Overview
If you already keep your parts catalogue in a spreadsheet, you don't need to re-enter it by hand. Mobaro can import your existing Inventory data — Warehouses, Categories, Products, and opening stock levels — in one pass. During early access, imports are run for you by your Customer Success Manager: you request a template, fill it in, and send it back.
🚀 Early Access: Inventory is an early-access feature and may not be enabled for your account. Contact Mobaro Support to request access.
Why this matters: Getting a real catalogue in by hand is the slowest part of adopting Inventory — and the point where most setups stall. An import turns days of typing into one file, and gets your teams requisitioning against real stock straight away.
How an import works
1. Request the template
Ask your CSM for the Inventory import template. It's a spreadsheet laid out in the structure Mobaro expects, so everything lines up on import.
2. Fill it in
Populate the template with your catalogue — the Warehouses you hold stock in, your Category structure, your Products, and the quantities currently on the shelf. See what the template covers below.
3. Send it back to your CSM
Return the completed template to your CSM. They check it, map it to your account, and run the import — then confirm once your catalogue is live.
Note: Your CSM validates the file before importing anything. Problems are reported row by row, so if something needs fixing you'll be told exactly which rows — nothing is imported until the file is clean.
What the template covers
An import can set up four things at once. You don't have to use all of them — if you only want a Product catalogue, fill in Categories and Products and leave the rest.
Section | What you provide |
Warehouses | Each Warehouse's name and the Mobaro Location it sits at. |
Categories | Each Category's name, plus its parent Category if it sits inside another — this is how your tree is built. |
Products | Name, Code, description, manufacturer, an image, and the Category each Product belongs to. |
Stock | Opening quantities — which Product, in which Warehouse, how many. |
Heads-up: The sections are linked by name — Products reference their Category by name, stock references its Product and Warehouse by name or Code. A Category named in your Products list but spelled differently in your Categories list won't match. Consistent spelling matters more than anything else in the file.
Filling in the template well
Keep names identical across sections. Copy and paste rather than retyping — Ride Parts and Ride parts are two different Categories as far as an import is concerned.
Build the Category tree with parent names. A Category with no parent sits at the top level; naming a parent nests it underneath.
Fill in the Manufacturer where you know it. Product Codes are unique per Manufacturer, so the manufacturer is what lets two suppliers use the same part number without clashing. See Products and Categories.
Give opening stock a sensible starting point. Import the quantities you'd expect to see on the shelf today, so your teams start from a number they trust.
Start with the catalogue you actually use. A focused list of live parts is far more useful than every item you've ever ordered.
Best practice: Treat the import as your chance to tidy up. Retiring dead parts and settling a naming convention before the file goes in is far easier than cleaning the catalogue afterwards.
After the import
Once your CSM confirms the import is done, your catalogue is live and ready to work with:
Check your stock levels per Warehouse — see Warehouses and stock levels.
Correct anything that's drifted with an adjustment — see Adjusting and transferring stock.
Start drawing parts against jobs — see Requisitions: requesting and fulfilling stock.
You can keep adding Products and Categories by hand at any time — an import is a starting point, not a one-time-only route. See Products and Categories.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I run the import myself?
A: Not during early access. Imports are run by your CSM — you provide the completed template and they handle the import and mapping.
Q: What if there's a mistake in my file?
A: It's caught before anything is imported. The file is validated first and problems are reported by row, so you can fix those rows and resend.
Q: Do I have to fill in every section?
A: No. Use the sections you need — a Product catalogue with no opening stock is perfectly valid, and you can add stock later by adjusting.
Q: Can I import again later to add more Products?
A: Talk to your CSM. Additional imports are possible; they'll advise on the best approach so you don't end up with duplicates.
Q: Can I still add Products by hand afterwards?
A: Yes. An import just gets the bulk of your catalogue in — everyday adding and editing carries on as normal.