Quick Summary: This article describes the complete set of data input requirements for a custom integration with Netstock Inventory Advisor. It defines file formats, naming rules, validation methods, and required vs. optional data files.

Data Extraction Scheduling

Daily refresh required: Netstock requires a full daily refresh of source data.
Recommended timing: Run data extraction at midnight or early morning.
File delivery: Files are exchanged with Netstock via a secure transfer service.
- In some cases, this is handled by a local integration program installed on a server.

File Format

All source files must follow the CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format.

General rules:

File names must match the required specification exactly (all-lowercase).
No column headings should be included (except in custom ut_###.csv files).
If a field is not provided, its position must still be included (leave blank values by placing a comma).
All character fields must be wrapped in double quotes (e.g., "ABC123").
Character fields must not include line breaks or carriage returns.
Double quotes inside field values must be escaped by doubling them ("").
Files must use UTF-8 encoding. This enables faster processing and error-free handling of symbols, emojis, and foreign language characters.

Data Validation Service

Netstock provides a data validation service to confirm file validity. Regional services ensure compliance with data sovereignty requirements.

Unit of Measure

All stock-related quantities must use a common unit of measure (“Netstock UOM”):

Typically, this should be the stocking UOM.
It must be granular enough to avoid decimals in Netstock.
Any required conversions (e.g., cases → units) must be performed by the data extraction process.

Data Files

The following table summarizes input files accepted by Netstock:

Data	File Name	Importance	Description
Locations	`location.csv`	Required	Physical stocking locations (warehouses and branches)
Suppliers	`supplier.csv`	Required	Active vendors
Product Master	`master.csv`	Required	Basic product information
Stock by Location	`stock.csv`	Required	Data about products at locations, including current stock position
Lots	`lots.csv`	If Applicable	Stock lots and expiration dates
Custom Groups	`group.csv`	Required	Codes and descriptions for custom fields
Sales History	`sales.csv`	Required	Sales and returns transaction history
Outstanding Purchase Orders	`po.csv`	Required	Outstanding purchase/production order lines
Outstanding Customer Orders	`co.csv`	If Applicable	Outstanding customer order lines
Outstanding Transfers	`transfer.csv`	If Applicable	Outstanding transfer lines
Completed Purchase Orders	`pohist.csv`	Preferred	Completed purchase order lines and receipts
Meta Data	`control.csv`	Required	Information about the interface and data extraction
Bills of Materials	`bom.csv`	If Applicable	The relationship between finished goods and raw materials
Supersessions	`supersessions.csv`	If Applicable	Product replacement relationships
Custom Data	`ut_###.csv`	If Applicable	Custom file(s) for customised business rules

Data Types

Data Type	Description
Char	Text up to 255 characters long.
Integer	Numeric values without a decimal component.
Decimal	Numeric values with a 12-digit maximum, including 4 decimal places. Decimal places must be delimited by a full-stop character.
Date	Date values should be formatted as YYYY/MM/DD. For example, 22 August 2011 should be provided as 2011/08/22.
Bit	Valid values are 0 (false) and 1 (true).

A Note About Lead Times

Accurate lead times are critical to Netstock. Availability varies across ERP systems, so multiple methods are supported (ranked from best to fallback):

Preferred: Provide lead times in the Stock file (stock.csv).
Alternative #1: Provide lead times in the Supplier file (supplier.csv).
Alternative #2: Maintain lead times manually in Netstock.
Alternative #3: Let Netstock calculate lead times automatically from Completed Purchase Orders (pohist.csv).

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Data Interface Requirements - Product Master

Data Interface Requirements - Stock by Location

Data Interface Requirements - Outstanding Customer Orders

Data Interface Requirements - Outstanding Transfers

Data Interface Requirements - Completed Purchase Orders