Merchandise XML Upload

LAWGS allows a batch data upload option for merchandise.

To upload merchandise to a declaration form, you must use the LAWGS provided Excel spreadsheet as your template. The template requires Microsoft Excel 2010 or later. Click Save when prompted to save the template to your hard drive. Follow the instructions in the template to enter and upload the data.

To upload the Plant and Plant Product Articles/Components of Articles, complete the following steps:

Enter one article or component of an article per row using the columns below to describe the article or component of article. Consecutive rows with the same Line Number, HTSUS Number, Entered Value, and Article/Component of Article will be grouped as a Article/Component within the LAWGS application.
NOTE: Items marked * are required. The upload will fail if required fields are missing. Make sure the data is entered inside the mapped cell range which begins at cell A5 and expands as new rows are consecutively entered. The end of the mapped cell range is indicated by a small arrow at the right-bottom of the last cell. If there is data outside of the cell range, drag the arrow to include these rows.

2.	Once the data entry is complete, save the data as an XML data file.

a.	Click File then Save As.

b.	Select a folder and file name.

c.	Select XML Data (*.xml) as 'save as type'.

d.	Click Save to export the spreadsheet into XML data file.

e.	Click Continue on the "Saving the file as XML Data will result in the loss of worksheet features..." message.

3.	To upload the merchandise XML data file into LAWGS, follow the instructions on the Merchandise page of the Declaration Form creation process in the LAWGS application.

HELPFUL TIPS

To use an Excel spreadsheet template, complete the following steps:

1.	Download the XLS template. You can access the templates from the LAWGS Home Page, under the Merchandise XML Upload section or from the Merchandise page when you are working in a declaration form.

2.	Enter the data about the Plant and Plant Product Articles/Components of Articles into the XLS template.

3.	Save the Excel file as an XML Data file. (This is documented in the steps at the top of the XLS template, similar to the Sample Instructions above.)

4.	From the Merchandise page, click the Upload Spreadsheet button.

5.	Find/enter the XML file that you previously saved and click the Upload button. RESULT: The Upload button will read the data (you entered in the spreadsheet template) from the XML file and load it into the List of Articles/Components of Articles table shown on the screen.

If errors are found in the data, a message will display indicating the issue. You can go back to the Excel file and correct the data and repeat the process of saving it as an XML file and then doing the Upload again. The error message will indicate the row that has the error.

NOTE: The error message will not be the exact row number that you see in Excel since the first 4 rows in Excel are the instructions and column headers. The actual merchandise data itself starts on Excel row 5. If an error is found on the very first merchandise entered in the spreadsheet, the error message will state the nature of the error as being "on data row 1" which actually corresponds to Excel row 5. If any errors are found, no data from the spreadsheet will be loaded. Once all the errors are corrected, all the data will be uploaded.

Once the data is uploaded, it can be updated in the table without using the Excel file. Once the data is saved, Articles/Components of Articles (data rows) can be deleted by using the checkbox for Delete that is shown in the table. If you successfully upload the spreadsheet once, then upload the same data file again, the data will get loaded a second time.

NOTE: You can use a combination of Option 1 (manual entry) and Option 2 for the batch upload, to get all your merchandise in the Certificate. For example, when you batch upload more than one article into the Declaration Form, but then have 5 more articles to add to the shipment. You can add each article manually using Option 1. (You will not have to use the spreadsheet option again. However, if you want to use the batch upload option again, ensure that only the new 5 articles are in the Excel template.)

8.	Once you have completed the merchandise information for the Plant and Plant Product Declaration Form, click the Next button.

RESULT: The Summary/Submit page appears.

At any time during the form creation process, you may save your work for completion in the future. To retrieve a Plant and Plant Product Declaration Form, follow the steps listed in the View Forms Help Topic.