How to review an inventory spreadsheet export

An inventory export can look fine at a glance and still contain missing product codes, repeated rows, or quantities under the wrong heading. Those mistakes can cause trouble when you import the file into another system or use it to count stock.

Open a copy of the CSV in the CSV Editor to inspect, find, sort, and edit rows in your browser. Keep the original export unchanged until you have checked the reviewed version.

Review the inventory export

1. Open the CSV Editor and load a copy of the inventory CSV. The tool can open files with up to 10 million rows.
2. Check the header row against the fields you expect, such as SKU, product name, location, quantity, and price. Look at the first and last few records, not just the headings.
3. Inspect important columns for blanks and values that look out of place. Use find to look for a known SKU or item name, then compare its other fields with your source records.
4. Sort by SKU or another stable identifier to bring similar records together. Review repeated values before using the remove duplicates function.
5. If you correct a confirmed error, make the change in a separate copy and save or export that reviewed copy. Reopen it to confirm the changes and the column layout.

Do not assume repeated SKUs are errors. A product may appear once for each warehouse, bin, or condition. Compare all relevant fields before deciding whether two rows represent the same inventory record.

What the result means

Values appear under the wrong headings

A row with a product name under quantity, or a price under location, may have a delimiter or quoting problem. CSV fields that contain commas need to be quoted correctly. Check the original export settings or source data before editing the affected rows by hand.

A SKU or product name is blank

The record may be incomplete, or the export may have omitted a field. Search for the item in the system that created the export and confirm its identifier before filling anything in. Do not invent an SKU just to make the row look complete.

The same SKU appears more than once

This can be valid when stock is split across locations or lots. If the rows have the same SKU, location, and other identifying fields, they may be duplicate records. For more detail on checking repeated product IDs, see Duplicate product IDs in a CSV: what to do.

An SKU has lost leading zeros

A code such as 001274 may have been interpreted as the number 1274 by a spreadsheet program. Treat codes as text, not quantities. If you need to recover the original code, check the source system rather than guessing how many zeros were removed. See Why leading zeros disappear from CSV data.

Quantities or prices look unusual

Check whether quantities are blank, negative, or unexpectedly fractional, and whether prices use the expected decimal separator. A value such as 1,250 can mean different things depending on the format and locale. Compare suspect values with the original system before making a correction.

Fix problems before you import the file

1. Keep a clean original. Duplicate the export and make changes only to the copy. That gives you a way to check what changed and restore the source if an edit is wrong.
2. Confirm what makes a row unique. Decide whether a record is identified by SKU alone or by a combination such as SKU and warehouse location. Do not remove duplicates based only on a product name if separate locations matter.
3. Correct codes at the source when possible. If a spreadsheet changed an SKU or date during export, export the data again with those fields treated as text. For guidance on preserving codes, see Why leading zeros disappear from CSV data.
4. Check the export format. Make sure the file is actually a CSV and that commas, quotation marks, and line breaks inside fields have not split records into extra columns or rows. If the structure is wrong, fix the export settings rather than forcing rows into place individually.
5. Review edited values against a trusted source. Correct only values you can verify, especially stock counts and prices. If the export has many questionable records, generate a fresh report instead of guessing through them.
6. Reopen the reviewed copy. Confirm that the headings, row count, SKUs, and important quantities still look right after saving. If another system will import the file, use a small test import when available before processing the full inventory.

Check IDs and quantities separately

Product codes identify items, but they are not measurements. Keep SKUs and other codes as text so that leading zeros and long values are preserved. Quantities should be numeric when the receiving system expects numbers, while a value such as 12 in a notes field should remain text if it is part of a label or description.

Also check whether each quantity is an on-hand count, an available-to-sell count, or a quantity reserved for orders. Two columns with plausible numbers can still describe different things. Match each field to the meaning used by your inventory system before comparing totals.

The CSV Editor works in your browser, and the inventory file stays on your device.