How does a purchase order import treat existing lines, blank cells, and columns it doesn’t recognize?

A purchase order import adds to and updates what is already there.

When a PO Number in the file matches an existing purchase order, Endless updates that purchase order instead of creating a new one. Each row with an Item SKU already on the purchase order updates that line, and a SKU that is not on it yet is added as a new line. So you can import lines into an existing purchase order as well as create new ones.

A blank cell leaves the existing value as it is. This covers purchase order fields such as dates, terms, and supplier, and line fields such as Item Unit Cost and Item Lead Time. One exception: when a row has an Item SKU but Item Qty Ordered is blank, Endless sets the quantity to 1, even on an existing line. Always fill in the quantity.

To remove a line, open the purchase order and remove it there. Lines that are not in the file stay on the purchase order. Your developer or an AI coding tool can remove lines through the Endless API with an Operations Integration. API access must be in your plan. Contact Endless support for help removing lines in bulk.

Endless ignores columns it does not recognize in a purchase order or shipment import. The import still runs, and the result message ends with “Ignored unsupported columns” and their names. A few old export headings for purchase orders, such as Status or Expected Date, stop the import with a message naming the new heading to use instead.

When an import finishes, Endless sends a notification to the person who ran it. A successful purchase order import reports how many purchase orders it created and updated. A purchase order or shipment file that fails initial validation saves nothing; open “Raw metadata” for the reasons. Shipment costs or status changes can fail after the shipment itself was saved; check the completion warnings before retrying. A supplier import works row by row: rows with problems are skipped, the rest are saved, and the notification reports both counts.