How To Import CSV File To Create Stops For Planning

This tutorial will guide you on how to import your CSV file into ElasticRoute for planning.

If you already have a CSV file of your stops, you may import it into ElasticRoute for planning starting from Step 1 below.

If you do not have an existing CSV file and need a template for it, you can download a sample of the CSV file and enter the relevant data. There are only 2 mandatory fields, “Name” and “Address” or “Address 1” that needs to be populated. The remaining fields need only to be populated if you need the data or use the field as a constrain to be factored into the planning, eg. Time Window, Service Time”.

For the address information, you can select the header of “Address", “Address 1" (line address format) or “Latitude" and " Longitude".

Sample Data For CSV Manifest Import
Import Fields Description Data Example Remarks
Name Unique identifier of the stop. DET123456 Required.
Address Address of the stop. 2-10 Darling Dr, Suite 235, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia Required. if you are not using line address for import
Address 1 Line Address 1 2-10 Darling Dr Required. if you are not using address to import
Address 2 Line Address 2 Suite 235 Optional. Part of line Address
Address 3 Line Address 3 Optional. Part of line Address
City Line Address City Sydney Optional. Part of line Address
State Line Address State NSW Optional. Part of line Address
Postal Code Line Address Postal Code 2000 Optional. Part of line Address
Country Line Address Country Australia Optional. Part of line Address
Latitude Latitude of Stop Address 33.872 Optional, if latitude and longitude is entered, no address or line address is required
Longitude Logitude of Stop Address 151.1991 Optional, if longitude and latitude is entered, no address or line address is required
Weight Load Weight of load for the stop.
Refer to How To Set Vehicle Capacity.		 13.4 Optional.
Volume Load Volume of load for the Stop.
Refer to How To Set Vehicle Capacity.		 450 Optional, omit the units
Seating Load Seating of load for the Stop.
Refer to How To Set Vehicle Capacity.		 4 Optional, omit the units
Time Window Name of Time Window.
Refer to How To Set Time Windows.		 AM Optional.
Service Time Time taken to service the stop.
Refer to How To Set Service TIme For Your Stops.		 5 Optional.
Vehicle Type Tag for use with special delivery.
Refer to How To Assign Stops With Special Requirements To Specific Vehicle Type.		 Default Optional.
Depot Name of the Depot.
Refer to How To Add Depots.		 Mandai Depot Optional.
Group Name of the Group.
Refer to How To Use Group For Separating Your Runs.		 Group 1 Optional
Load ID Can be used to identify a number of related stops for splitting the stops.
How To Use The Load ID To Split The Stops Amongst Your Vehicles.		 DO123 Optional
  1. Match your CSV headers with ElasticRoute headers.

    Under the Settings, you can customize the headers under Fields. If the Custom Header (Second Column) field is left empty, the Default Header (first column) will be used. This can be very useful if you are exporting your manifest from your existing system or your manifest file already comes with its own set of headers.

    For example, your existing manifest file uses the header D.O. Number instead of Name (our default). So all you need to do to make your manifest file compatible with ElasticRoute is just to enter D.O. Number in the Custom Header field for Name and our system will search for D.O. Number in your manifest file to populate the Name field during import.

    Likewise the header D.O. Number will be replaced by Name during export and it is more likely that your system will be able to import back the CSV file with the same header.

  2. Optional. Navigate to Settings > General > Import Section.

    You may check the Address fields (City, State, Postal Code, Country) that you wish the systems to import from your CSV.

      Note:

    • The system will by default only import the Address field, and ignore the rest of the fields (City, State, Postal Code, Country).
    • Checking the field/s will allow the system to include those information to the Address.

    Refer to: How To Include City, State, Postal Code And Country Information Into Address Field For CSV Import.

    Refer to: How To Use Line Address For CSV Import/Export.


    Step 3:     Click on Import > Import from CSV

    Select the CSV file that you wish to import by clicking on Choose file > Upload.

  3. Upon uploading the CSV, the address wordings will turn blue as per shown below, indicating that the addresses had been geo-coded (i.e. converted to a pair of GPS coordinates, latitude and longitude).

      Notes:

    • If the address wordings remain in red after a long period of time, it is likely that the system is unable to locate your stop address location on the map.
    • To rectify this, click on the Edit icon on the right-hand side to open a pop-out to manually locate the address.
    • To manually locate the address, click and drag the map-marker to locate the address, click Save when done.
  4. Click on “Plan & Optimize”

    Once the planning is completed, the rows will turn pale green, with the relevant information such as Run, Sequence (Seq) and ETA being generated.

  5. To export the data out, you may click on the Export button.

    If you wish to customize the headers of your CSV export, please refer to How To Set Headers For Your CSV Export

  6. To view the locations of the stops on the map, click on Map > Select Run.

    The optimized route would be shown in the map below.

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