How do I import a spreadsheet into Inventory and add my own fields in MONA?

Quick answer: go to Inventory and click Import. Upload a .csv or .xlsx, or pick one of your MONA databases, check where each column goes, and click Import. Every row comes in at once, with every column. To add columns Inventory does not have, click Fields.

Inventory is the register of what your studio physically owns: stock, staging pieces, resale items and samples. If that register already lives in a spreadsheet or a MONA database, you do not need to re-enter it one item at a time.

How do I import a spreadsheet or database?

1. Click Inventory in the sidebar, then Import at the top right. On an empty register, click Import a spreadsheet.
2. Pick the source:
   • Upload a .csv or .xlsx for a spreadsheet export. The file is saved to your Library.
   • From a MONA database to pick one of your databases. Use the search box to find it.
3. If a workbook has several tabs, pick the right one from Sheet.
4. Check the columns. Each one shows three sample values and a Goes to menu with four groups:
   • Item fields: the built-in ones, such as Title, Brand, SKU, Unit cost, Status, Location and Photo.
   • Your fields: the fields you added under Fields.
   • New field…: creates a field for this column, with a name and type you can change.
   • Don’t import: leaves the column out.
5. Set Import as to Stock, Samples or Staging. A sheet or database with "sample" in its name starts on Samples.
6. Choose Duplicates: Import every row, or skip rows whose Title, SKU or one of your mapped fields already exists in Inventory or earlier in the same file.
7. Click Import.

The line next to Import says exactly what will happen, for example "Add 3,061 rows as Sample, create 2 new fields, download photos in the background." If no column is set to Title, it says Pick which column is the item name and Import stays off until you choose one.

When the import finishes, MONA shows how many items were added and how many were skipped. Click Why rows were skipped to see each row and the reason, such as a missing name or a duplicate. Click Open inventory to see them.

How do photos import?

Map every photo column to Photo. A sheet with Photo, Item photo 1, Item photo 2 and Item photo 3 can send all four there. The first photo becomes the cover and the rest go into the item's gallery in column order.

Photos download in the background after the rows land, so a large import does not wait on thousands of image downloads. The import screen shows a progress bar and you can close it; the downloads keep going. A link that cannot be fetched is counted and skipped without stopping the others.

How do I add my own fields?

1. In Inventory, click Fields.
2. Click Add a field, type a name, and pick a type:
   • Text for anything typed.
   • Pick list for one of a set of options. Type one option per line. A new value typed on an item or brought in by an import is added to the list for you.
   • Date, Number, Checkbox or Link.
3. Turn on Show in table to make the field a column in the register.
4. Use the arrows to change the order. Fields show in that order on the item form and in the item panel.

Your fields appear under Your fields when you add or edit an item, and in the item panel whenever an item has a value for them.

The sample-tracking fields

If you track material samples, click Add the sample-tracking fields. It adds 13 fields in one step: Still sold, Last checked, Returnable, Date requested, Requested by, Client / project, Cost source, Collection, UPC, Origin, Source, Date logged and Date basis. Status and Freight are already built into every item, so they are not added twice. Once they are all there, the button says Added.

How do I record a free sample or an unknown cost?

Every item has a Cost choice next to Unit cost:

• Amount: type the price.
• Free: the sample cost nothing.
• Paid, amount not stated: it was paid for but the amount is not known.

Free and Paid, amount not stated have no amount, so the Unit cost box is cleared and turned off. The table and item panel show the words instead of a price. On import, a cost column with "$12.00", "Free" and "Paid, amount not stated" in it comes in as the right kind for each row.

Frequently asked questions

How many rows can I import at once? Up to 5,000 rows in one import. If a sheet has more, MONA imports the first 5,000 and says so on the mapping screen, so you can split the rest into a second file.

What happens to a column MONA does not recognise? It is never dropped silently. MONA offers it as a new field with the type its values look like, and you can map it somewhere else or choose Don’t import instead.

How does a cost of Free or Paid, amount not stated import? Map the cost column to Unit cost. A number like $12.00 becomes the amount, Free becomes a Free cost, and text like Paid, amount not stated becomes that cost kind with no amount.

Do photo links come in too? Yes. Map every photo column to Photo. The first one becomes the cover and the rest go into the gallery in column order, downloaded in the background.

What if I import the same sheet twice? Choose a Duplicates option such as Skip rows whose Title already exists and rows that match an item you already have are skipped and listed. Import does not update existing items; edit those from the item itself.

What happens when I delete a field? The field and its value on every item are removed, and MONA tells you how many items had a value. This cannot be undone.

Can I search my own fields? Yes. The Inventory search box looks at your own fields as well as the title, SKU, brand, colour, category, materials and description.

Can I ask the MONA agent to do this? Yes. Ask it to import a file or database into Inventory and it shows you the column mapping first, then imports when you confirm. It can also manage your fields and set your own fields and the cost kind on any item.