Understanding AfterShip Tracking's CSV Import Feature
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AfterShip Tracking’s CSV upload feature allows you to bulk-import trackings to the Shipments dashboard for auto-tracking and status updates email notifications. Additionally, you can upload CSV manually or auto-fetch trackings from a CSV file on your server at a specific time.
In this tutorial, we will show you:
How to upload CSV manually
How to set up CSV auto-fetch
CSV fields
CSV auto-fetch using Google Drive spreadsheet
Additional considerations
Upload a CSV file to bulk-import shipments to your AfterShip Tracking account. Select a basic or full CSV template. In one CSV file, maximum of 10,000 tracking numbers can be imported.
Basic CSV template: Enter the tracking numbers
Full CSV template: Enter additional data like customer name, account number, courier, order ID, tracking key, store URL, postal code, ship date, origin, and destination country
Duplicate shipments will be overwritten and CSV files must be at most 5 MB or 10,000 shipments.
Go to Shipments in the AfterShip Tracking admin
Click on CSV import and select the Import by CSV option
Download one of the two CSV templates based on your requirement, fill it in according to the template format, and save it in the .csv (Comma Separated Values) format
Add the CSV file from your desktop or drop the file onto the designated place to upload it
Click Import file. All the successfully imported shipments will appear on the dashboard once you refresh the page
You will also receive an email notification confirming the same along with the time when the import was processed, total successful trackings imported, warnings, and errors
Here are the common CVS import errors you need to look out for to ensure successful import of tracking data to the Shipments dashboard.
With CSV auto-fetch, you don't have to upload a CSV file every time because we will automatically fetch shipment details as per your import rule and time. Here's how to set up CSV auto-fetch:
Go to Shipments in the AfterShip Tracking admin
Click on CSV import and select the CSV auto-fetch option
Once you click on the CSV Auto Fetch option, you will be asked to set the import rule. Click on Create new rule
a. Set the Daily import time
b. Input the HTTP, HTTPS, FTP or SFTP link that points directly to the CSV file you want AfterShip to download at the time you specify
c. Fill in the username and password, if the URL is password protected. With this, you can simply update the CSV file at the URL you specify, and AfterShip will automatically download the file and import the shipments
Click Save to finish the procedure
To learn what each field in the template refers to, check our help article on importing CSV files.
All the fields in the CSV file need to be filled just like the examples given against each of the CSV field in the article.
Automatically import tracking numbers to AfterShip using Google Drive Spreadsheet via CSV Auto - Fetch. You can use Google spreadsheet to use the CSV auto-fetch option.
Download the AfterShip CSV Sample
Create a new Google spreadsheet
Copy the template from the sample CSV and paste it on the newly created sheet
Enter the required tracking data within the Google spreadsheet
Select Share
Choose the option Anyone with the link can view to make the spreadsheet public for people with the link, in this case AfterShip Tracking
The process is the same as the CSV auto-fetch. While adding in the Feed URL, just add the Google spreadsheet URL with the trackings you’ve created in the above step.
tracking_number is the only compulsory field in the CSV, but it would be better if you input carrier to ensure more accurate tracking
Keep the header untouched
If you are using excel for editing the CSV, please make sure you change format of the cells into text before editing. Otherwise, the tracking number will be truncated or the phone number "+" sign will be identified as a formula
Make sure you save the file as a CSV
Duplicate or identical tracking numbers can be imported to AfterShip via CSV only when they have different carrier slugs. The same tracking number could have been assigned to shipments of different carriers, making them eligible to be imported to AfterShip dashboard via CSV manual, auto-fetch, and Google Spreadsheet upload.
Overview
AfterShip Tracking’s CSV upload feature allows you to bulk-import trackings to the Shipments dashboard for auto-tracking and status updates email notifications. Additionally, you can upload CSV manually or auto-fetch trackings from a CSV file on your server at a specific time.
What you’ll learn
In this tutorial, we will show you:
How to upload CSV manually
How to set up CSV auto-fetch
CSV fields
CSV auto-fetch using Google Drive spreadsheet
Additional considerations
How to upload CSV
Upload a CSV file to bulk-import shipments to your AfterShip Tracking account. Select a basic or full CSV template. In one CSV file, maximum of 10,000 tracking numbers can be imported.
Basic CSV template: Enter the tracking numbers
Full CSV template: Enter additional data like customer name, account number, courier, order ID, tracking key, store URL, postal code, ship date, origin, and destination country
Duplicate shipments will be overwritten and CSV files must be at most 5 MB or 10,000 shipments.
Go to Shipments in the AfterShip Tracking admin
Click on CSV import and select the Import by CSV option
Download one of the two CSV templates based on your requirement, fill it in according to the template format, and save it in the .csv (Comma Separated Values) format
Add the CSV file from your desktop or drop the file onto the designated place to upload it
Click Import file. All the successfully imported shipments will appear on the dashboard once you refresh the page
You will also receive an email notification confirming the same along with the time when the import was processed, total successful trackings imported, warnings, and errors
Here are the common CVS import errors you need to look out for to ensure successful import of tracking data to the Shipments dashboard.
How to set up CSV auto-fetch
With CSV auto-fetch, you don't have to upload a CSV file every time because we will automatically fetch shipment details as per your import rule and time. Here's how to set up CSV auto-fetch:
Go to Shipments in the AfterShip Tracking admin
Click on CSV import and select the CSV auto-fetch option
Once you click on the CSV Auto Fetch option, you will be asked to set the import rule. Click on Create new rule
a. Set the Daily import time
b. Input the HTTP, HTTPS, FTP or SFTP link that points directly to the CSV file you want AfterShip to download at the time you specify
c. Fill in the username and password, if the URL is password protected. With this, you can simply update the CSV file at the URL you specify, and AfterShip will automatically download the file and import the shipments
Click Save to finish the procedure
CSV Fields
To learn what each field in the template refers to, check our help article on importing CSV files.
All the fields in the CSV file need to be filled just like the examples given against each of the CSV field in the article.
CSV auto-fetch using Google Drive spreadsheet
Automatically import tracking numbers to AfterShip using Google Drive Spreadsheet via CSV Auto - Fetch. You can use Google spreadsheet to use the CSV auto-fetch option.
Step 1: Prepare auto-fetch file
Download the AfterShip CSV Sample
Create a new Google spreadsheet
Copy the template from the sample CSV and paste it on the newly created sheet
Enter the required tracking data within the Google spreadsheet
Select Share
Choose the option Anyone with the link can view to make the spreadsheet public for people with the link, in this case AfterShip Tracking
Step 2: Upload the CSV file
The process is the same as the CSV auto-fetch. While adding in the Feed URL, just add the Google spreadsheet URL with the trackings you’ve created in the above step.
Additional considerations
tracking_number is the only compulsory field in the CSV, but it would be better if you input carrier to ensure more accurate tracking
Keep the header untouched
If you are using excel for editing the CSV, please make sure you change format of the cells into text before editing. Otherwise, the tracking number will be truncated or the phone number "+" sign will be identified as a formula
Make sure you save the file as a CSV
FAQ
1. Under what condition duplicate tracking numbers can be imported to AfterShip?
Duplicate or identical tracking numbers can be imported to AfterShip via CSV only when they have different carrier slugs. The same tracking number could have been assigned to shipments of different carriers, making them eligible to be imported to AfterShip dashboard via CSV manual, auto-fetch, and Google Spreadsheet upload.
Updated on: 08/02/2024
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