Start up Wizard

The Start up wizard is shown on the Getting Started menu.

Import of data from a connected bookkeeping system (the same functionality is in Invoicing – Bookkeeping connection dashboard)
Data deletion during system implementation time
Copy and paste grids for importing partners, material items and product structures (bills of materials).

By default the startup wizard will show as the first screen when the user signs in. This can be changed by unchecking the box “Show this screen at start up”. If it is not shown it can be accessed from the Admin menu.

A great way to trial Manu Online is to use the data import and data deletion facilities to import your own or upload sample data (see below), trial orders and manufacturing etc. and then delete everything and do it again, perhaps with a different data configuration or different licensed extensions in use. Finally before you go live, delete everything and import clean data and disable data deletion. See more about this process in our [checklist for initial setup](broken-reference).

If the chart of accounts is not yet imported from your accounts system, the check box for this will selected by default and you should import these. Importing the chart of accounts will also import the tax configuration (VAT, GST or Sales tax) from your accounts program and allow you to correctly create invoices.

You can optionally import items and partners (contacts). Typically the data behind items and partners in the accounts system will be only part of that available in Manu Online. You should however import these as it will “map” the records between the two systems. For example if a customer exists in the external system, and is not imported but created in Manu Online, then it will be duplicated in the external system at a later stage when an invoice for this customer is exported to the external system. All imported items will be imported as products with “plan for purchase”. So to make an item a manufactured product, open its item card and change it to “plan for manufacturing”. Alternatively upload product structure data in an Excel as described elsewhere.

Note that importing data from your accounts package is strictly read-only from the accounts package point of view. Therefore you can safely import data from a live accounts system even when you are trialling Manu Online.

Data can be deleted at three levels: orders, orders and items, or orders, items and partners. Data deleted in this way is permanently deleted and this feature should of course only be used during your implementation time. If you no longer use the data deletion feature click the button to disable it. It can not be re-enabled without contacting Manu Online support.

Data deletion allows you to build your system in stages and at each level delete and reimport your data until it is in the way that you want it.

Note that data deletion does not affect any system settings or system numbering such as invoice numbers. So if you enter trial orders, then delete them, you may consider resetting system numbers in the System setting page.

The copy and paste grids in the start up wizard allow you to simply copy material items and partner data from any other system. After copying in items, you can also individually copy in the product structure (bill of materials) of individual products on the item card in a similar way.

To copy in the data, prepare your data in columns exactly as shown on the screen. For instance use Microsoft Excel. The columns must be the same, but column headers should not be copied in. Where numeric data is not available then use zero. Then paste the data into the grid.

Make sure you drag and select the whole data area and nothing else before pressing Ctrl-C for copy. If you are not in the UK, make sure that GBR is a valid country in your system settings, or change the country code in this data.

Your spreadsheet should look similar to this:

After pasting the data in, the screen will display the the imported data:

Similarly for items. The cost column sets the inventory value of the initial stock. The sales price is entered to the default sales prices list

Click next to go to the screen to import product structures (bills of materials). Read the detailed instructions on the screen.

Note that a product structure can include items which are not materials, i.e. work time, machine time, subcontract or other cost item. You should create these item types from the Items dashboard first, before importing the product structure, or the item id’s will be created on the fly as materials.

You can also import the product structure of an item by copy and paste directly to the item card. In the menu go to Items and select AD1. Change the “Plan for” setting to “plan for manufacturing” (to make it a manufactured product), go to the manufacturing tab and upload the product structure. Go to Sales -> Items and select AD1. Change the “Plan for” to Manufacturing, then go to the Manufacturing tab and select the Upload button.