Importing Dockets from an Excel Spreadsheet

Subcontractor Administrators and Head Contractor Administrators can import dockets into Virtual Superintendent using Excel spreadsheets. Use this workflow to quickly and accurately create multiple dockets.

When to use this workflow

Use Excel import in the following scenarios:

When a subcontractor supplier regularly submits large volumes of similar dockets. For example, a subcontractor frequently delivers the same material to site.
When a subcontractor exports data from another system and uploads it to Virtual Superintendent. Head contractors (with Admin Manager or Super User permissions) can enable this feature for suppliers. See here to view a video guide.
When a head contractor creates dockets on behalf of a subcontractor. Head contractor users must have either Admin Manager or Dockets Super User permissions.

Import dockets

To import dockets:

Open the dockets page that matches your account permissions. These are listed under the Dockets section of the menu (for example, Menu > Admin or Menu > Super User).
Click Import Dockets. A contextual menu opens.
Click Download Template. The template downloads to your computer using the file name format vs_Docket Import Template_YYMMDD-HHMMSS
- Head contractor admins only: select the Supplier to import dockets for then click Select. The template downloads.
- The template spreadsheet updates periodically. Download the template each time to make sure you use the latest version.
Enter your docket details in the downloaded spreadsheet template.
Save the file to your computer.
Click Import Dockets.
Select the saved spreadsheet file to upload and generate the dockets.

Note: As you add data to the template, its validation status appears using color indicators. White cells are not validated. Green cells are validated and correct.

Import file fields

This section explains required and optional fields, and any field behavior to be aware of.

Required fields

The following fields must be included in your docket import file:

Field	Description
Date	Date of the work or delivery
Chargeable Item	Item being billed
Billable Quantity	Amount billed after breaks are deducted. This fields reflect the UOM (Unit of Measure) for the selected billable item, for example hours for labor or tons for material
Supervisor	Supervisor responsible for the work

Optional fields

The following fields are optional in your docket import file:

Field	Description
Invoice Number	Used to filter dockets
Cost Code	Assign cost code to docket
Start Time	Shift start time (hours-based dockets)
Apply Breaks	Apply supplier breaks (Yes or No).
Engineer	Assign engineer
Plant ID	Plant reference
Location	Work or delivery location
Docket Unifier	Combine rows into one docket
People	Worker names
Order Number	Related order
Ticket Number	Ticket reference
Remarks	Additional notes

Field behavior

Billable Quantity

Quantity reflects the unit of measure for the selected chargeable item.

Examples:

Labor dockets use hours
Material dockets use tons

For hours-based dockets, enter billable hours only. Do not include break time.

Apply Breaks

Yes: Supplier breaks apply if they fall within the shift
No: Breaks are not applied

If breaks apply, the finish time adjusts automatically.

Start Time

If no start time is entered, the system uses the default start time of 7:00 AM.

Docket Unifier

Use the Docket Unifier field to combine rows into a single docket.

Rows combine when the following values match:

Date
Invoice Number
Cost Code
Supervisor
Engineer
Location
Order Number
Ticket Number

You can also choose automatic combining during import by checking the Combine dockets box.

Tips for working with templates

Duplicate values by dragging cells down a column
Use Paste values when copying from external sources
Prevent number auto-increment when copying IDs
Use dropdown lists where available

Video guide

Watch this video to see a demonstration of the workflow: