# Import and export

> Bulk-import customers, suppliers, items and opening balances from CSV or Excel with preview and validation, and export your data any time.

Canonical: https://docs.getonebooks.com/data/import-export/
Language: en
Documentation index: https://docs.getonebooks.com/llms.txt

**Data → Import / Export** loads master data and opening balances from spreadsheets, and exports your records whenever you need them. Imports are all-or-nothing: an import that fails is rolled back and your books are unchanged.

![The Import / Export page with the import entities and the export tab](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/data-import-hub.webp)

## Import

1. Choose the entity: **Customers**, **Suppliers**, **Items** or **Opening balances**.
2. Download the **Excel Template** or **CSV Template**, fill it in (one row per record; up to 10 MB or 10,000 rows) and upload it.
3. **Map Columns** — OneBooks matches your file's columns to its fields by header name; fix anything shown as **not mapped**, then **Validate**.
4. **Preview & Validate** — every row is marked **OK**, **Error** (with the reason) or **Duplicate**. Tick **Skip rows with errors** or **Skip duplicate rows** to import the rest, or fix the file and re-upload.
5. Select **Import … rows**. The result page lists what was imported and any rows skipped.

![The Map Columns step with source columns matched to target fields](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/data-import-preview.webp)

![The Preview & Validate step with OK, Error and Duplicate rows](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/data-import-validate.webp)

### Templates and columns

| Entity | Required | Optional |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Name | Email, phone, address, tax ID, customer code |
| Suppliers | Name | Email, phone, address, tax ID, bank name, bank account, payment terms |
| Items | Name, sale price | Description, unit, cost price, tax rate, HSN/SAC code, salable, purchasable |
| Opening balances | Amount, and a customer code, supplier code or account code | Date, reference |

Duplicates are detected by name (customers, suppliers, items) so a re-run does not create doubles.

### Opening balances

Rows with a **customer code** or **supplier code** become per-party opening documents (so payments can settle them); rows with an **account code** post to that balance-sheet account. Revenue and expense accounts are rejected. See [Opening balances](https://docs.getonebooks.com/accounting/opening-balances/).

## Export

The **Export** tab downloads **Customers**, **Suppliers**, **Items** and transactions as **Excel** or **CSV** — the full table each time.

![The Export tab with Excel and CSV buttons per entity](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/data-export.webp)

Reports export separately from their own pages — see [Exporting and printing reports](https://docs.getonebooks.com/reports/exporting/).

## Permissions

Catalog imports (customers, suppliers, items) are open to members; **opening-balance imports** require the ledger import permission (owners and admins by default), because they post to the ledger.

## Related

  - [Migrating to OneBooks](https://docs.getonebooks.com/getting-started/migrating/)
  - [Tally](https://docs.getonebooks.com/integrations/tally/)