How to Prepare and Upload Data to Fohlio

Before You Begin

When importing information or project data into Fohlio, it is important to confirm your structure first and keep your template consistent throughout the process. Making changes after the structure is approved can cause validation issues during upload.

Recommended Process

1. Review the template with your Fohlio account team
   Discuss the template with your Fohlio account manager, or contact us through Live Chat in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
   
   Book a session with your account manager.
   
   
2. 2. Confirm the fields that will be used in Fohlio
   Identify the exact fields from your source template that should be created as columns in Fohlio. This may include Categories, multi-choice columns, supplier lists, documents, and quantity-related fields. You should also confirm how quantities will be calculated.
   
   You can also use AI to help compare your existing column headers with Fohlio’s default columns before creating new fields. See “Use AI to Compare Your Existing Columns with Fohlio” at the bottom of this article for instructions.
   
   
3. Create the fields and columns in your Fohlio account
   Once the structure is confirmed, create the necessary fields and columns in Fohlio.
   
   These articles may help:
   What are Column Types.
   How to Add Columns in Fohlio.
   How to Add a Column Quickly to a Phase.
   
   
4. Do not change the template structure after confirmation
   After the columns have been confirmed, do not add or remove columns, as this can affect the template and cause upload issues.
   
   
5. Add an Area column
   Include an Area column in the Fohlio template if your upload needs to be organized by area.
   
   
6. Run a small test upload if needed
   Before importing the full file, you can upload a small sample to confirm the structure and formatting are correct.
   
   These articles may help:
   How to Batch Upload items to Fohlio using Excel Files.
   
   
7. Start the migration and upload your Excel file
   Once everything has been confirmed, you can proceed with the migration process and upload the data in Excel format.
   
   
8. Validate the template before final upload
   Double-check the completed template and compare it with the Excel export from Fohlio to make sure the columns and information match exactly and nothing is missing. Pay special attention to divisions, quantities, columns, and multi-choice fields.
   
   
   

9. Format multi-choice columns correctly
   Multi-choice options should be entered in the following format in Excel:

   -OPTION A
   -OPTION B

   The following format will not upload correctly:

   OPTION A, OPTION B

    
10. Uploading multiple images per item
    At this time, if an item or spec has more than one image, those images must be uploaded manually, or you can contact the Fohlio team to discuss available options.
    
    

Best Practice for Columns

Before creating a new column, check whether an existing Fohlio column can already support your needs.

For example, some users create a new column for supplier drawings, even though the default Docs column can often be reused or renamed for that purpose. Reusing existing columns helps keep your workspace organized and avoids clutter.

Use AI to Compare Your Existing Columns with Fohlio

If you are migrating data from another system, you can use AI as a support tool to compare your existing column headers with Fohlio’s default columns before creating new fields. This can help you identify which columns are already covered in Fohlio and reduce duplicate or unnecessary columns.

AI should be used only as a helper during this process. Always review the results manually before creating, renaming, or removing any columns in your workspace.

Prepare your files before using AI

For the best results, compare only the column headers, not the full item data.

1. Download a Fohlio file that includes the default column headers.
   All new Fohlio accounts include a sample project, you can just select one item from that project and export the Excel Table with Product Images report from Fohlio making sure all columns are included. If needed, add one sample item so the report can be generated.
2. Create a clean Fohlio header file.
   Once you download the file, copy only the column headers into a new Excel or CSV file.
3. Create a clean file from your existing system.
   Copy only the column headers from your current Excel or CSV file into a separate clean file. 
4. Work from copies, not the original files.
   To avoid losing data or changing your source files by mistake, create separate copies just for this comparison.
5. Name the files clearly.
   Use file names such as Fohlio_Headers.csv and Current_System_Headers.csv so it is easy to identify which file is which.

For best results, use Excel or CSV files. A clean spreadsheet is usually easier for AI to interpret than a text document with extra formatting.

Why only headers should be included

If your files include item rows, sample products, or other data, the AI may focus on the content instead of the column names. That can make the comparison less accurate and may cause confusion about which row contains the headers.

Keeping only the column headers makes the comparison cleaner and helps the AI focus on the structure of the data instead of the data itself.

Suggested AI prompt

You can use a prompt like this with your preferred AI tool:

I have two files that contain only column headers.

File 1 contains the default Fohlio column headers.
File 2 contains the column headers from my current system.

Please compare both files and help me identify:

1. Exact matches
2. Likely matches
3. Columns that are unclear and need manual review
4. Columns from my current system that may need to be created in Fohlio

For each suggested match, briefly explain why it matches.

Please do not recommend creating a new column if an existing Fohlio column could already be reused or renamed. For example, if a document-related column could fit into Docs, identify that as a possible match.

Only compare the column headers. Do not make assumptions based on item data.

Important reminder

AI can help speed up the review process, but it does not understand your project context, naming conventions, internal workflow, or how a field is intended to be used in Fohlio.

Because of this, AI suggestions should always be reviewed carefully before you finalize your template. A column may look similar by name, but still serve a different purpose in practice.

Best practice

Use AI to create a first-pass comparison, then review the results manually before making any changes in Fohlio.

This helps you:

• avoid creating duplicate columns
• reuse existing Fohlio columns when possible
• keep your workspace cleaner and easier to manage
• reduce the risk of template issues during upload

If you are unsure whether a column should be reused, renamed, or created as a new field, check with your Fohlio account team before finalizing the template.

Important Note

If you're using Fohlio's template to upload your data, it must be treated as the final version. If there are differences, for example, in column names between the template you upload and the original one you downloaded, the upload most likely won't be successful.