily paused.
• The system will automatically lock all locations and/or SKUs included in the count(s), so they cannot be used for fulfillment or inventory-related activities. 

To learn more, go to Preparing for Cycle Counts. 

CSV File Guidelines

As part of the CSV upload process, you'll download a template .csv file that will help you enter all required information for the cycle count in the correct format. When entering file inputs, keep in mind that:

• No more than 150 locations can be included in a single count 
• Counts can only be performed for eligible location categories, including Floor, Rack, Bin, Quality Audit and Lost storage locations. 
• You can cycle count SKUs and locations separately or at the same time in the same count. Although the "locationLabel" and "SKU" columns in the CSV template are next to each other, the count will run for the SKU and location separately.

 Example: The sample below would allow location "FS-A001-C22" to be counted regardless of which SKUs it contains. SKU "SMWGTWHT" would be counted wherever it may exist in the warehouse, not specifically in location "FS-A001-C22."

View Sample Data & Requirements

Once you launch the upload tool, you can find additional guidance about what to include in your CSV file, including how specific entries should be formatted, by selecting Creating Cycle Counts with CSV at the bottom of the window: 

Creating Cycle Counts via CSV

To create a cycle count via CSV upload in Flexe: 

1. Open Cycle Counts from the left menu, then select Create Cycle Count. 

2. Open the Create Counts via CSV dropdown and select Download Template. 

3. Edit the template CSV file. 

Open the template file from your Downloads folder. Then, fill in the locationLabel and/or sku columns with the location names and SKUs you want to count. Headers in the template are case sensitive however and should not be changed.

Once you've entered everything, make sure to save the file as a .csv. 

Note: You can choose to count by Location, by SKU or by both locations and SKUs at the same time. 

4. Upload the CSV file. 

Go back to the "New Cycle Count" page in the Flexe web platform. Re-open the Create Counts via CSV dropdown, then select Upload CSV.

In the upload window that opens, either drag and drop your saved CSV file into the Upload Your File box, or select Choose File and select the file from where it's saved. 

Once selected, the file name will be listed next to File selected. 

5. Enter the number of locations per count.

Use the Number of Locations Per Count to Create field to choose how many locations you want in each cycle count. (For example; if you have 10 locations to count and two mobile users, you could enter 5 here to create 2 cycle counts with 5 locations each.) 

Note: You can enter any number up to 150, as this is the maximum number of locations for a single count.

6. Enter a Reference ID. 

Use the Reference ID section to add a reference ID. This will help you keep track of the count throughout the process--especially if you entered a large number of counts to create in the previous step.  

Note: You can also use Reference IDs to start multiple related counts at once. To learn more, go to Starting Counts by Reference ID. 

7. Select Submit.

Select Submit to create the count(s). 

Once the counts are uploaded and created, a green notification banner displays in the upload window to confirm ("New Cycle Count Created Successfully").  

You can select the X in the top right to close the window and review the new count(s) from the main Cycle Counts page.   

The status will show as Pending, and you can find the reference ID you entered under Reference. The Created By column indicates who created the count, while the Created column shows the date and time the count was entered.

Starting Counts

After you've created the count(s), you'll need to start them so they can be accessed on Flexe mobile devices for the physical counting process. To learn more, go to Starting Cycle Counts.