Repair import & export columns reference
This page covers the conventions shared across every repair and warranty import and export, rather than one file's columns — for a specific importer's column-by-column list, see Import part compatibility or Import warranty registrations.
CSV safety: formula protection and the byte-order mark
Every file this area generates is protected against spreadsheet formula injection — a cell that starts with =, +, -, @, a tab, or a carriage return is written with a leading ' so Excel or Sheets show it as text instead of evaluating it — and carries a UTF-8 byte-order mark so accented and special characters (for example "µm") display correctly when opened in Excel:
| Export | Formula protection | Byte-order mark |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs list export | Yes | Yes |
| Repair report exports | Yes | Yes |
| Recovery claims export | No | Yes |
| Vendor dispatches export | No | Yes |
| "Download a template" sample files (import dialogs) | N/A — header row and sample values only | No |
The Recovery claims and Vendor dispatches exports read straight from whatever rows are already loaded on screen. They're quick, immediate downloads with no size limit beyond what's currently loaded or selected — but, unlike the Repairs list and Report exports, they have no formula-injection guard. Treat a value you didn't type yourself (a customer or supplier name that came in from an external source) with the same care you'd give any spreadsheet cell from outside your account.
Where a background import or export lands
A repair or warranty import or export that's too large to finish while you wait runs as a background job and shows up in the Background Jobs tray (the icon in the top bar) rather than a page-specific progress bar — see Follow background jobs. This covers:
- Importing warranty registrations or part compatibility
- Backfilling warranty registrations
- Exporting the repairs list
- Exporting a repair report
| Export | Downloads immediately up to | Backgrounds above that |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs list | 1,000 rows | Yes — appears in the tray with a Download button when it finishes |
| Repair reports | 1,000 rows | Yes — same as above |
Opening a job's details in the tray shows a plain-language summary, and — for any import that skips individual rows — the specific rows skipped and why, the same way for every repair and warranty import. The Recovery claims and Vendor dispatches exports never appear in this tray; because they're built from what's already on screen, they finish immediately with no job to track.
There's no bulk way to create repair orders
Unlike warranty registrations and part compatibility, you can't import a spreadsheet of repair orders. New repair (on its own, or triggered from an order, RMA, or serial number) is the only way to create one — though a single repair can hold any number of units and pieces. If you have a backlog of claims to log in bulk, create them one at a time through New repair, or through your own system via the API.
Related
- Export repairs — exporting the repairs list itself.
- Import warranty registrations — the column-by-column reference for that importer.
- Import part compatibility — the column-by-column reference for that importer.
- Follow background jobs — the Background Jobs tray in general: canceling, retrying, and the job list.
- Read repair dashboards and reports — the report exports in the table above.